Fashion 70's - Episode One
Once upon a time, there was a kdrama called Capital Scandal. CapScan (if you're so inclined) featured some of the best/worst costuming OF ALL TIME - spurring a lovely LJer named bookelfe to post a series of fashion polls to determine the best outfits in a sea of floral fedoras, mismatched suits and hypercolour hanboks. The polls and their posts were wonderful and pastely, and, being a huge costume nerd, it spurred me to procure a kdrama called Fashion 70s.
Fashion 70's (패션 70's) is a kdrama from 2005 that follows four friends from their childhood during the Korean War to their adulthood in the debaucherous seventies. You can see why, like a bower bird, I was drawn to this and the potential costumey LOLZ.
Then I noticed it was TWENTY-EIGHT EPISODES LONG. But it was clear to both bookelfe and myself this was one I had to take for the team, as it was imperative I help in sharing Korean drama's idea of a "fashionable" "seventies" with you all (inverted commas mine).
(and here is where we get out any lingering jokes about the irony of "fashion" and "seventies" being in the same title)
Cue the Bee Gees! Pull on your flares! Tease up that hair! Let's do it!
This post will be slightly longer than most, as it's where we introduce our heroes. And I'm vaguely confused as to what is actually going on. And there's very little fashion, bar Urchin Chic and Army Fatigue Couture, but I'm sure that will be rectified in the TWENTY-SEVEN episodes after this one.
We being our journey at an American/Korean army base in Undeterminded City In Korea, during the pointy end of the Korean War. There's lots of Americana happenin' - Hershey's being smuggled, Jack Daniels hidden in a kid's coat, more English than you can handle and hell, even Marilyn Monroe is gracing the joint with her presence!
Uh.
That's better.
The mood is set by this rather creepy fellow, who may or may not be alluding to the fact we'll never sleep again due to his crazed mug.
He's also playing the role of Jovial American in Occupied Territory by befriending and joking with a small child. Bless.
Small child is actually Dong Young. He can speak English, and is generally earnest in every way. Earnestly playing his trumpet!
Earnest Trumpet Blues!
His dad is Head Dude in Charge. He's kind and harsh and has a dead wife.
Dead Wife's ring and photo are given to Dong Young in order to distract him from the fact his father is sending him away (randomly) with American soldiers. Note the ring - it comes up later (and I suspect possibly for the entire series).
He has a drive-by friendship with Kang Hee, a lovable urchin from Undetermined City. She's scrapin' by thanks to her industrious smuggling of food and dodgy mother.
Dodgy Mother, stage left. She's basically a lecherous thief with No Soul - if there were any doubt of this fact, of course she makes a play for Dead Wife's ring.
And just in case you were having lingering doubts about Dodgy Mother's lecherousness - "she was just trying to provide for her children! War is hell!" - upon the event of being searched for the ring, she snaps the pearl off and forces Kang Hee to swallow it.
Exactly.
A perfect time to introduce Fashion 70's gap-toothed star, Joon Hee! Her parents are respectable army personel. She's fucking adorable.
She also has the auspicious honour of sporting the series' first lot of paisley. I feel like cracking a champagne bottle against the hull in celebration!
The final set of characters are a traveling troupe of fashion models, designer and tailor. No, really. They're in touch with nature!
They're lead by head designer, Madame Fierce-a-Lot (or Bong Sil, but that common name simply undermines her everything). She's fierce and bitchy.
Her offsider is master tailor (his words) Yook Sung. He likes the ladies.
Drive-by Fashionable Model Urchin
Madame Fierce-a-Lot has a son she doesn't particularly like, mainly because he whinges a lot. Lucky for us, he's the fourth part of our Friends Through The Ages, so no doubt this will be particularly wonderful when he's whinging as an adult. His name is Jang Bin and he fell off a truck in case you're wondering about the bandage (I know you weren't).
Meanwhile, back in Warville, Head Dude in Charge is framed badly whilst being told by Generic American Army Guy that the the base is about to bombed lol sorry our bad for not telling you no you can't evacuate okthnxbye.
There's a SHOWDOWN that actually isn't very interesting.
Lucky for all involved, in a convoluted plot development, The Traveling Wilburys Fashionistas lose their entry to the army base in Seoul where they're supposed to be doing a fashion show (THANKS TO JANG BIN OF COURSE). They try to convince the guard to let them onto the Undetermined City's base so they can get a new one from Head Dude in Charge. I would try to explain why the Head Dude in Charge was the one who gave them a pass and who is conveniently within driving range, but I can't because the bloody show doesn't.
...and yes, Yook Sung is doing the splits in order to gain entry to the base.
He's pretty great. And subtitled wrong.
It's okay, buddy. We know who you are! Do you know what will cheer you up? Boobs!
You're welcome.
You know when you cap something and it's beautiful just for being what it is? This cap is one of those such caps. Because, yes, Head Dude in Charge decides a fashion show is a perfect distraction to get all of his troops off the army base. Just the troops. None of those stinkin' innocent civilians, noooo.
Yep.
GUYSE IT'S DISTRACTION FASHION SHOW TIME!
First - a gorgeous full-skirt number, perfect for mourning all those jerks who are about to die because of the bombs that are about to rain down on them.
Werk, Miss Thang! This tapers down into a mid-calf pencil skirt. Nice.
This dress and I are getting married. Wish us well, I'll post the details for the registry service soon. Gingham! Kelly green! Ugh!
Detail of the dress you can see in the background of the last cap. Double ugh. The clothes are gorgeous - all jokes aside - and this can either mean the seventies clothes are going to be a) awesome or b) awesomely awful.
Double lace numbers - the other has a giant pink bow around the yolk that I couldn't cap well enough to do it justice.
There's some serious makeup at work here, people. Contoring, oh my!
Ugh. Boat-necked gray ensemble, be still my heart. All the hats! The sass! Now I want a drama set in the 1950s, stat.
...not going to lie, I'd wear it. I'd look ridiculous, I'd have a furry hat and that simply outweighs everything. Including dignity.
As you're probably gathering, this show is lit terribly, making it hard to cap anything. But you don't need an unblurry cap to appreciate the wonder of this number, fur aside.
Luckily for the costume budget, the bombs begin. Head count: Joon Hee gets in trouble for stealing whisky and is banned from watching the fashion show by her Proper Army Parents, so she runs away and is in put in a box by Jang Bin (GEEZ JANG BIN) then her parents can't find her; Dong Young's gone with the Americans; Kang Hee has to break her mum out of jail (no really) and Jang Bin is running around hiding people in boxes and getting in everyone's way.
Then the episode ends with Joon Hee in the box. I love you, Joon Hee.
~fin~
NEXT TIME ON FASHION 70S: The Aftermath. Will the clothes survive? Will they?!
Oy. The real question: do we want fashion polls, or are we content in agreeing Madame Fierce-a-Lot will always be the winner?
Fair enough.
Fashion 70's (패션 70's) is a kdrama from 2005 that follows four friends from their childhood during the Korean War to their adulthood in the debaucherous seventies. You can see why, like a bower bird, I was drawn to this and the potential costumey LOLZ.
Then I noticed it was TWENTY-EIGHT EPISODES LONG. But it was clear to both bookelfe and myself this was one I had to take for the team, as it was imperative I help in sharing Korean drama's idea of a "fashionable" "seventies" with you all (inverted commas mine).
(and here is where we get out any lingering jokes about the irony of "fashion" and "seventies" being in the same title)
Cue the Bee Gees! Pull on your flares! Tease up that hair! Let's do it!
This post will be slightly longer than most, as it's where we introduce our heroes. And I'm vaguely confused as to what is actually going on. And there's very little fashion, bar Urchin Chic and Army Fatigue Couture, but I'm sure that will be rectified in the TWENTY-SEVEN episodes after this one.
We being our journey at an American/Korean army base in Undeterminded City In Korea, during the pointy end of the Korean War. There's lots of Americana happenin' - Hershey's being smuggled, Jack Daniels hidden in a kid's coat, more English than you can handle and hell, even Marilyn Monroe is gracing the joint with her presence!
Uh.
That's better.
The mood is set by this rather creepy fellow, who may or may not be alluding to the fact we'll never sleep again due to his crazed mug.
He's also playing the role of Jovial American in Occupied Territory by befriending and joking with a small child. Bless.
Small child is actually Dong Young. He can speak English, and is generally earnest in every way. Earnestly playing his trumpet!
Earnest Trumpet Blues!
His dad is Head Dude in Charge. He's kind and harsh and has a dead wife.
Dead Wife's ring and photo are given to Dong Young in order to distract him from the fact his father is sending him away (randomly) with American soldiers. Note the ring - it comes up later (and I suspect possibly for the entire series).
He has a drive-by friendship with Kang Hee, a lovable urchin from Undetermined City. She's scrapin' by thanks to her industrious smuggling of food and dodgy mother.
Dodgy Mother, stage left. She's basically a lecherous thief with No Soul - if there were any doubt of this fact, of course she makes a play for Dead Wife's ring.
And just in case you were having lingering doubts about Dodgy Mother's lecherousness - "she was just trying to provide for her children! War is hell!" - upon the event of being searched for the ring, she snaps the pearl off and forces Kang Hee to swallow it.
Exactly.
A perfect time to introduce Fashion 70's gap-toothed star, Joon Hee! Her parents are respectable army personel. She's fucking adorable.
She also has the auspicious honour of sporting the series' first lot of paisley. I feel like cracking a champagne bottle against the hull in celebration!
The final set of characters are a traveling troupe of fashion models, designer and tailor. No, really. They're in touch with nature!
They're lead by head designer, Madame Fierce-a-Lot (or Bong Sil, but that common name simply undermines her everything). She's fierce and bitchy.
Her offsider is master tailor (his words) Yook Sung. He likes the ladies.
Drive-by Fashionable Model Urchin
Madame Fierce-a-Lot has a son she doesn't particularly like, mainly because he whinges a lot. Lucky for us, he's the fourth part of our Friends Through The Ages, so no doubt this will be particularly wonderful when he's whinging as an adult. His name is Jang Bin and he fell off a truck in case you're wondering about the bandage (I know you weren't).
Meanwhile, back in Warville, Head Dude in Charge is framed badly whilst being told by Generic American Army Guy that the the base is about to bombed lol sorry our bad for not telling you no you can't evacuate okthnxbye.
There's a SHOWDOWN that actually isn't very interesting.
Lucky for all involved, in a convoluted plot development, The Traveling Wilburys Fashionistas lose their entry to the army base in Seoul where they're supposed to be doing a fashion show (THANKS TO JANG BIN OF COURSE). They try to convince the guard to let them onto the Undetermined City's base so they can get a new one from Head Dude in Charge. I would try to explain why the Head Dude in Charge was the one who gave them a pass and who is conveniently within driving range, but I can't because the bloody show doesn't.
...and yes, Yook Sung is doing the splits in order to gain entry to the base.
He's pretty great. And subtitled wrong.
It's okay, buddy. We know who you are! Do you know what will cheer you up? Boobs!
You're welcome.
You know when you cap something and it's beautiful just for being what it is? This cap is one of those such caps. Because, yes, Head Dude in Charge decides a fashion show is a perfect distraction to get all of his troops off the army base. Just the troops. None of those stinkin' innocent civilians, noooo.
Yep.
GUYSE IT'S DISTRACTION FASHION SHOW TIME!
First - a gorgeous full-skirt number, perfect for mourning all those jerks who are about to die because of the bombs that are about to rain down on them.
Werk, Miss Thang! This tapers down into a mid-calf pencil skirt. Nice.
This dress and I are getting married. Wish us well, I'll post the details for the registry service soon. Gingham! Kelly green! Ugh!
Detail of the dress you can see in the background of the last cap. Double ugh. The clothes are gorgeous - all jokes aside - and this can either mean the seventies clothes are going to be a) awesome or b) awesomely awful.
Double lace numbers - the other has a giant pink bow around the yolk that I couldn't cap well enough to do it justice.
There's some serious makeup at work here, people. Contoring, oh my!
Ugh. Boat-necked gray ensemble, be still my heart. All the hats! The sass! Now I want a drama set in the 1950s, stat.
...not going to lie, I'd wear it. I'd look ridiculous, I'd have a furry hat and that simply outweighs everything. Including dignity.
As you're probably gathering, this show is lit terribly, making it hard to cap anything. But you don't need an unblurry cap to appreciate the wonder of this number, fur aside.
Luckily for the costume budget, the bombs begin. Head count: Joon Hee gets in trouble for stealing whisky and is banned from watching the fashion show by her Proper Army Parents, so she runs away and is in put in a box by Jang Bin (GEEZ JANG BIN) then her parents can't find her; Dong Young's gone with the Americans; Kang Hee has to break her mum out of jail (no really) and Jang Bin is running around hiding people in boxes and getting in everyone's way.
Then the episode ends with Joon Hee in the box. I love you, Joon Hee.
~fin~
NEXT TIME ON FASHION 70S: The Aftermath. Will the clothes survive? Will they?!
Oy. The real question: do we want fashion polls, or are we content in agreeing Madame Fierce-a-Lot will always be the winner?
Fair enough.