Bangtan Style: Dressing as “Dope” as BTS in “Jjeoreo” (Rap Monster Edition)

A.K.A. Office attire with a twist.

Note: No bowl cuts, center parts, hair dye, or mad dance moves required.

[Editor’s Note: So, I already did this post last week, but due to its length, I’ve decided to pull it, chop it into tiny pieces, and then re-release it in segments, focusing on one group member per post. And since I think I’m going to release one a day (and there are seven members in total), consider this to officially be Bangtan Week on I Really Hate Converse! Yippee!

I mean, not that it isn’t always Bangtan Week on here, anyway, but you get what I mean.

So sorry if you’ve already seen this. Now, however, you’ll be able to more easily manage the content. Yippee, again!]

Okay, so I know I haven’t had this blog for very long now, but nonetheless, it shouldn’t be a secret that I love the band BTS. Love. I mean, just look at the name of this site!

To name a fashion blog after a foreign boy band, well, if that’s not love, then I don’t know what is.

Anyway, their new music video for “Dope” (or “Jjeoreo” in the native language) just came out the other day [week now, actually], and, like with everything else those boys have ever done, it did not disappoint.

Either click on the link above to view, or you can watch it here:

I physically cannot express in words how pumped I was when I found out that their next MV was going to be for “Dope.” Next to “Love is Not Over,” it’s my favorite song on the new album, so when the teaser pics were finally released, it’s pretty safe to say that I was definitely a huge puddle of fangirl. Definitely.

Said fangirling was mostly because I didn’t really expect them to make an MV for that song. I don’t why, maybe because it’s so different from everything they’ve ever done in the past. But, hey, I’ll take it!

Nonetheless, the video was (and still is) epic. It, again, was a bit unexpected (from the teaser pics I thought it would have more of a story line with acting, etc. regarding them solving a mystery or such), but that doesn’t even matter. I actually love it for that, for being so unexpected — and also for being a secret government office’s crazy dance party.

That’s where they were, right, some secret Korean government office?

Anyway, with all setting/plot questions aside, I think it’s simply safe to say that, after “I Need U,” we’re all just grateful for more happy, fun Bangtan.

No more murder, Taehyung. No more drugs, Hoseok. No more pyromania, Yoongi.

“No more tears, Jules. No more tears.”

(If anyone gets where that last quote is from, I’ll love you forever. <3)

But the moral of this seemingly pointless story is that the “Dope” MV was so awesome that I decided to pay tribute to it by trying to dress like I was also in the video and subsequently documenting it on here.

Oh, the things we do for love!

Look Book: Dressing Like You Are Rap Mon and Just Walked Out of the “Jjeoreo” MV

So I have a bit of a disclaimer before we get started: No, the outfits I’ve created below are not identical to the one Rap Monster wore in the MV. Now, as disappointed as you may be, just take a moment to think: Do you really want to leave your house only to accidentally get mistaken as a bellhop? No, I didn’t think so, which means that you should be glad what I’ve provided are only feminine recreations.

But despite that, they should still make you feel pretty sexy and bad@$$. Why? Well, because, even though Bangtan may not be the best style inspiration out there 100% of the time, they still do have many moments when their stylists actually end up completely nailing it, making the boys all look pretty darn fine. And “Dope,” even though kind of just an occupation-themed Halloween party (rightfully so), was certainly no exception. Certainly not.

But anyway, let’s get on with this first installment of Jjeoreo Dressing, Rap Mon Edition

First of all, for those of you not familiar with BTS/K-pop culture, this dude’s stage name is Rap Monster — not his real one.

Sure, it’s a bit silly at first, but that’s just the way Korea does it.

Don’t worry, though, for Rap Monster certainly lives up to the expectations that his name sets. Seriously. He’s incredibly talented — one of the best rappers I’ve ever heard, actually.

So make fun of his name all you want, but just know that he’s still infinitely cooler than you despite it.

Enough gushing, though, about Kim Namjoon’s (that’s his real name, by the way) rapping skills. It’s now time to gush about his outfit.

Real quick, though: Is he or is he not supposed to be a bellhop/elevator operator? Because that’s the most government-official guest-helper I’ve ever seen.

So I have two outfits for you here because I feel like one embodies Namjoon specifically while he’s working at the Grand Budapest Hotel while the other one embodies the entire group during their employment at said establishment.

Following these three beautiful pictures is the first outfit, which I feel embodies Bellhop Namjoon:

(^That was the essence of his life, right there.)

Why do I feel like it embodies Namjoon? Because it looks innocent and calm and cool and collected on the surface, but in reality, it’s very meticulously put together — and because of that, it slowly kills the rest of its outfit competition. Also, it’s pretty quirky, something else he definitely is.

(Just saying, I think I’m some worthy face-krumping competition.)

The key to recreating what I call the bellhop look is simple: head-to-toe navy blue with gold accessories and black shoes.

I chose to not button the sweater all the way as well as to cuff the pants simply to break up some of the monochrome of/add a more feminine, stylish touch to the outfit. Also, with it being summertime and all, it was sorta, kinda sweat-prevention.

I tried to choose a gold-ish shirt to wear underneath the sweater in order to play into the gold accents of the outfit. My shirt isn’t super gold (more fleshy gold than anything), but I feel like it still pairs well with everything else. It also, again, serves nicely to break up and thus streamline the monochrome.

I also decided to mix textures with this look. Mixing textures when you’re doing monochrome is another great way to add some spice to an otherwise possibly boring ensemble. In my case, I chose a classic, knitted sweater and paired it with corduroys. Sure, it seems a bit odd and granny-like when you say it out loud, but you’d be surprised how many textures actually pair well together when they’re the same color.

I added a mix of gold bangles up my sleeve to recreate the gold stripes Rap Mon had on the sleeves of his jacket. In the wintertime, stacking bracelets on top of my sweater sleeves is one of my most favorite things to do style-wise, so when I picked out a sweater to represent him, I knew I just had to go with the bracelet method of adding gold to the ensemble. However, if you do not own bangles/do not like the way this looks/cannot get the darn things to stay in place on your arm, then simply keep them at your wrists or find other gold jewelry. The affect will be the same.

In this video, everyone wears plain, black loafers, which is kind of boring from a woman’s perspective. But, in this case, the black loafer actually ends up popping against the navy blue of the rest of the outfit, thus adding pizzazz and style and general aforementioned badness rather than boredom and safety and general to-be-avoided blah-ness. So with this look, I say black shoes are rather a must.

And, yes, navy blue and black can be paired together; both are neutrals, and all neutrals match. That’s why they’re called “neutral.”

As much as I hate the above skin-care-ad-like image, it was the only way for me to get my hair completely into the frame up close. As you can see, to replace the fantastic (yet totally ridiculous for everyday use) hat Namjoon has, I opted for a topknot. While providing the same notice-me-cause-I’m-amazing effect, it’s a little more, well, socially acceptable. If you don’t care about social norms, however, then please, by all means, wear a replica of Namjoon’s hat. And send me a picture of you doing so, as well, for I’d absolutely love to see that.

Tip: For an easy topknot, first pull your hair into a ponytail (with a hair tie, of course) at the spot on your head you would like your bun to be at. Then, simply take the ponytail, twist it around the hair tie into a bun, and secure with another hair tie/bobby pins. It’s easy, fast, stays in place all day, and works with virtually any hair length (unless around the chin or shorter/the waist or longer, as I’ve learned from experience).

Here’s one final look at this outfit:

And now for the second outfit, which I believe embodies the whole group of bellhops:

Sleek black pants and a fitted, modern-looking, navy-and-black blazer change the dancing-bellhop-inspired outfit from sneakily awesome to BAM, in-your-face, of-course-I’m-put-together-because-I’m-awesome awesome, which definitely describes the whole band, especially in this specific scene of this specific music video.

I didn’t, however, change the undershirt, accessories, or shoes. I feel like, whether you go for the blazer or sweater look, keeping those three things relatively gold and black will always pull the outfit together.

Notice, also, how I have one black bracelet (which is actually a hair tie) on my left wrist; that’s taken straight from Namjoon in the MV. I don’t know, I just thought it was a nice touch of tribute. Tangent over.

And, of course, the gold bracelets remain on top of the sleeves. But, again, if that pleaseth you not, then feel free to wear them however you like. Or not at all. It’s totally up to you.

I also opted for pants that are pretty high-waisted, mostly because I have a long torso and thus always wish to counteract it but also because a higher waist simply streamlines any female form, which is a necessity with this outfit: to remain streamlined.

I also just think that high-waisted pants look pretty sick here with where the blazer’s hem hits.

Excuse me: Dope. My pants look pretty…dope.

Alright, no more dumb jokes.

But really: The moral of this story is that you should feel free to wear whatever pants you like, just as long as they’re black and work well with your navy blazer.

Here’s some detail shots of said blazer:

And here’s a shout-out to my mom for letting me borrow it: Thanks, mom! ❤

And we’re done!

So what do you think? Does this capture well Rap Mon and the rest of the band during their hospitality employment? I hope so, and I also hope you liked these recreations so much that you’re going to go try them for yourselves!

But even if you don’t, I still had tons of fun making this, and I’m so happy you took the time to give me a read.

Click here for the next segment of style recreations for this music video (once it is up, of course).

And that is all! Have a wonderful day, and see you soon! ❤

P.S. – I’ve not included the brands of/links to any of what I’m wearing in this for one purpose: to keep me sane. Sorry if I’m breaking any hearts here, but all of these garments are long out of stores (most by a few years), and so it simply isn’t worth my time. If you really want to know where something is from, however, just let me know, and I’ll tell you (as well as try to help you find something similar).

P.P.S. — Bangtan hwaiting!