At the moment, my wardrobe and I are a bit at odds. Getting dressed always used to be fun for me, my clothes mock me as I am constrained to my puffer jacket and an endless combination of nine dollar Uniqlo heattech tights under skirts and jeans and trousers. As Marie Kondo would put it, nothing is sparking joy!
Enter, the sartorial wonder of BTS. If you aren’t aware (sad!) – BTS is a South Korean boy band made up of seven members, which I imagine was intentional so one day I personally could dress like one of them each day of the week and write about it. On top of being generally very talented, they also dress incredibly well — it’s almost unfair. Besides having impeccable street style, they’re constantly taking risks and pushing boundaries with their onstage/professional looks and that, for sure, sparks joy. For this week, I channeled the members’ personal/airport style because I’m going to class and not my sold out stadium tour.
Day One – RM
Lately, our boy RM, né Namjoon, has been dressing like he’s on his way to a farmer’s market, which I respect! The epitome of this aesthetic is overalls, a garment he is known to sport. For Namjoon day, I chose to recreate this look, where he pairs his extremely envious striped overalls with a striped shirt and timbs. I don’t have timbs, but I do have their unathletic cousins, Doc Martens, so I substituted them out. I did not have a yellow dad hat, but I did have a Barnard one, which I believe with all my heart Joon would rock.
Day Two – J-Hope
For J-Hope day, I decided to recreate one of his most, nay, one of THE most, iconic outfits. From the teddy coat to the sunglasses to the tube socks, Hoseok absolutely understands the art of looking cool when you are cold and tired and just wishing you were wearing a giant blanket — something I can relate to! I had to substitute his black beanie for a blue one, which I own because Harry Styles has it, which made me pause and realize that maybe I dress too much like male pop stars. Anyways, shout out to my mom and J-Hope for having the same taste in coats.
Day Three – Suga
BTS are major pioneers of the #meninturtlenecks movement as coined by Man Repeller’s Harling Ross (exhibits here, here, here, here, here, here and here – I do my research) but the member I most associate with a good high necked sweater is Suga, aka Yoongi. I think a lot about this green Madewell-esque one he said he got for $23 online – we love a bargain hunter! I happen to have an actual Madewell version of this sweater and cropped pants and loafers, so I figured this was my best bet at recreating Yoongi’s style. Normally I think of Yoongi as my goth king, so I’ll designate this look and the movement he’s leading “cozy goth.”
Day Four – Jin
Jin, like all great minds, knows millennial pink is an enduring trend! One of the best episodes of BTS’ reality game show “Run BTS!” is when the members dress each other in their personal style and perform a fashion show. The most unforgettable outfit of the bunch is hands down when Jin, aka Seokjin, aka “Worldwide Handsome” dresses J-Hope entirely in pink pieces from his closet. I didn’t go that bold because Jin is generally the most casual dresser in the group, but I wore my best millennial pink tee/beanie combo in his honor.
Day Five – V
V (Taehyung) is both my general and fashion bias, so you can imagine how hard it was to pick just one look. I ultimately landed on this iconic outfit, because I had to put this cheetah coat and red beret to work. Taehyung wears this to bust some sweet moves in front of the paps, and I tried to recreate them in front of my self-timer iPhone camera, so we clearly lead very similar lives. I love this look and Taehyung’s style in general, because he clearly knows how to have fun and express his personality through fashion without sacrificing comfort. I opted out his grey sweater for a very “Blood Sweat & Tears” era pussybow blouse because A) it’s my article so I can, and B) I think Taehyung would wear/appreciate it. Anyway, Taehyung if you read this, I’m free on Thursday night and would like to hang out. Please respond to this and then hang out with me!
Day Six – Jimin
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Jimin in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a striped shirt. I someday hope to love anything as much as Jimin loves a striped shirt. For this look, I put on skinny jeans for the first time in I think a year (the things I do for Jimin/journalism…) and added a leather jacket and loafers to round out a classic Jimin airport look. Coincidentally, this is exactly how I dressed from 2013-2015 when I thought I was Alexa Chung. Do we think Jimin has a secret Chung Pinterest board?
Day Seven – Jungkook Jungkook is the youngest of the group, but he still has the fashion sensibility of a wise old sartorial sage. He tends to veer toward all-black ensembles like his goth partner in crime Suga, which works for me as the proud owner of many black Uniqlo basics and a queue full of Phoebe Bridgers songs. I also associate Jungkook with absurdly large bucket hats — an item I acquired this past fall! I love this felt bucket hat; it makes me feel not only like Jungkook but like a witty New York woman in a 70s romcom. Jungkook, wanna write a screenplay with me?