Thursday, October 16, 2014

Tang Wei, Sunmi, and Yoona: Three favorite magazine photo shoots, Sep-Oct 2014


There were some stunning magazine photo spreads from September and October, and I wanted to share three of my favorites featuring Tang Wei in Elle Korea's September 2014 issue, Sunmi for bnt in October, and Yoona in W Korea also for their September 2014 issue. It was a tough decision just picking out my top three.


Tang Wei (汤唯) is a Chinese actress best known for her role in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution who has crossed over to the Korean entertainment industry remarkably well especially given how little Korean projects she's done. However, that may be due to the simple facts that she starred opposite Hyun Bin in one of his high profile pre-enlistment projects, the film Late Autumn (2010), where she met the Korean director Kim Tae-yong, who she married just this past summer in a private ceremony in Sweden. She continues to forge on in her acting career with the recently released Chinese-Hong Kong film, The Golden Era (黄金时代), which is Hong Kong's representative for the 87th annual Oscar foreign film category.

The ever smiling actress turns on the angst and piercing stares for this stunning location shoot in Elle Korea's September 2014 issue. My favorite shot is the one at the beginning of the post. A simple close up in black and white that lays bare her quiet fierceness. The stark natural backdrop juxtaposes well with the muted autumn palette, and Tang Wei's carefree shots makes me want to be where she is. What a refreshing pictorial.




Next up, Sunmi formerly of idol girl group Wonder Girls appears in a beach photoshoot for bnt International. I was doubtful if this 4D idol would do well on her own as a solo artist, but she proved me wrong with her hits, "24 hours" (2013) and "Full Moon" (2014), with which she solidified her new mature artistic image, a departure from her Wonder Girls days. Currently, she is part of the regular cast for season 2 of Fashion King Korea, a celebrity fashion survival program.

In her pictorial for bnt International in October, Sunmi shows off her legs-for-miles. Overall, it's a sensual but not overtly sexy shoot. I love the ballet references, replete with tutu like pink midi skirts. Also, I appreciate the details like muddied socks showing she's not afraid to get dirty and really work the photoshoot.





Last but not least, Yoona impresses with her androgynous black and white photoshoot for W Korea's September 2014 issue. Her photo shoots usually feature her flirty, girl next door image befitting of an idol from SNSD. However, she rises to a challenge for a stronger, avant garde image here. Given that her face and body is all angles, I guess it's not surprising after all that she can pull off this look so well. I hope that she will continue to trying different things, diversifying her idol portfolio - maybe next time, she won't be burned so badly for considering a high profile, much loved drama.

The photoshoot features pieces from a variety of designers including Isabel Marant, Vivienne Westwood, Balmain, Saint Laurent Paris, etc. More information on identifying certain pieces can be found on Soshified Style.




She is currently busy with SNSD activities, dating Lee Seunggi, and will soon begin shooting for her first big screen lead role in the Korean-Chinese production, Goodbye Ani, starring opposite Eddie Peng after turning down Cantabile Tomorrow.

Sources: Soompi, BNT, Hollywood Reporter (1, 2), Soshified
Photo cr: Couch Kimchi, Wonderful Generation (1, 2), Always with Yoona

1 comment:

  1. fabulous goddess Yoona ♥ she is so beautiful, fashion, talented and sexy with class!

    ReplyDelete