Saturday 24 September 2016

Arena Homme: Lee Joon Gi - The God Of Fashion




LEE JOON GI
THE GOD OF FASHION
BREAKS AND MAKES RULES
ARENA HOMME
September 2016




LEE JOON GI

ARENA HOMME





Lee Joon Gi enjoys a stellar year. He has uncountable fashion shoots, two international movies (‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ and ‘Never Said Goodbye’) and one sensational Korean drama to date.

Lee’s current drama, ‘Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo' which is based on the tenth century Goryeo Dynasty is an eye opener. Viewers can see Lee Joon Gi’s raw emotions that shine through. It is an incredible drama that his impassioned audience can relate to.

In the next few weeks, Lee, as Emperor Gwangjong, is set to grow darker and his Goryeo subjects would have to be wary of their steps. They walk on a tightrope and they will find it to be nerve-racking in his presence.

The editorial staff of Arena Homme has therefore set the tone for Lee Joon Gi’s photo shoot for September by having Lee covered in black – to be in sync with the dark image of his ruthless character, Emperor Gwangjong.







  





LEE JOON GI
THE NEW FASHION GOD
DICTATES FASHION RULES


Lee Joon Gi: Handsome and Sexy



Some may think it is aesthetically painful when one wears a striped shirt on top of another striped shirt. It is not a fashion faux pas. Lee Joon Gi looks amazing. He has turned the rules upside down.

Pairing a long-sleeve black shirt with unique white geometric stripes with a white shirt with similar distinctive geometric black stripes, which is layered under it, Lee Joon Gi is out to make his point in the fashion industry. 

Who would have thought that Lee Joon Gi could break fashion rules and get away with it? When Lee Joon Gi confidently breaks fashion rules and makes new fashion rules, who dares to object? The ruler rules. He is the measurement by which standards are set. Moreover, Lee Joon Gi is the new fashion god. 

Don’t lament the the demise of fashion as one knows it. Instead, think anew. Who dictates fashion rules anyway? The Goryeo emperor who wears his clothes, well, like royalty.

Lee Joon Gi will dictate trends and create new fashions. This ensemble should be on men’s shopping list.

In the shot, although Lee Joon Gi is pictured casting his eyes downwards in a pensive pose, he does convey a subtle yet unmistakable sex appeal.







NOT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL
IN 
THE FASHION INDUSTRY





Not all men are created equal. Any man dressed in the same fashionable clothes as Lee Joon Gi would decidely look inferior to him.  Lee’s wardrobe and his look turn heads.

Lee looks stylish and eye-catching wearing a regular-fit white shirt and layered with autumn’s latest flannel black and grey checked, long sleeved shirt and a pair of matching checked trousers. The colour contrast is stunning.

Most would usually pair checked shirts or plaid shirts with solid colour trousers. And some think that loose trousers are a no-no. With Lee Joon Gi, everything looks good on him. There are no wrong fashion rules and no fashion wrong turns with Lee Joon Gi. Lee looks well-dressed and groomed.

Indeed, this is a killer outfit. And Lee Joon Gi has killer looks. 







SEXY TO THE CORE





In another shot, Lee Joon Gi is captured in a magical, sensual moment lying down and looking relaxed with an arm behind his neck. He is in a greyish-black flannel shirt with embellished details down the front.

It is Lee Joon Gi’s perfect shot. It is the shot that embodies His Royal Hotness. Lee Joon Gi looks a picture of palpable sexiness. He is perfection itself. Just gaze at his gorgeous eyes, nose, lips and chin. Lee holds one’s gaze and makes one catch one’s breath as one studies his face in repose.






ARENA HOMME INTERVIEW
September 2016





In the interview with Arena Homme, Lee Joon Gi shares that because of his strong sense of responsibility or duty towards work, he has thrown all his focus and energy on his projects and therefore, he has to sacrifice his personal life.

Lee has kept his nose to the grindstone. It is blood, sweat and tears all the way. He has no real rest nor much personal time for himself. He neither has fun time with friends nor have the time to date.





At 35 years old (Korean age), Lee Joon Gi is thinking of marriage and starting a family. He declares that he does not want to be married when he is too old. All of Lee Joon Gi’s ardent fans must be rubbing their hands in glee but they also have an elephantine memory. They do not forget the gems that fall from their beloved idol’s mouth. They are familiar with what Lee has said in his previous interviews and they are able to repeat verbatim what he has said about dating and marriage. They will tell you that Lee has declared that even if he has a girlfriend, he would deny it until he is ready for marriage. 

Lee Joon Gi comes across as a warm-hearted guy as he admits that he is the first to open up his heart to other people. He is enthusiastic about meeting new people and he does not hold himself back. An interesting point that he has brought up is, ‘Since he opens up himself, shouldn’t the other party do the same?’ He feels that the people he meets should not clam up nor pull themselves back from revealing their inner self. 

Lee reveals that he was competitive in his younger days and was driven by the urge to emerge as the first among his equals, his own age group, but he has mellowed with age. Now he is more interested in cultivating his inner self. 

As for his future projects, he is ambitious and raring to push himself to show not only his physical prowess but also a plethora of complex emotions. One can understand that the relentlessly driven actor desires to add other elements to his future acting roles including the comedic aspect.






It is no surprise that Lee is also thinking of setting sageuks or historical dramas aside. He has done so many sageuks but his fans cannot get enough of them. ‘Iljimae’, ‘Arang and The Magistrate’, 'The Joseon Gunman', ‘The Scholar Who Walks the Night’ and ‘Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo’. Despite the fact that he is the ‘King of Sagueks’ and all his sagueks are real winners, the actor wants to put a complete stop to doing them.



Moon Lovers - Scarlet Heart: Ryeo



It is sad that he has declared that ‘Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo’ would be his last saguek drama. It would indeed be a pity if he does not do them anymore.







Even though his latest saguek is only halfway into its run, Lee Joon Gi’s millions of passionate fans and new admirers are awed by his stunning performance and by the fascinating drama. A survey of drama sites and other sites on the Internet has revealed the impassioned response of the viewers. They could not help themselves waxing lyrical over Lee’s amazing acting nor lavishing copious praise on his drama.






However, what is truly surprising is that Lee is underappreciated by his own countrymen. His legions of fans from across the globe are worried about his future. They think that he should be richly rewarded for his efforts and talents. The mills of the gods grind slowly.

To cut the story short, Lee Joon Gi has probably arrived at the crossroads, and so has the South Korean Drama industry.




*Interview with Arena Homme
Translated by Gabby







Friday 23 September 2016

Marie Claire: The Winds Of Change



LEE JOON GI
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
MARIE CLAIRE
September 2016








LEE JOON GI
ROCKS
THE DAZZLING COLOURS OF AUTUMN
WITH
THE WINDS OF CHANGE



Lee Joon Gi’s gorgeous eyes captivate and seduce



Which Korean star is so astonishing that he keeps everyone stargazing all year round? It seems Lee Joon Gi has been forever on the fashion radar appearing in a deluge of fashion magazines in Korea, China and Japan. In the month of September, he appears in at least three fashion magazines, one of which is Marie Claire.

Marie Claire understands the weather and expects the winds of change to blow and the rain to fall, heralding the arrival of autumn in South Korea.

In their September issue, the editorial team highlight their expertise with the portrayal of the breathlessly gorgeous Lee Joon Gi as their autumn sensation. Lee Joon Gi basks in three dazzling colours that dominate autumn. Brown. Orangey-Red. Olive. With the amazing set of harmonious colour choices of autumn from Marie Claire, Lee Joon Gi is set to blow everyone away.

No accessories are necessary for Lee Joon Gi’s outfits. His most gorgeous ‘accessories’ are his eyes, lips, charisma and aura of confidence.















AUTUMN SENSATION






In the above shot, Marie Claire seeks to capture Lee Joon Gi in the spirit of autumn with a minimal approach to men’s fashion style. The weather in Korea is getting cooler so, Lee keeps his arms out of sight in a voluminous brown cardigan which is worn over a loose brown silk shirt. Nothing can go wrong with the monochromatic ensemble. Brown, a masculine colour, matches the brown leaves of autumn.

Leading man Lee Joon Gi may not be aware of it but he looks like a million bucks in this stylish cover-up for the body in Autumn. And sexy too. There is, of course, nothing sexier than Lee Joon Gi’s intense gaze (and sexy lips) which connects him to his adoring viewers.

















AUTUMN DREAM
IN
ORANGEY-RED




Orangey-Red and Grey-Black, to be precise. Bold colours. Lee wears a plain orangey-red jumper, and black and grey pin-striped trousers in anticipation of the chilly Autumn weather.

The camera captures a magical moment of Lee Joon Gi with his eyes half-closed and his hands half-raised in a worship stance. His unique pose adds punch to the shot.

It hardly matters what Lee Joon Gi wears at this point although the ladies are endlessly fascinated by his clothes. Most probably, everyone would be looking at the well-defined side profile of his face and his streamlined physique. Is that where the editorial team is directing one's gaze?

In the picture, it is crystal clear that Lee Joon Gi has stripped off every inch of fat fron his face and his taut body. His sexy well-defined chin and fit physique make hearts flutter.












KOREA’S MALE SUPERMODEL
IN
AN OLIVE ENSEMBLE




Lee Joon Gi wears a loose olive turtleneck shirt which is embellished with a short decorative zipper. The unique metallic zipper-slider lends not a rough edge but a fresh and trendy touch to the outfit. The unusual, stylish olive shirt is teamed with dark olive-brown trousers.

The manly and classy look is kept plain and simple. Like a supermodel, Lee Joon Ji glances sideways to allow his clothes to take centre-stage, and one is drawn to the matching outfit. This harmonious ensemble put together by the team is a must have in every man’s wardrobe; it is an essential item for every male who wants to draw attention to his style.








MARIE CLAIRE INTERVIEW






Lee Joon Gi’s fans know that he is an actor who is fully focussed on delivering the best dramas and movies to his audience. Although Lee has earned bragging rights as South Korea’s best actor, he remains down-to-earth.

In the interview with Marie Claire, he talks about his sense of responsibility and duty to his fans and his family, and the ponderous issue of navigating through public life.

Lee discloses that he wants to live more like a regular person, free from the anxiety of deciding what he should or should not do in public.

He connects, through SNS, with his fans whom he considers as his precious friends and with whom he believes he could find mutual comfort. He also thinks he can grow and improve himself through his interaction with them.

As Lee is continually caught up in his projects and swamped with work, he worries about being a good and dutiful son to his parents and a good brother to his younger sister. As his parents age, their health is an issue that he has to contend with. He is constantly reminded of his personal responsibilities and family commitments so he continues to invest time in his family relationships. His way of showering his love for his parents and expressing his deep gratitude and appreciation to them is by going on a vacation with his family every year. His choice vacation destination is Hawaii.

Lee also talks about the possibility of diverse projects in the future in which he would be involved so as to bring variety to his life and different experiences to his audiences.

‘I’m thinking of going on variety programmes. I have an optimistic and humorous side, so I think I could be good at it.’


*Marie Claire Interview

Translation: @thesunnytown














THE WINDS OF CHANGE


 



They say now is the tail end of summer in South Korea.  The weather during this time of the year is ever-changing and unpredictable. One day the temperature may be 33°C. Within a matter of a few days, it may drop 10°C.

Winds are expected. The Typhoons. The winds and the rain arrive together. When the winds of change strike, things will be different. Autumn would, then, be upon South Korea. The temperature cools, the landscape would be picturesque. Life changes.

Likewise, Lee’s millions of global fans and admirers expect that the South Korean ratings for Lee Joon Gi’s saguek drama, ‘Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo’, would have a huge turnaround.





The Korean adaptation of the Chinese novel, Bu Bu Jing Xin, is expected to race in high gear from start to finish without running out of steam. It has received overwhelming support, rapturous applause and impassioned reactions from audiences across the world including East Asian countries like China, the South-east Asian nations, America and elsewhere. However, it has received lukewarm reception on home ground.

So far, no South Korean drama has evoked so much passion in recent times as Lee Joon Gi’s drama. Praises have been heaped on Lee’s extraordinary acting prowess. The superb drama is also bolstered by the wonderful performance of the other members of the cast, the incredible cinematography, awesome scenery, beautiful wardrobe, amazing OSTs, the interesting historical and cultural aspects of Korea, the unexpected twists and turns that have vastly diverged from the original Chinese storyline. The drama has become more intoxicating as it moves in its own unpredictable direction.

Should foreigners feel guilty about being non compos mentis over the drama when the South Koreans are nonchalant about their very own stupendous historical-fantasy-romance production? Though the production honchos have taken a creative license in the drama, the slew of amazing cultural and historical features has floored the foreigners. No doubt, the drama will inspire more Korean children and young people to explore their roots.

Perhaps, when the winds of change arrive, the drama would take millions more people and critics by storm.



 
Three in One: Three 2015 Instagram posts combined 
to tickle his fans’ funny bone