Nostalgia mixed with the crack can be dangerous. Also, hilarious.
Is it just me, or are we all still riding the high of a new concert, new single, new TV shows, and the Arashi 65 hour marathon on NTV? I like to think that in some small way, fandom is being compensated for the lack of Shukudai. Or something like that, anyway. ^^;
Speaking of things past, it was lockability's birthday this week, and what better way to commemorate it than with the sparkly?
With that in mind . . .
How long has it been since costume disaster spam?
After the recently-resurrected clear plastic suits, there is one particular costume which lives on in iconic Arashi fame and infamy, both beloved and mercilessly mocked.
Oh yes. I went there.
You know, most of the time, regardless of the crack factor of their costumes, Arashi manages to grin, bear it, and do an admirable job of pretending not to notice that most disco-themed whorehouses circuses from the 1970s would totally throw them them out if they came to the door wearing those costumes.
Ironically, the one time they’re actually dressed appropriately for a 1970s disco whorehouse circus is the one time they actually look peeved and slightly embarrassed by their costumes.
How about a little mood lighting? Maybe then we won’t be able to see clearly.
What’s amusing to me about the disco ball is that I can’t quite look at it without thinking that at some point, someone looked at these costumes and realized that there was going to have to be some sort of context for these costumes to fly, some sort of assurance that, yes, dear fans, we know exactly what these outfits look like and it was all part of the plan, truly.
See how the disco ball up top makes everything okay?
>_>
Or maybe not.
Is it just me, or is Aiba cursing a malevolent god here? Because that’s what it looks like to me.
I kind of think he may have a point.
I suspect Staff had to drug Jun to get him on stage in this getup. It wouldn’t surprise me.
I love how he doesn’t even bother to tuck his own hair under that wig.
Let’s face it: it takes something special to make a group of young men whose job is essentially to look happy and to ignore public humiliation on a regular basis look overtly unhappy.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that that something special might have to do with the second worst wigs in Arashi history.
Because no other wig is going to top this.
Seriously. Those things look like itchy, scratchy polyester chia pets gone radioactive.
Herein follows a gallery of faces idols probably shouldn’t make on stage. On the other hand, it looks more than justified.
I'm adding this to my personal list of things that should never ever be done on stage:
I kind of adore Jun for refusing to do the chicken dance. There are limits, after all.
You know it's bad when all of Arashi are touching each other and they still look like they're grounded.
OK, I’ll stop picking on the wigs, because there are a couple of good points to them:
For one thing, they’re surprisingly aerodynamic:
I kind of love the way that Jun contemptuously flings his wig away from himself and then walks away without even glancing back at it.
Also, without the wigs, look at how thrilled to be alive Arashi is:
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, once the audience has dealt with the wigs, the rest of the costume seems positively reasonable. You hardly even blink at it.
That’s really saying something, because when you stop focusing on the wigs, these costumes really do look like utterly fabulous love letters to the 1970s, remembered through the lens of LSD.
Bell bottoms on skinny pants? Check.
Kitschy gay cowboy in bell bottoms and vest? We got that.
Aiba actually looks like an extra from Saturday Night Fever here, except that he’s just too pretty to have been in that movie. Also, he’s way too happy.
And Nino . . . well, I’m sure they had crazy bell bottom satin pajama parties in the ‘70s. And if they didn’t, if Arashi had been there, they would have. And it would have been fantastic.
Ohno . . . kind of looks like he showed up for the wrong decade, since this looks a bit too 20’s flapper-ish to me, not that I'm complaining --the 70s weren't really a great decade for anyone, honestly . . .
That said, I kind of enjoy the way they personalized each of the costumes in this case. I also enjoy that the unifying features of the costumes, other than the bell bottoms, are gold sequined stars and butterflies. I like to try to work out why members got one or the other while others got both.
It is very impressive how they managed to incorporate just about every type of sparkly or shiny they could . . .
For instance, Nino’s costume, which is frankly, probably the least sparkly, has some sort of lamé tinselly gold cuffs, gold sequins, I don’t even know what the metallic satin sheen comes from, and some sort of chiffon-esque right sleeve. I guess this is what passes for tastefully understated when one is in Arashi.
Though the gold belt is a nice touch. For some reason, I got obsessed with the belts on these costumes.
Seriously. Aiba’s shirt is so sparkly, the sequins have to fight to be noticed.
Leaving that aside, there are also the hyper-shiny green foil collar/lapels and cuffs to be considered, as well as the shiny gold buttons on the cuffs.
Also struggling to be noticed in the riot of shiny: the striped pants.
>_>
Did you even notice that the shoes are covered in gold sequins?? It’s that kind of costume: So much loving detail lost in the riot of ridonculousness.
A better shoe shot from AAA Taipei.
Ohno sticks to simple sequins for his look.
Oh wait, not so much-how about the lovely fringe?
I love that they included slits to show off his belt and his . . . assets.
Speaking of that fringe . . . Jun and Sho have that covered, too. Also, Jun manages not one but two shiny purples, and that’s not including the pink satin vest or gold belt.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: somebody was “high high” when they thought up this costume concept.
Who is going to caption this? Because it isn’t going to be me ^^;
Nino would like to have a discussion with the costume designer. I’m sure it’s about the weather.
I would like to note that when the costume reappeared in AAA Taipei, the wigs were gone. I'm sure it's a coincidence *__*
Actually, this costume always reminds me of the interview where Nino mentions that he kept a concert outfit for pajamas once, but that they were pretty flashy. I like to think that it was this costume. It looks pretty comfy. Though the How's it Going cotton "tribal" outfit would be a strong contender as well.
Though I have to say, the true genius of these costumes really became clear in AAA Taipei.
Can you tell? (other than the fact that the video quality is so much better)
Clearly, Ohno and Nino are interested in something.
Jun tries in vain to distract the audience from what’s going on behind him.
So it turns out that those stripes actually include gold in them, which rubs off. Obviously Ohno and Nino had to check this out more closely.
I kind of wonder if this is the Arashi version of “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”
The other option of course is that a) without the wigs, they’re feeling pretty frisky and those pants are bizarrely flattering.
Eventually they have to give up, and Ohno looks really sad about it.
*____*
Um guys? I actually think the Tootsie Roll Pop thing . . . might be true. I . . . whut?
. . . it’s either that, or the costume was designed with an ass panel with rub-off gold and . . . really??
*checks other pants*
Here’s a shot where you can actually see the gold. Only in a costume this loud would that qualify as subtle or difficult to see. It’s really quite restrained.
It looks like the fabric is the same as Nino’s, but only has the gold in stripes?
I would like to point out that Ohno, Aiba and Sho have the stripes while Jun and Nino opt out. You cannot convince me that this is accidental.
Also, I think I know why Ohno’s costume top is so long.
Some things are inevitably too tempting for certain people to resist.
Jun has graduated to a purple belt here instead of the gold, since apparently, there just weren’t enough shades of purple to satisfy him.
Seriously-I count 6 separate shades of purple, fuschia and pink here . . .
Likewise, Sho has graduated from the white belt to . . . a pink one . . .
Aiba switched from gold to yellow . . . not that you noticed . . .
Hey check it out: Nino’s got a dark orange belt!
This costume, with and without the wigs, encapsulates for me the heart of Arashi concerts: energy crack, humor and incongruous hotness.
It’s also a testament to what we can get used to. The first time I saw this costume, I laughed out loud and then felt vaguely ashamed of myself for mocking their pain. Now, I watch concerts with people who haven’t seen it before, forget to warn them, and then am vaguely surprised by all the fuss they make when this costume makes its appearance.
This just happened to me earlier today with one of the Boy's coworkers. It made my day ^_^;;
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I have tons of Arashi TV to catch up on and even more work to do >_< Faced with a choice like that . . . I think I will binge on concert watching ^^;
*waves*
Speaking of things past, it was lockability's birthday this week, and what better way to commemorate it than with the sparkly?
With that in mind . . .
How long has it been since costume disaster spam?
After the recently-resurrected clear plastic suits, there is one particular costume which lives on in iconic Arashi fame and infamy, both beloved and mercilessly mocked.
Oh yes. I went there.
You know, most of the time, regardless of the crack factor of their costumes, Arashi manages to grin, bear it, and do an admirable job of pretending not to notice that most disco-themed whorehouses circuses from the 1970s would totally throw them them out if they came to the door wearing those costumes.
Ironically, the one time they’re actually dressed appropriately for a 1970s disco whorehouse circus is the one time they actually look peeved and slightly embarrassed by their costumes.
How about a little mood lighting? Maybe then we won’t be able to see clearly.
What’s amusing to me about the disco ball is that I can’t quite look at it without thinking that at some point, someone looked at these costumes and realized that there was going to have to be some sort of context for these costumes to fly, some sort of assurance that, yes, dear fans, we know exactly what these outfits look like and it was all part of the plan, truly.
See how the disco ball up top makes everything okay?
>_>
Or maybe not.
Is it just me, or is Aiba cursing a malevolent god here? Because that’s what it looks like to me.
I kind of think he may have a point.
I suspect Staff had to drug Jun to get him on stage in this getup. It wouldn’t surprise me.
I love how he doesn’t even bother to tuck his own hair under that wig.
Let’s face it: it takes something special to make a group of young men whose job is essentially to look happy and to ignore public humiliation on a regular basis look overtly unhappy.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that that something special might have to do with the second worst wigs in Arashi history.
Because no other wig is going to top this.
Seriously. Those things look like itchy, scratchy polyester chia pets gone radioactive.
Herein follows a gallery of faces idols probably shouldn’t make on stage. On the other hand, it looks more than justified.
I'm adding this to my personal list of things that should never ever be done on stage:
I kind of adore Jun for refusing to do the chicken dance. There are limits, after all.
You know it's bad when all of Arashi are touching each other and they still look like they're grounded.
OK, I’ll stop picking on the wigs, because there are a couple of good points to them:
For one thing, they’re surprisingly aerodynamic:
I kind of love the way that Jun contemptuously flings his wig away from himself and then walks away without even glancing back at it.
Also, without the wigs, look at how thrilled to be alive Arashi is:
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, once the audience has dealt with the wigs, the rest of the costume seems positively reasonable. You hardly even blink at it.
That’s really saying something, because when you stop focusing on the wigs, these costumes really do look like utterly fabulous love letters to the 1970s, remembered through the lens of LSD.
Bell bottoms on skinny pants? Check.
Kitschy gay cowboy in bell bottoms and vest? We got that.
Aiba actually looks like an extra from Saturday Night Fever here, except that he’s just too pretty to have been in that movie. Also, he’s way too happy.
And Nino . . . well, I’m sure they had crazy bell bottom satin pajama parties in the ‘70s. And if they didn’t, if Arashi had been there, they would have. And it would have been fantastic.
Ohno . . . kind of looks like he showed up for the wrong decade, since this looks a bit too 20’s flapper-ish to me, not that I'm complaining --the 70s weren't really a great decade for anyone, honestly . . .
That said, I kind of enjoy the way they personalized each of the costumes in this case. I also enjoy that the unifying features of the costumes, other than the bell bottoms, are gold sequined stars and butterflies. I like to try to work out why members got one or the other while others got both.
It is very impressive how they managed to incorporate just about every type of sparkly or shiny they could . . .
For instance, Nino’s costume, which is frankly, probably the least sparkly, has some sort of lamé tinselly gold cuffs, gold sequins, I don’t even know what the metallic satin sheen comes from, and some sort of chiffon-esque right sleeve. I guess this is what passes for tastefully understated when one is in Arashi.
Though the gold belt is a nice touch. For some reason, I got obsessed with the belts on these costumes.
Seriously. Aiba’s shirt is so sparkly, the sequins have to fight to be noticed.
Leaving that aside, there are also the hyper-shiny green foil collar/lapels and cuffs to be considered, as well as the shiny gold buttons on the cuffs.
Also struggling to be noticed in the riot of shiny: the striped pants.
>_>
Did you even notice that the shoes are covered in gold sequins?? It’s that kind of costume: So much loving detail lost in the riot of ridonculousness.
A better shoe shot from AAA Taipei.
Ohno sticks to simple sequins for his look.
Oh wait, not so much-how about the lovely fringe?
I love that they included slits to show off his belt and his . . . assets.
Speaking of that fringe . . . Jun and Sho have that covered, too. Also, Jun manages not one but two shiny purples, and that’s not including the pink satin vest or gold belt.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: somebody was “high high” when they thought up this costume concept.
Who is going to caption this? Because it isn’t going to be me ^^;
Nino would like to have a discussion with the costume designer. I’m sure it’s about the weather.
I would like to note that when the costume reappeared in AAA Taipei, the wigs were gone. I'm sure it's a coincidence *__*
Actually, this costume always reminds me of the interview where Nino mentions that he kept a concert outfit for pajamas once, but that they were pretty flashy. I like to think that it was this costume. It looks pretty comfy. Though the How's it Going cotton "tribal" outfit would be a strong contender as well.
Though I have to say, the true genius of these costumes really became clear in AAA Taipei.
Can you tell? (other than the fact that the video quality is so much better)
Clearly, Ohno and Nino are interested in something.
Jun tries in vain to distract the audience from what’s going on behind him.
So it turns out that those stripes actually include gold in them, which rubs off. Obviously Ohno and Nino had to check this out more closely.
I kind of wonder if this is the Arashi version of “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”
The other option of course is that a) without the wigs, they’re feeling pretty frisky and those pants are bizarrely flattering.
Eventually they have to give up, and Ohno looks really sad about it.
*____*
Um guys? I actually think the Tootsie Roll Pop thing . . . might be true. I . . . whut?
. . . it’s either that, or the costume was designed with an ass panel with rub-off gold and . . . really??
*checks other pants*
Here’s a shot where you can actually see the gold. Only in a costume this loud would that qualify as subtle or difficult to see. It’s really quite restrained.
It looks like the fabric is the same as Nino’s, but only has the gold in stripes?
I would like to point out that Ohno, Aiba and Sho have the stripes while Jun and Nino opt out. You cannot convince me that this is accidental.
Also, I think I know why Ohno’s costume top is so long.
Some things are inevitably too tempting for certain people to resist.
Jun has graduated to a purple belt here instead of the gold, since apparently, there just weren’t enough shades of purple to satisfy him.
Seriously-I count 6 separate shades of purple, fuschia and pink here . . .
Likewise, Sho has graduated from the white belt to . . . a pink one . . .
Aiba switched from gold to yellow . . . not that you noticed . . .
Hey check it out: Nino’s got a dark orange belt!
This costume, with and without the wigs, encapsulates for me the heart of Arashi concerts: energy crack, humor and incongruous hotness.
It’s also a testament to what we can get used to. The first time I saw this costume, I laughed out loud and then felt vaguely ashamed of myself for mocking their pain. Now, I watch concerts with people who haven’t seen it before, forget to warn them, and then am vaguely surprised by all the fuss they make when this costume makes its appearance.
This just happened to me earlier today with one of the Boy's coworkers. It made my day ^_^;;
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I have tons of Arashi TV to catch up on and even more work to do >_< Faced with a choice like that . . . I think I will binge on concert watching ^^;
*waves*