2AM MIRACLES

Goodbye, Fly to the Sky

2009-04-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

April 12 marks the last performance for Fly to the Sky as a music duo in the kpop scene. Thereafter, Hwanhee and Brian will go their separate ways, although they may (out of the goodness of their twee hearts) get together once in a while to release singles under the FTTS name (hence 'not disbanding').

I have never been too enthusiastic about their stage perfs, but it was hard not to feel a pang of sadness knowing that I was watching their final perf. I've never really been into the kpop scene and FTTS were the only act I genuinely care about (despite my barbs about their fashion). So it's not without a touch of bittersweet nostalgia that I say goodbye to the R&B duo that was Fly to the Sky.

Last perf at SBS Inkigayo. Brian dropped the Andre Kim look (somewhat) and Hwanhee cut his hair (oh joy). I could even excuse the bright pink coat and the faint streaks of red.

The final bow:

And I leave you with one of my favourite pics of all time: the boys and their bright, infectious smiles. Good times, good memories, good music. Thank you for 10 sweet years, Fly to the Sky.

le jun

How to look ugly - 8th jib style

2009-03-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

This post is borne out of frustration with men looking like they have screws loose in their heads, permanently. Sometimes you wonder what goes on in the heads of these singers when they take to the stage. Sure, you want to create a sensation, but do it right. Don't end up looking stupid just because you thought you were funky. If I can't get past how you look aesthetically, I won't be able to concentrate on how you sound musically. So really, get a brain.

How to fit into the space lifestyle:

I mean, hello? How stupid can these outfits get? Brian always looks like he had a permanent disaster in the salon (and now fitting room) these days, but Hwanhee just about takes the cake with this inflatable piece of shit. Don't they know how awful they look? Don't they even look in the mirror before they step out on stage? I mean, seriously... how can you want to perform in such a ridiculous get-up? Imagine bursting that bubbly vest... wouldn't want to be mistaken for farting on the stage, would you, Mr Hwang?

Next, the suspenders era. Hwanhee takes the "let's hang" phrase literally:

Hwanhee, you suck. The stripes remind me of Bananas in Pyjamas, and I thought we'd already moved past the kiddy times, but apparently Mr Hwang is channelling a return to his childhood - fond memories, surely. And what's with the suspenders? They're oh so shiny you might as well polish the table with them. What is it with looking like a cross between a grandfather and a cartoon character?

Suspenders II:

"Hi, I look silly and I know it". Not happy with Bananas in Pyjamas, Hwanhee reverses the colours and opts for a smarmy hairstyle to top off another jaw-dropping, eye-rolling look. Someone pass me the eggs, I wanna smash them into his face.

Suspenders III:

Not happy again, Hwanhee reverses the colours. The boy can't make up his mind. Woe betide. Black and white or white and black? Glove or no glove? To look screwy or not to look screwy?

Besides looking like nut jobs, FTTS also had a pretty dominant colour theme in most of their 8th jib performances. They've been sporting the black-white combo, to devastatingly painful, cringe-worthy effect. Both colours are very powerful, if used correctly to evoke the right emotions. And white does not look good on just anyone, especially a full-white outfit. Like leather, you should own the colour, not let it walk over you. Unfortunately, the boys didn't quite get it.

Brian tries his best to look sexy, while Hwanhee opts for a solitary black glove amid the all-white outfit. Would have been a successful look except that Brian's hair sucks (Andre-Kim streaks, as I referred to in my previous post), and Hwanhee cannot carry off white properly. They look like they're having a failed orgasm.

Hwanhee's disaster in full-body:

Good enough to be a traffic lights post, right? White should seriously be left to weddings, especially on the bride. There's a reason why most brides wear white and grooms a mixture of white and black.

While Hwanhee practises at being a lamp-post or traffic lights, Brian channels his ahjumma-ness:

"I am emo and I flaunt it" should be Brian's motto for 8th jib fashion. Seriously, get a stylist and a life.

Channelling ahjumma-ness II:

"Lai lai lai, junk clothes for only $10 per piece, buy 5 get 1 free". Do you already see an alternative career for Brian? And I don't mean his half-baked Hollywood adventure.

And then we have the makeup :

"Look at my pretty cherry pink lips and eyeliner!" Hwanhee, seriously, can't you stop looking like a girl and start looking like a man? Is that too much to ask for? Apparently yes. So he tops off his fey look with a foppish hat, complete with a feather:

Oh look, there's a handcuffy-sort of key-chain sticking out of his pocket - more tacky than kinky. But hey, whatever floats your screwy boat, yes?

I sort of like this picture because it had a 'come hither' attitude that reminds me of SYLM, but that's about it. Sad to say, it only goes to show that the back/profile view (and half of it, come to that) is the most I can tolerate of FTTS' 8th jib asinine get-up.

le jun

Emo and Mop

2009-02-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

Le Mai informed me today that Wheesung calls himself "Real Slow", for some reason that escapes both of us. Thanks to Fly to the Sky's recently-released 8th album, Decennium, which means there is new jib fashion, we now have Real Emo and Real Mop.

I think it's pretty obvious who's Emo and who's Mop. For two guys who have been in the music industry for 10 long years (and announced they were splitting - more on that later) and have grown from squeaky-voiced kids into fine men (half the time), you'd think their fashion sense would have matured. Alas, no.

This new jib fashion, complete with leather jackets, dark backgrounds in half of the pictures and awful clothes in perfs, throws us back into the hellish period that was Transition, aka 6th jib. That jib was awful (from the beginning and ending with Brian's solo album) because the boys overdosed on angst. Any good writer knows angst must be administered in moderate doses at appropriate times. Apparently FTTS stylists were not privy to such common sense - the same stylist who 'spruced' the boys up in Transition was back again for Decennium. Brian looked marginally better in Transition's official photoshoots, as he did again in Decennium; both times Hwanhee looked like he'd been mowed over.

Leather jackets are not my thing because you need to be really savvy with them and it takes a lot to carry off anything leather with style. I don't know what sort of style they were trying to achieve... that they could bond with black and leather? That leather stuff is the best thing since sliced bread? That their shiny faces stand out in all that emo-ness? Isn't there anything else besides leather?

Oh, apparently there is. Red streaks and hairpins. Mmm... that'd totally... kill my sex drive if my man came to bed looking like this:

70s hippie with shiny hairpins sticking behind his ear. I even sense a touch of ahjumma-ness. Brilliant, Mr Hwang.

Or worse, this:

Reminds me of a slimmer version of Andre Kim. Y'know, the Korean designer whose freaky fashions are only suitable for the runway? Yeah. Mr Joo's getting there.

As if that were not bad enough, we had Hwanhee accidentally sticking one arm into a pot of black ink...

No, that was really his outfit - one black sleeve on an otherwise nice white shirt. What was he thinking? What the hell? This offends just about every sense a human possesses. White and black are very powerful colours when used effectively, but fucked up like this, you just look wrong. Hwanhee looked awful.

If Decennium's cover art had looked something like this, I wouldn't have been so pissed:

At least the people at Yesasia's marketing section had some sense. Maybe it was just as well they weren't part of the FTTS 10th-anniversary "screw-up fashion" team.

Why do certain people want to look bad when they know just how good they can look? That will probably be the million-dollar question that will never be answered, especially since FTTS announced they're splitting up. But oh no, let's not misquote Mr Joo now, he's real touchy about it. Sorry, they're "taking a break", they won't be pushing out anymore albums, but hey when they feel like being nice, they'll do a project or two together, maybe after Mr Joo is free from his oh-so-busy Hollywood filming schedule.

Please excuse me for being snarky. I am no longer a kid and I don't need euphemisms about a group disbanding. I'd have respected you more if you'd just come clean, instead of releasing news like this, then backtracking on Facebook and making it seem you've been grossly misquoted. Le Mai has her own thoughts about this, but we've discussed it, and it's safe to say we're both disappointed with how this has been handled.

Hwanhee hasn't said much, but really, he doesn't need to. Brian's said it all.

le jun

Hairy Encounters of the Third Kind

2009-01-12T03:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I still remember the password to this blog! So a new year deserves a new post, so here goes.

As we all know, Fly to the Sky enjoy employing the services of inept stylists. There is no way to explain just how horribly their fashion sense went downhill in the latter stages of 6th jib. There was a marked improvement for 7th jib, where both of them sported clean and classy looks - one of the best of the jib fashions so far. I really like it when men look like men, and not like some third-rate entertainer who's trying his damnest to get a cheap thrill out of loser audiences. So for much of 7th jib, the boys looked like the fine men they are, with excellent hairstyles:

Alas, good fashion days seldom last. Let's look at the latest hair shenanigans of Brian:

The man turned 28 with a hairstyle that decidedly went... northwest. Why on earth would you turn up at your own birthday party looking less than immaculate? Some find it cute, but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him like that. I suppose he thought a bright smile compensated for having a hairstyle that resembled a chicken's comb.

That chicken's comb hairstyle had its roots way back, and I'm sure we're all aware of how FTTS exploded onto the scene almost 10 years ago, with hairstyles that beggared belief. That was what Evie, a fellow FTTS fan, and I called the "coconut tree hairstyle", which basically means the hair was blond and expanded like bicycle spokes in all directions possible:

Looks like this are best consigned to the trash because they are so painful on the eye. Then again, half of kpop was like that in the late 1990s, so it was a miracle FTTS were taken seriously.

Things improved for the 3rd and 4th jibs, with the boys going for shorter and neater hairstyles, never mind the occasional colour for Hwanhee. I particularly like their 4th jib look, with half the photos done in classy black & white, and the hair was nothing too outrageous:

Don't they look good here? A perfect blend of yin (Brian) and yang (Hwanhee). Hairstyles play a big part in achieving a suitable overall look, and what's the point of dressing snazzy if you have an ugly hairstyle to go with it? The minimalist 4th jib look is one of my favourites because it shows that you can look good with the basics (and maybe the occasional dash of colour).

But then there were the bad days, when one looked good but the other didn't:

I don't know what on earth possessed Hwanhee to think he could do the gypsy look successfully. His hair sucked to the high heavens and was a return of the "coconut tree hairstyle" days of that woeful 1st jib. The bandana around his head just made it worse, propping up the blond streaks that look like tv antennae. The effect was awful. While Brian looked suitably cool and collected (don't you wish he didn't mess with his hair that often?), Hwanhee looked bad. It was not "bad boy" bad, it was trash bad.

And I know entertainers like to give the audience a bit of value in their performances, but there's no need to go to the extreme:

Mr Hwang, you really do like to try my patience sometimes. I really hate your hairstyles here. They're ugly and you know you can do so much better. I can understand you wanted something fancy to liven up your concerts, but did you have to go to extremes? You entertain with your voice! Your powerful, sexy, husky voice, melded with the higher, more sensitive one of your partner, can create some of the most beautiful music in the world. But why must you mess with your hair and look like crap?!

This is still one of the best hairstyles ever:

Short, sweet, sexy. A pity we're moving into 8th jib era and may no longer see the classy 7th jib selves. Let's hope 8th jib won't give us any heart attacks.

le jun

Tie me up, baby - part two!

2008-08-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so adding on to Le Jun's post about how to wear a tie properly, I found a picture of Brian wearing it correctly - and I couldn't help but share it because I'm rather fond of this particular look on Brian. I agree with Le Jun's statement about how the tie-in-shirt look worked on Brian because of the mix of plain and simple colors, and then the rolled-up sleeves adding a touch of personality and charm to the man (ok, I'm just really biased on this second part, but still).

However, I will add on that wearing the tie the normal way (right picture) is better because 1.) it's simple, sexy, and sophisticated all at once without you having to wonder why it's tucked in to his shirt between two buttons (I mean, you might as well take a pair of scissors to it), and 2.) it's risqué, as Le Jun puts it, with that touch of "I don't give a damn," and "You can pull on this later, baby," attitude. Sorry if I'm getting carried away...

I suppose the tie-in-shirt look could work for the right occasions (cause it'd look uncomfortable and boring if it had been left out with his shirt buttoned up to the neck), but when in doubt, strive for what's already been tested and proven decades and decades ago. The loose tie around open collar with sleeves rolled up is definitely classy and timeless. Most men who know how to dress and groom would agree to this. For shorter men, having the collar open can be of advantage as well if the neck is more visible, though this depends on the guy, I think.

I won't say much else beyond this because Le Jun's already covered all the important points. And kudos to Brian for looking so damn fine.

- Le Mai

bringin' sexy bag!

2008-07-30T02:12:00.000-07:00

The purse is a fashion accessory has transcended into the male realm - yes, we are definitely talking about the manpurse, and how it is more than just a fashion statement, or a practical bag for carrying things.

Well, I suppose you could say a manpurse has always been in the fashion world, but as of late, I find it really sexy for men to have and carry around, whether it's a short trip to the gym, or a long trip out of town.

Both men and women will argue against me on this, because 1.) Some men don't like the idea of carrying purses (as well as wearing make-up and skirts), and 2.) Some women don't find it appropriate for men to carry "purses", despite the reason/occasion.

Either way, I think for any type of men, masculine or soft, a manpurse should not be shunned or ignored. They can be useful, in addition to accentuating your overall style/look to bring our different qualities you wouldn't even know you have. Some people will assume your personality, character, and lifestyle based on how you dress - likewise, the purse can serve just as much a function if sported properly.

Let's take a look at a few examples from the sexy Brian Joo.

When a man carries a manpurse, the first thing I would think is that he has a purpose - obviously for carrying whatever he will need for wherever he is going. A man with a purpose is more appealing than a man without. As we all know, a purse is used for many reasons, and the most common reason is to carry our money, make-up, cellphone, glasses, and other necessities. The second reason is to compliment our clothes and show off just how fancy we all can be, depending on the price and brand of the purse, of course.

The type of manpurse, color, style, and just how much confidence one has in carrying a purse can say so much about the kind of man he is. Many men fear that carrying a purse will make them look like sissies, or even gay, but it is those who dare to tread past the stereotypes and typical ideals that are the most appealing to a woman with good taste. If a guy's bold and practical enough to carry a manpurse for good reasons, it doesn't mean he's gay. It just means he probably doesn't give a shit what anyone else thinks.

This post will remain as is for now - I gotta run. But this topic is to be continued...

- le mai

Tie me up, baby

2008-07-29T04:26:00.001-07:00

Goodness, we've been lax. Real life caught up with us, so please excuse the lack of updates (and rantings) on this blog. Besides, Fly to the Sky have been going through too many wardrobe changes for us to spew intelligently (and objectively) on a regular basis. Nevertheless, here's a post!

During FTTS' early 7th jib days, they pushed out a very clean look which was a massive improvement over the disgusting fashion disaster that was 6th jib. Both boys cut their hair and opted for a more mature and sleeker look that says very firmly: "we are men, not boys". They went through a few (satisfying) variations of the clean look, and we shall look at some, in particular experiments with ties.

Ties are often associated with a more formal look, to give a man (and the occasional woman) that extra dose of professionalism and authority. Most ties are simple and elegant as they're accessories and meant to complement the outfit.

This is what we call Brian's tie-in-shirt look. It just means sticking the rest of the tie inside the shirt instead of leaving it out as normal men do. It seems a little weird at first glance and may take some getting used to. Something like that is a hit or miss. For me, it exudes a more sensitive, softer feel even though a long-sleeved shirt and trousers give off a more formal aura. Most men do okay with the standard shirt-trousers-tie, but not many can carry off a tie stuck inside the shirt. I think Brian was able to pull off this look without seeming like he'd lost his marbles, because first off, you need to just go simple - off-white shirt and black trousers with a black tie is a combination that's easy on the eye, no clashing colours and your attention is not immediately drawn to the tie, but to how gentle the whole look is. There's an air of sensitivity that befits a gentleman and this look works best with a long-sleeved shirt - either with the sleeves slightly rolled up as in the picture, or not rolled up at all.

Here's how not to to wear a tie:

If you have nowhere to stick a tie, just leave it alone, it won't hurt you. Just don't stick it into your shirt pocket or whatever pocket holes that happen to be part of your shirt. That's just weird. It's funky, but the wrong side of funky, so when in doubt, play safe. You don't want to look a mess when you're in the public eye.

How not to wear a tie Part II:

This is overkill. Either wear the tie or the denim jacket but not both and definitely not with the sleeves rolled up. Don't pile it on thinking a tie will give the outfit a more formal or professional look, especially with a denim jacket. There's a reason why ties are associated with suits and not out to make you look like jailbait.

For a risqué look, try hanging it loose and adopting the appropriate expression, like this:

This loose-tie look is one of the best I've seen from Brian so far - a mix of 'come hither' and the right degree of sexiness, with a touch of 'I don't give a damn' attitude. Even though the picture is in black and white, I would recommend going simple with the colours - the tie can be in a dominant or matching colour but nothing overly garish or clashing. Does not work with short-sleeved shirts, so don't try. Best for sex after work.

le jun

A coat is a coat is a coat...

2008-02-12T00:59:00.000-08:00

Men's fashion should always be about simplicity and class. It's not that the er... darker sex (darker, fairer... what have you, you know what I mean) should automatically be deprived of the fancy shenanigans that sometimes blight women's fashion, but if you can pull off a great outfit tastefully, why not? I've always liked my men to dress like men - it sounds simple, but does require some effort.

Coats are a big thing for me. It's not something that's terribly difficult to carry off with style and if you already have a good outfit, a coat enhances the look (better still if you've got a bit of height about you). There's just something about a good-looking man in a coat that makes the heart skip a beat, but it has got to be the right coat with the right outfit. I'll demonstrate why.

Hwanhee has spruced up good for 7th jib (after the horror of 6th jib, one has to be grateful for small things) and midway through Fly to the Sky's promotional activities, he started sporting a coat for his performances. He's got a good height and physique, so a coat will usually look good on him.

Here, Hwanhee is in a dark grey coat with a t-shirt and jeans. It's not a high-brow classy look, so everything is kept to the minimum, but he pulls it off with ease, exuding a very understated, casual charm. I may be a tad biased because I have a coat similar to that (mine's got more buttons, heh), but I think he looks really good here. The key was that he kept the colours simple - white and black for the t-shirt, dark blue for jeans and dark grey for coat. The colours are complementary and easy on the eye, which is good because the coat is supposed to enhance the outfit, not clash with it.

But just keeping the colours simple isn't always enough if the coat itself doesn't look right. And t-shirts, to be honest, don't always go with coats. Hwanhee pulled it off in the above picture, but below, he looks as if he's seen better days:

One tip: don't button a coat unless you have to. Here, our boy looks like he doesn't know what hit him. The coat is plain, which is fine, but the brown is awful and it doesn't go with his round-neck t-shirt. His pinched expression doesn't help. He looks as if the coat has pecked him alive. If he had worn a collared shirt, it might have helped jazz up the look.

An example of how a collared shirt and the right coat can do wonders:

A classy look which I like very much. The colours are in harmony and easy on the eye, the beige shirt goes very well with the dark brown coat. Keeping the tie loose is a nice touch. Hwanhee looks really handsome here, which goes to prove that even in simplicity, there is beauty. If you're already a handsome stud, you don't need to go all out to prove that you look good. You just need to know what makes you stand out, and keeping it simple and tasteful usually does the trick.

le jun

A furry faux pas

2008-01-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings. The new year deserves a new post, and since I finally found the password to this blog, off we go.

As some of us are aware, when it comes to looking good, piling it on is not always the best way to doll oneself up. Moderation is key when it comes to making oneself presentable. This applies in particular to the subject of discussion: fur.

Fur as a fashion accessory has always drawn a great deal of debate from animal-rights activists, with celebrities who don fur coats and the like being vigorously condemned. This is not about whether it's wrong to wear fur - in my humble opinion, it is - but how not to wear fur. For the sake of this post, we will assume the fur in discussion is faux fur. Since this blog is dedicated in large part to the fashion sense of Fly to the Sky, here is a picture of them decked in fur, at the 2006 MKMF Awards:

This picture must be shown in all its full glory, because it's unbelievable how anyone could step out looking like this. In short, this is a fashion disaster.

Fur is notoriously difficult to carry off. Because it's bulky, it cannot be worn like any other fashion accessory. It is a case of extremes - either one does without the fur or at most a smidgen of it (like lace trimming), or one goes all out. Fur has all the trappings of winter and/or affluence, and because it is such a difficult item to carry off with style, one must be wary of just what sort of fur clothing can be worn for a particular occasion. Simply throwing on a fur wrap and expecting it to enhance an outfit just will not cut it. Most people end up looking bloated or just plain wrong. Therefore, it is very difficult to imagine fur being a suitable and classy accessory in any black-tie event.

Obviously this point escaped 1) the stylists of Fly to the Sky and 2) the boys themselves. Sans fur, they would have looked presentable, perhaps a touch retro given Brian's almost shoulder-length bob and Hwanhee's hippie ponytail. But the addition of the fur turned them into quite the laughingstock. It meant their stylists did not know what they were doing when they suggested the fur add-ons, and it also meant the Fly boys did not quite understand just how to wear fur with class. When in doubt, discard, and it is always better to err on the side of caution than to go out looking as if you'd just lost your marbles.

Up close, they really did not look as if they knew what they were doing, with the horseshoes of fur hanging around their necks like a dead weight. It's a real shame because Fly to the Sky are some of the snazzier dressers in kpop, but unfortunately their good looks are not often exploited and they end up with some real questionable clothes. One has to wonder whether artistes actually have any control over what they can and cannot wear, whether they're even allowed to voice an opinion about their attire for public events. Of course, some artistes like being risqué with fashion (and many other things), but precisely because they are celebrities and in the media glare, it is unfortunate that they are also the first ones in the line of fire should anything not be 100% right.

Thankfully, the fashion sense has improved tremendously in 7th jib (the fur faux pas was during their 6th jib days - that's a topic for another day), and the boys have reverted to their usual good-looking selves. Let's hope there will be no more disasters of such an unfashionable magnitude.

- le jun

A Quick Overview

2007-11-29T01:38:00.000-08:00

Hello.

I begin with a simple commentary on the seven wonderful years of these two guys. Though at times I [we] may feel like [a] stalker[s], I think a little devotion doesn’t hurt much. If you haven’t fallen asleep by now, please read on. The following comment reflects my meek and simplistic views on the ‘fashion’ of the Fly boys. Most blog entries will be similar. They will vary from harsh, to blunt, vague, personal, sardonic, poetic, offensive, supportive, and adoring. We’ll see how far we get.

Over the years, Fly to the Sky has to be one of the most interesting music groups in Kpop in terms of fashion. Plus, there’s only two of them, so they’re easier to track.

We start with 1999, their debut album Day By Day. This was about eight years ago and is what my partner Le Jun likes to call “coconut hair” days. Now, it would be considered a total fashion disaster. Crimped hair, curtain bangs, the forehead pointed forward, hands outstretched by their sides, blank, hard expressions, and clothes that hang rather loosely around legs and arms. Not to mention the length of the jacket. Must be so that when these guys bend over, it turns into a mini-skirt? In some parts of Asia, in 1999, I’d say cute. In most parts of the world, we’d think they were going through a funeral procession. I guess you can't really blame them for it though. I mean, H.O.T. was around and no one complained. :)

And then the second album The Promise is released (2001) when these guys have had a little more experience with fame and stardom – or so we hope their coordinators (whoever the hell dresses and style them) have. We have baggy pants with matching jackets, puffy hair, caps, blings, more angry expressions (though sometimes they were awfully cute without trying), blonde hair, and big close-up shots where the eye features the lights behind the camera. It’s a step up, honestly, and Hwan Hee’s flame head was truly a wonder. I rather liked Brian’s bad-boy Brooklyn style (especially because he rapped), but unfortunately, matching attires were at its peak and on its way out.

After a year of waiting, the boys return with their third album Sea of Love (2002) in jeans (no longer baggy), wifebeaters, wrist straps, short hair (very appealing), muscles, plaid, aviator stunnas, leather jackets, muscle shirts, and yoga. Well, Le Jun says they do yoga in “Sea of Love,” but she has a way of labeling things. Moving on.

Fourth album Missing You (2003) really put Fly to the Sky at their peak with the wonderful imagery of Czech Republic’s beautiful city and breathtaking sceneries – for the music video, that is. The boys chose a very desaturated look for their album jacket, which followed with the rest of their promotional activities re: ‘Missing You’. We had nice pants, nice shirts with lovely patterns, normal human hair, even bigger muscles, buttons, straps, blonde streaks, and… chain bracelets. This is my favorite pick, actually. Severe hotness, especially when k-pop was coming out of being “old-school” and into the new age ballad era where deep, sexy voices rule. This includes Brian, too.

They took a 180 degree turn when they came out with Gravity (2004). The suits, the stripes, the flowers, and overflowing hair. Oh, so wonderful, hair. With Brian’s thick and healthy hair, he doesn’t seem to do too much too drastically (except for concerts – they somehow lose their minds when it comes to concerts; I will elaborate later), but I can appreciate the nice comb through of his fine, straight hair. Along with the ties, worn properly, and turtlenecks. Hwan Hee, on the other hand, started sporting frames (which made him look super cute, reminiscent of Sung Shi Kyung), and scarves tied around the neck (very feminine feature, but worked well for him), as well as a pinch of a fat flower to his breast-pocket. Every time he sang, he reminded me of the little bird from Shrek that competed with Fiona in a singing competition– the poor thing exploded into feathers. Colors were well done (good job coordi’s!) and their approach toward “Goodbye” wasn’t that bad either – minus the yellow turkey-egg-shaped sunglasses Hwan Hee loved so much, golfing gloves, praying beads, and beanies shoved over his eyes. Well, we can forgive the beanie.

Eternity, their “hits” album (2005), was kind of shot into the air and made its own landfall with barely any appearances by the boys, but we could clearly see that they were in their “transitional” phases – Hwan Hee with the extra thick, extra long hair, and Brian the same.

Next was their drop from SM Town to their own independent record label and a new album Transition (2006). Tailored but uncomplicated suits, deep plunging necklines (when given the opportunity), and hairstyles that were probably inspired by Japanese men. “Emo” style, as my roommate refers to it. All the same, I’m glad that they didn’t stick to this strict suits-only style and moved on to warmer winter attires, such as simple sweaters, jeans, every day casual wear, etc. Very nicely done. Screw the critics who criticized their efforts to become better artists apart from SM.

Lastly, their latest album No Limitations (after a long period of MIA), they appear at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and viola! We were all floored by just how handsome, how wonderful, and how magnificent they were – on stage, off stage, in the streets, in the desert, album covers, Abercrombie & Fitch, et cetera. I thought Brian looked superb when he appeared in that sexy black jacket and ribbon tie (finished off with a pair of jeans). Wish I could show a picture of that, but I was unfortunately stuck in the back with an $80 seat. Later, he came out in a peach-colored casual dress shirt and even underwent a very wonderful fan-service of stripping off the dress shirt to only his tank top – praise the heavens! He should practice this… stripping business more often. They wear too much clothes, sometimes. Still, I love the fashion of current days (life has never been better?) though I'm sure we'll find some things to nibble in the near future.

I hope you have enjoyed my quick overview (I'm sure Le Jun and most people will have their own opinions) of the fashion these lovely young men have showcased over the years. I may come back and edit with more photos, but for now, I leave you with good cheers and a wonderful memory of Hwan Hee fixing Brian's jacket. <3

For the next installment, I will focus on this question: If you could rearrange the album titles of all Fly to the Sky's albums, what would you switch around? Don't worry, it'll be relevant.

- Le Mai