style files: g-dragon

Okay, I'm not going to lie. G-dragon is a source of fascination, disgust, and shock for me. He probably serves as much purpose in my life as Lady Gaga does to the general public. Most of the time, I'm trying to figure out what part of him is presentation and where he becomes reality. Half of me feels sorry for him (in that his stage persona overtakes his "real" self, probably) and the other half envies him like crazy (mostly because he can get away with saying, "Yes, sir, I'm one of a kind" without coming off as totally narcissistic).

I also spent an inordinate time debating over whether or not he's gay. Over the past 3-4 years I've gathered a hefty mental file of evidence supporting either position but have yet to come up with a decisive conclusion. I'm leaning towards yes, because out of all the Big Bang members, he seems the most likely. But who knows, maybe muscle-man Taeyang has been hiding out all along?

But let's move on to dissect this enigma's fashion.

Do you remember when G-dragon was a little baby YG rapper like this? I do. Those were the yesteryore years when he featured on songs with then big YG artists like Masta Wu and Gummy. I'm almost ashamed to write down the year so I won't date myself.

But with the release of his new solo album, "One of A Kind," we get to enjoy a motley of styles. Meet Boy-Next-Door/The-GD-You-Can-Bring-To-Your-Parents with his "That XX" (essentially, That Bastard) video. This is probably the most normal I've seen G-D in recent years, although can you really call a white turtleneck as "normal?"

Then with "One of a Kind," we have the traditional extravagant rapper video with girls, a baby tiger, and bright yellow cornrows. (God, why, WHY with the cornrows??? WHYYYYY??) We also have a segment in the middle where he wears a ton of Chanel while carrying a Chanel tennis racket. I guess he's utilizing that friendship with the Kaiser (Karl Lagerfeld) to its fullest.

To round off the set, "Crayon" exhibits lots of color associated with k-pop (as I've stated previously). Here, we've got the weirdest collection of outfits. There's the colorful pop stuff like below, then there's this bizarre drummer boy outfit. But that doesn't even close to the creepiest pastel color circa 1940s football outfit he dons at some point. And no, that's a Givenchy hat. It's a GiYONGchy hat, a nod to his real name, Gi(or JI?) Yong. (Note: the "chy" pronounced as "shi" could be interpreted as an honorific title given to strangers/anyone older than you.) Okay, that hat is kinda really brilliant.

Acne 'Sinclair' quilted jacket
Versace silk shift dress
Michael van der Ham leopard brocade tapered pants
Givenchy Pearl and Jet Strass Tusk Earring (x2)
Givenchy 'Obsedia' bracelet
Givenchy Black Glass Stone Ear Cuff
YSL Malibu Leopard Sneakers
Pierre Hardy leopard print suede backpack

And for the rest of the population who doesn't want to drop 10G on an all leopard outfit, here's something that might be a bit more tasteful. Confession: I love rose gold jewelry. It's ruining my life right now.

Topshop knitted leopard sweater
Topshop Moto drum print skinny jean
Topshop textured wool biker jacket
ASOS mini mismatch star earrings
ASOS just access three pack cross ear cuffs
Topshop 'Trek' leopard sneakers
Topshop leopard pork pie hat
Topshop oversized leopard snood
ASOS triple spike bracelet
ASOS spiked arm cuff
ASOS chunky cross bracelet