I can't let go of the clothes and hair thing in Take Care of the Young Lady (My Fair Lady...why do so many Korean dramas have two titles?). I've seen a few images with this hideous velvet outfit culminating in the ridiculously oversized bow on top. I fervently hope it won't be in the actual drama.
What is wrong with Ha Nae's wardrobes? On the one hand, overstylized, none of it seems to be couture. Much of it seems just plain cheap. The best dress I've seen yet is the nightgown in the third episode. Of the many outfits paraded in just the three episodes I've watched, the one I felt cohered best was the riding outfit.
I was pondering why the feel of the outfits were so different than the men's clothing in Boys Before Flowers. And I realized that since that drama is based on a manga, the clothes reflect the overstylization in mangas, the ultra fantasy European clothes with ridiculously wide lapels. The ridiculous aspect of the clothes matches the feel of the whole drama with all the wealthier characters owning multiple sports cars.
While My Fair Lady aspires towards that same atmosphere with similar references (horseback riding, multiple servants, a large estate, "the" chaebol family, riches and rags romance), it's not quite enough. In Boys Before Flowers, all the pieces fit to make a whole, to emphasize the fantasy atmosphere of the drama. In My Fair Lady, the pieces don't all match.
Searching for the internet as to the designer behind the clothes on My Fair Lady, I read that Forever 21 supplied all the clothes and accessories. (For anyone unfamiliar with Forever 21 as an apparel retailer, take a look.)
However, the problem doesn't lie only with the clothes sponsor. A good deal of the problem has to do with a lack of cohesive characterization of Ha Nae through her clothes. In one scene, she's wearing a sophisticated dress. In another, she looks like a cute manga character in a black puffy dress and boots. In another scene, her look verges on a hint of slutty. Other times, she looks sedate, sometimes as though she has on too many accessories, sometimes punkish, sometimes fancy.
