How I found my Gangnam Style Costume for Halloween. This year I'm going as Korean rapper PSY in his signature blue tuxedo and sunglasses. This is about how I convinced a friend to help me out and my journey as a PSY impersonator. Now, if I can only convince her to make and sell a Gangnam Style Yellow suit to another friend of mine. Then our Gangnam Style duo will be complete! So far I've mastered the poses and the Gangnam Style horse dance.
Yes. Those are the memes and adverts that annoy me yet make me want to click on links to see if they've been lynched yet. *Eye twitch!*
So don't associate Gangnam Style with swag. It feels like Gangnam Style gets sullied being associated with the word. It's like YOLO. Just as mindless and annoying. At least Gangnam Style is just plain silly and cartoon like. Because that's what PSY is. He's like a cartoon character. Have you seen all the awesome cover art he has? I some of his stage performances, you can even see caricatures of PSY as Superman, a Mermaid, or even a romantic Fabio type.
PSY doesn't take himself seriously. Gangnam Style doesn't even take itself seriously.
Here's the way I look at it: Posers use "swag" like it's the new age "je ne sais quoi." but are too lazy to say it. Some kind of intangible coolness that only they can purchase with their allowance and no one else can. They also use "YOLO" as an excuse to do stupid things that may get them killed. "Man, I got so much swag drinking my greygoose and driving really fast. #YOLO" I don't think I'm the only one hoping that survival of the fittest kicks in.
If it's not the dance moves or the video people are talking about, it's about when they saw it first.
That's right. Hipsters everywhere are arguing who was first to be exposed to the awesome rays of Gangnam Style first, but what will that prove?
"Oh, I used to listen to Gangnam Style, but now it's so mainstream."
Please. Really?
Then there are the tales of those that go out of their way to show their friends, co-workers or schoolmates Gangnam Style only to be made fun of. "No, we listen to real music, nerd." Only for a week later for them to post on some social media nonsense. "OMG! This is muh favoritest songs evah! I knew about it weeks ago!"
It fills me with a mixture of annoyance and mirth. Mirth that people never change and annoyance as I'm faced with the thought, "Maybe I'm just as sheepish as they are?"
Naaaah. I was listening to K-Pop already. This wasn't new to me. I'll admit though, I'm a sheep in my own way. I already have my PSY costume and so do a lot of other people!
So let's examine the choices of bow ties out there to go with the Gangnam Style Costume.
PSY wears two types of bow ties in his Gangnam Style music video.
Black Bow Tie
White Bow Tie
Whether the bow tie is black or white, it is obviously a classic bow tie. One that requires a bow tie knot to wear.
How can I tell? Well he's obviously wearing it down around his neck in sequences during the video.
Loose black bow tie while screaming at butts!
There's a variety of styles out there for the Gangnam Style costume, but at this point, I'm going to have to go with the class bow tie.
Why wouldn't I choose from other varieties?
Snap on metal clasp bow tie: It falls off and I'm not noticing, my costume is ruined until I find another one
Velcro bow tie: If I undo it and let it hang around my neck, it'll be unbalanced. Again it'll fall off. Remember: Gravity.
Elastic bow tie: Ever had a bow tie pulled on you really far and then let go of? Don't remember that as a child? Then lucky you! It hurts. Especially if it's one of those heavy crumpled pieces of fabric, shot at your throat like a sling shot. Oh, it'll hit it's mark and it... Will... Hurt!
Tuxedo T-Shirt bow tie: Up to you really. I prefer a little bit more authenticity.
Overall: If I want to transition from PSY in the Blue Tuxedo jacket to Screaming-Yet-Relaxed-Look PSY, I'm going to have to go with the classic bow tie and knot. Then I'll be able to let it hand and get that bit of authenticity I'm looking for.
So that means that I have to...
1) Get my hands on a classic cut bow tie
2) Learn how to tie a bow tie knot
3) Profit!
Learning how to tie a bow tie at first was frustrating. I expected instant results to go with my outfit to make it complete. Here's the image I learned it from.
This image drove me nuts. It was rather annoying because my neck it huuuuuge. *Incidentally, my cranium is massive.* The tie I got from the suit store wasn't the right size for me! Whaaaaaaaaat? I figured that out on the third try as I realized I was going to choke myself if I didn't cease.
So my friend at Loki's Wardobe (Found on Etsy) made me the correct sized tie. Really? A size 20? Yikes! I better stop going to Korean BBQ so often.
So I finally got the bow tie knot done proper. Awesome! Here's a video below to help you tie a classic bow tie knot. Learn from my mistakes!
Remember to fit the middle of your bow tie so it's not all messed up when you're done. It gives it that clean look.
So to everyone, find what's best for you and what you're comfortable with. As long as you enjoy yourself this Halloween and have fun the Gangnam Style way!
She's got the coat, the bow tie and she'll even throw in the sunglasses that you see me wearing. Yeah, she's got me modelling them and you know what? I feel really good wearing this outfit.
Psy is not the best looking dude. He wasn't endowed with handsome chiselled
looks or pretty boy flair. He's 35 years
old, short, and round. While the body
type doesn't conform to the industry standard for commercial appeal; not even
for South Korea if you've ever seen their boy band videos; people still love
Psy exactly the way he is. It's even in
the lyrics of Gangnam Style. He might
not be physically built, but he is socially buff and full of personality.
As an Asian male, living in the Western world, I completely
identify with this body type. While
sometimes I feel that it holds me back, I have no excuses after watching this
awesome video of Gangnam Style.
The world has fallen completely in love with Psy and his hit
single, Gangnam Style.
The South Korean rapper who's been in the business for a
decade has exploded onto the scene and is making up for some lost time.
This time, the whole world will hear his message, whether
they entirely understand it or not.
That's the beauty of Gangnam Style.
Psy is breaking down the language barrier that most musical artists
hit. Something that might be a hit in
the U.S. might do well in Canada, but might not translate well into another
language, say Russian.
Meanwhile, there's Psy.
He's created such a catchy beat, coupled with outlandish dance moves and
colorful imagery, that it translate well across the board. You don't need to understand the words to
know that it's high energy. You don't
have to get the meaning or the subtle satirical overtones in this musical
piece. You just got to bob your head and
grin.
Even in the behind the scenes footage of Psy, in making the
Gangnam Style video shows him having the time of his life. He did things because it was fun or plain
funny to him. He was living in the now
and it translated well.
The song has made it to No.1 in the US iTunes Top Songs
chart, andin 18 other countries including Canada, Argentina, Czech Republic,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
Which Gangnam Style Costume is the best? Which one should you get?
The dance moves, the video and the wardrobe has captivated
audiences from around the world. People
who have recently joined the Gangnam Style bandwagon have found a green t-shirt
that resembles Psy’s outfit during his debut on the “Today Show”. They think that slapping on a green tuxedo
t-shirt just any old pair of sunglasses will do for the Gangnam Style.
That's not going to cut it.
Anyone can get their hands on a tuxedo or a t-shirt, but it's not what
exemplifies the video. It's simply not
the signature outfit.
Yes, Psy wears a number of outfits in the video, but the one
that has bled into the collective consciousness of everyone who's been exposed
to the video is the one and only. The
Blue Suit.
Me in my sweet blue tuxedo jacket made my Loki's Wardrobe
The Gangnam Style Halloween Costume
It's blue, it's true, it's the signature jacket that
everyone will see and shout, "Gangnam Style!" Then bust out the dance moves as you walk
down the street. Forget the party store
jacket that barely fits, or the costume jacket that has electrical tape all
over it. Don't overpay for something
that looked ridiculous before you even get it modified. What you
want is the cool, the smooth, properly sized signature blue tuxedo jacket.
Baby blue is the bold choice, but that's the Gangnam Style
way. This tuxedo jacket is trimmed in a
darker color around the lapel and faux flap packets. The outline lends to the comic-book appeal to
this ensemble and it's perfect for all your action packed dancing needs.
Look like a hero.
Dance like a hero.
I admit, I am an absolute fan of the song and video. So I went to one of my friends who had the know-how, and she made me the exact Gangnam Style Blue Tuxedo Jacket. Yeah, it's ever so sweet.
I actually went out to a club and everyone I met went nuts over it. It's weird when everyone runs up to you and starts to do the Gangnam Style Dance. People bought me shots. I had my picture taken A LOT! And I have to say, some of this attention I got was not bad at all. I won't mind doing this again next weekend.
Yep. It's handmade and not a single person was giving slave wages to make it. Loki's Wardrobe at Etsy is a friend of mine, I admit. But she does some sweet work and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Some of the things online boasting about their jackets won't even show you the real thing. They'll just show you pictures of PSY and let you imagine what you'll get.
S if you go over to the Loki's Wardrobe shop, you won't be disappointed. She'll even throw in a proper bow tie. Yeah. I actually had to learn how to tie a proper bow tie knot.
For those that order early on, there are some sweet sunglasses that get tossed in there for free.
