NCT’s Old-School Sporty and Suave Looks from “90’s Love” and “Work It”

with the album NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1, followed by NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 2 in late November. The project culminated in the mega-single Resonance, which features all 23 members of NCT and fuses four singles from the album into one song. I’ve only covered girl groups and female soloists in K-pop Kloset, so with the close of 2020 approaching, I figured it’s high time I feature a boy group. What better way to do that than by exploring the NCT 2020 project?

I love the straightforward sartorial direction of NCT’s recent music videos, with the colorful, youthful and beautifully layered looks. In particular, I’ll be focusing on the NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 2 title track 90’s Love, a newtro R&B and hip-hop song featuring an old-school concept, and the follow-up single Work It, an electronic dance song featuring vintage-inspired occasion wear, just in time for the holidays.

90’s Love

In 90’s Love, the boys channel their sporty personas as ice hockey players. In addition to their uniforms, they also dress in red and denim looks that are bold yet thematically simple, giving off all-American boy-next-door vibes. Their second set of outfits sees them in multicolored get-ups featuring plenty of color-blocking, patchwork and lettering for a hip-hop effect.

Look 1

The boys build their outfits with sporty red pieces, such as Haechan’s mock-two-piece hoodie, Winwin’s numbering tee and Mark’s color-block windbreaker. For similarly athletic bottoms, Haechan and Yangyang are in plain red cargo pants, Mark in lettering sweatpants and Sungchan in striped sweatpants.

To stay warm on the rink, the boys throw on thicker red pieces such as Ten’s V-neck sweater with white contrast trim, Sungchan’s long-sleeve striped polo shirt, Jeno’s elbow-sleeve lettering button-up, and a padded vest that both Mark and Winwin rock. Casual hats are a great way to extend the sporty, street-style atmosphere, like Winwin’s baseball cap and Yangyang’s beanie.

Although bold red is definitely the first element you notice in these outfits, the boys also use denim to make the outfits more accessible, so you can transition from ice hockey practice to hanging with friends. Matching with the padded red vests, Yangyang’s denim cargo vest features plenty of zipped-up pockets. Both Ten and Sungchan are clad in denim jackets. Ten’s comes with an elasticized hem, contrast lining and subtle embellishment, while Sungchan’s is a no-frills variant in a longer fit. To complement the silhouettes of their red sweatpants, Ten and Jeno wear cargo jeans in baggy, oversized fits. Winwin’s tie-dye print jeans are an unusual piece, injecting some edgy flair into the boys’ activewear.

Look 2

Compared to the first set of outfits which looks clean and sharp, this second set creates a dizzying collage-esque effect. The NCT members repeat many of the same elements in different hues, such as color-block sweatpants and zipped jackets featuring a variety of prints and text, as well as polychromatic basketball sneakers. There are solid but still saturated colors peeking out for some balance, in the form of a long-sleeve yellow top on Jeno and a short-sleeve orange tee on Ten. Among the lot, Yangyang’s striped polo sweatshirt and muted brown cargo pants deviate slightly in their fit and color scheme, as does Mark’s printed pullover with a white base.

Work It

While 90’s Love pays homage to old-school vibes, the fashion in Work It is just as retro-inspired but with a sleek twist suitable for nights out.

Look 1

The first look dabbles with sultry patterns and materials such as animal print, glitter and satin, while maintaining a down-to-earth aura with plaid, stripes, checkers, graphic prints and denim. The overall effect is youthful but luxe, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their choice of outerwear. Hendery is seen in a unique pale pink satin lettering bomber (which matches his pink hair), while Jaemin layers a black button-up shot through with threads of glitter over a yellow plaid shirt.

Exuding a wild, devilish ‘tude, Yuta, Ten and Jungwoo all don animal-print jackets. Yuta is in a paneled leopard-print bomber, while Ten’s cropped black zip-up comes with a subtle zebra-print collar and striped hems. Finally, Jungwoo’s gold-colored leopard-print biker jacket is the most glam of the bunch. Ten layers his contrast-collar jacket over a yellow striped lettering tee, which gives off a fun feel and echoes the yellow of Jaemin’s plaid shirt. For bottoms, he completes the ensemble with black patchwork jeans. Similarly, Jungwoo juxtaposes his high-shine jacket with pattern-trim jeans for an urban touch.

The only one going jacket-free, Johnny rocks a punkish, skater boy aesthetic with his graphic print mock-two-piece tee, star-print jeans and checkered sneakers.

Look 2

No less sharp and snazzy, NCT’s next retro look is uber-colorful, giving classic three-piece suits a funky, jewel-toned revamp. Ten, Johnny and Yuta are seen in magenta, cobalt and teal suits, respectively. Instead of basic crisp button-ups, the boys go for a mature, sexy mood by picking out form-fitting tops in colors that complement their suits. Ten wears a half-placket top in a paler purple, while Johnny dons a silky baby blue button-up. Creating a color-block effect without a blazer, Jungwoo layers a pink turtleneck under a matching pink button-up, finishing the look with gray dress pants adorned with contrasting side stripes for a street-style air.

In time for winter, Hendery, Jisung and Jaemin opt for knitwear that introduces a soft coziness to formalwear. They stay true to the jewel-toned color palette while throwing in futuristic geometric patterns. Hendery’s green sweater forms a set with his green dress pants. Jisung layers a yellow button-up under a white knit vest with an embroidered cube pattern, and Jaemin combines a red button-up with a red sweater.

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