Style Tips with SHINee
Within K-pop, it’s extremely difficult for groups to achieve the same level of success that SHINee has. They’ve amassed a total of six world tours along with a massive eleven-year discography in both Korean and Japanese. Their career is nothing less than impactful and admirable--including their relationship with fashion in K-pop.
SHINee has been setting trends since their release of “Julliette” back in 2011, the music video featuring the members in colorful neon skinny jeans, sending Korea into a craze over the gaudy garments. Some of their concepts and performance outfits are particularly notable as well; such as the concept for their Everybody album, which consisted of a cohesive military-inspired look. Similarly, for SHINee World Concert IV and their coinciding Tokyo Dome shows, their performance outfits in the opening section of the concert follow their iconic military concept, with many eye-catching gold details.
Though spectacular to look at, metal shoulder plates and designs reminiscent of a uniform aren’t exactly for everyday wear. Let’s also delve into their personal styles and see what kind of everyday inspiration we can gather from the SHINee members.
- Key: High Fashion and Function
SHINee’s Key is a well-known fashionista among K-pop fans and idols alike. He even took part in helping design the member’s outfits for their 2016 “DXDXD” tour in Japan. And he’s never been shy to show his love for lux clothing, I mean, who could forget his iconic “my gucci burned” story from SWC V in North America.
In 2018, during SHINee’s comebacks for their Story of The Light trilogy, Key stepped out in full force with some of his most high fashion ensembles. In this airport fashion look Key is seen sporting a Gucci retro checkered jacket, Gucci print leather bag, and Gucci leather sneakers paired with a Louis Vuitton lockit color bracelet and Dior Homme glasses to accessorize. The checkered pattern of his Gucci jacket has been an extremely trendy pattern in 2019, and when paired with the chunky sneakers of the same brand, it’s easy to tell Key is a man of refined taste.
Key is also a master of styling designer brands in a comfy, casual way. On his way to the airport, he’s seen wearing a Balenciaga “Speedhunters” sweater, which was a trendy piece for the fall/winter season. His outerwear is a puffy, vintage bomber jacket from Comme Des Garcons, paired with white Nike tennis sneakers.
Since most of us don’t have the means to drop hundreds of dollars on a head-to-toe designer look, we can take inspiration from the way Key styles his dressed down looks. Pairing a pricey, designer item with pieces that are thrifted or from department stores is a clever way to allow the designer piece to stand out without breaking the bank.
- Minho: Everyday Sporty
Minho’s love of sports and his sophisticated nature meet in the middle in his personal style. Minho is all about marrying sporty with classic pieces, and with his height and figure it works magically to accentuate his features.
Photographed here on his way into the SM building, Minho is rocking a Fred Perry polo shirt paired seamlessly with a Beyond Closet striped shirt and leather, Prada derby shoes. The sporty polo seamlessly integrates itself into the outfit, to where the outfit itself appears to be a casual, classic look.
Minho has also shown us how to marry sporty styles with high fashion. Strutting into rehearsals at KBS music bank, Minho is carrying a Fifa World Cup Collection Louis Vuitton bag. The print on the bag being reminiscent of a soccer balls, the perfect homage to Minho’s love of sports.
If you’ve got a lifestyle that calls for a marketing class at 4:00 p.m., but practice at 5:00 p.m., we recommend taking style pointers from a fellow sports enthusiast like Minho.
- Jonghyun: The Trendy Type
Jonghyun has had the opportunity to show off his personal style very frequently thanks to his four years hosting “Blue Night Radio.”
He seems to always be knowledgeable about brands that are trendy among the younger crowd. Here at his studio after recording “Blue Night” he’s seen in a trendy, oversized Vetemens X Champion track hoodie. Because his radio show aired from midnight to 2:00 a.m., comfort is also key within Jonghyun’s everyday ensembles.
At a fansign, we can see a more dressed up version of Jonghyun’s personal style. He’s wearing a long, white 877MM Official Coat and cinched a bright yellow “Off-White” belt around his waist for a pop of color. Jonghyun is also very fond of his lavish accessories, so of course a Rolex watch adorns his wrist as he greets shawols.
- Onew: Laid Back and Classy
Onew, being the oldest member and leader of SHINee, shows how much he values comfort through his personal style. Although, of course, when you’re a member of an internationally renowned K-pop group, there is always a high class element added to any casual look. For Onew, this means pairing casual or trendy pieces with a classic, structured piece to tie his looks together.
Here Onew is wearing ripped, loose fit light wash jeans and vans at Gimpo Airport, but pairs a Polo Ralph Lauren white collared shirt to tidy up the look.
Similarly, during his arrival at KBS Music Bank he’s donning a black bucket hat, which was still very trendy at the time this photo was taken. He pairs the casual hat choice with a Lieu Homme Box Overfit button down shirt.
Chilled-Out Brand Names - Taemin
Taemin is well-known as both a member of SHINee and as a soloist, which throughout his solo work he allows his true creative freedom to show. His onstage outfits complement his dancing and androgynous concept so perfectly, it’s hard to believe that his off-stage style is nearly the complete opposite.
Similar to Onew, Taemin seems to value comfort over everything, although still managing to keep things high fashion. At airports, Taemin is most commonly seen in sweatpants and comfortable shoes, such as this look from Incheon airport. He’s donning Gucci striped sweatpants and his infamous Gucci slippers, which at the time fans and non-fans alike were mostly up in arms over his questionable footwear choice. He spices up the outfit by adding a beret and layering two Baleciaga jackets for warmth and flare.
Taemin is also well known for sporting his own merch, most recently he was spotted at Gimpo airport wearing an oversized blue sweater from his “T1001101” concert merch line. He pairs the comfy, baggy piece with grey Nike sweatpants and sneakers for a look guaranteed to be comfortable on the plane ride.
These days, most of SHINee are strutting in their military uniforms everyday because of their mandatory enlistments. Although Taemin is still active with music activities, his newest upcoming project being his debut in SM’s American based “Super M” group. We’re looking forward to seeing him flourish in some new styling concepts.
Cover Image: SHINee (SM Entertainment)
Written by Justine Shaffer
