BTS Jimin earns LA Times praise for unique 'fishing vest' style

The stage fashion of BTS's Jimin has received unusual praise from a major American media outlet. Although it was a somewhat quirky expression—describing it as looking like 'someone's grandfather's fishing vest'—the underlying meaning was closer to high praise for Jimin's styling sense. It was also a scene that symbolized the current state of BTS, moving away from standardized idol stage costumes to put their individual personalities at the forefront.

Reviewing BTS's 'Arirang' world tour opening performance held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on the 2nd (local time), the LA Times named Jimin as one of the major highlights of the stage. Pop music critic Michael Underwood described Jimin, sporting long blonde hair, wearing a mesh top paired with a unique vest, noting that it "looked like a fishing vest someone's grandfather might wear."

If taken as a single sentence, it might sound like fashion criticism, but the context is the exact opposite. The LA Times evaluated this as an example of BTS breaking away from long-standing costume concept meetings and standardized styles, entering an 'era of free clothing for adults who wear what they want to wear.' In particular, they captured Jimin's styling as the most impressive scene of that transformation.

In fashion, what matters is not the price or the brand of the clothes, but how the person wearing them digests an unfamiliar combination into their own. The combination of a mesh top and a vest reminiscent of a functional fishing vest is also far from a typical 'idol stage outfit.' However, by combining the strong visual element of his long blonde hair with a rugged silhouette that contrasts it, Jimin created a unique balance.

This is not the first time Jimin's stage fashion has garnered attention from overseas media. During the performance at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last June, the British Guardian gave the BTS performance five stars and specifically mentioned Jimin. They noted that his presence on stage was so intense that by the end of the show, they had even gained a 'favorite member.'

Billboard also evaluated Jimin's hairstyle as a powerful visual element during the same London performance. This is significant because it wasn't merely about consuming the appearance of a famous idol, but rather pointing out how a single member's style remains in the audience's memory within the overall visual narrative of the performance.

The atmosphere was different during the Paris performance. As a House Ambassador for Dior, Jimin showcased the refined aesthetics of luxury fashion by wearing custom Dior outfits designed by Jonathan Anderson. For the full-group comeback stage at Gwanghwamun Square, he wore Songzio's armor-concept outfits, presenting a styling that combined the fluid lines of *hanbok* with a modern twist, merging it with his image as a 'poet.' It is as if the same individual is speaking entirely different aesthetic languages depending on the nature of the stage.

Because of this, the 'fishing vest' from the LA performance is instead read as an example demonstrating Jimin's fashion spectrum. In Paris, he interpreted Dior's structural silhouettes; in Gwanghwamun, Korean lines and symbols; in London, his hairstyle; and in LA, everyday and rugged items, all interpreted in his own way.

Above all, the LA Times review contained a perspective that looked beyond Jimin's individual fashion to the current state of BTS. The outlet evaluated this performance not just as a comeback stage for a popular group, but as a test to gauge how much continuous cultural influence K-pop maintains in the global market, including the United States. They noted that BTS has returned as global pop artists after a hiatus due to military service.

At the center of this is the 6th full-length album, 'Arirang.' The album places the emotions and melodic traces of the traditional Korean folk song 'Arirang' within modern pop and hip-hop sounds, once again putting BTS's identity of 'music that starts in Korea and heads toward the world' at the forefront. The LA Times also pointed out the images of women wearing *hanbok* appearing on the large screens during the 'Body to Body' stage, as well as how the members primarily communicate in Korean between songs while using English in the lyrics.

This duality is also a question that BTS has continuously faced while growing into global pop stars. Rather than abandoning one side between Korean and English, or Korean identity and global popular music, it is a strategy of allowing both elements to coexist. The title 'Arirang' itself compresses that cultural direction.

The scene during the LA performance where Suga greeted the crowd in Korean, saying, "LA, it's been a long time, right?" can also be read in the same context. BTS has consistently delivered the message that they want to be loved as they are, rather than having their music categorized by region or language, and this performance was structured as a stage where Korean and English coexist naturally.

BTS's influence in the United States did not stop at the concert venue. In LA, 'BTS Week' was held in conjunction with the concert period, and fans flocked to local business districts and cultural spaces, including Koreatown. The performance of the global pop stars expanded beyond a mere musical event into a cultural phenomenon that drives food, tourism, fashion, and the local economy.

This LA performance held great symbolic importance for BTS. It was their first return to SoFi Stadium in approximately five years since their 2021 performance, and this time, they sold out all four shows on September 1–2 and 5–6. For the entire North American tour, approximately 1.92 million people attended 31 performances across 12 cities, with over 282,000 spectators attending the four LA shows alone.

Notably, BTS set a record for the most performances by a single group at SoFi Stadium with this appearance, totaling eight shows. Their cumulative audience reached approximately 496,000. It is striking that they did not merely replicate their record-breaking popularity from 2021, but created an even greater cultural impact in the same city following their military service.

Ultimately, the 'grandfather's fishing vest' mentioned by the LA Times is not a mocking nickname for Jimin, but rather a witty expression describing his freedom from uniform idol fashion. Jimin has proven that sometimes, unexpected combinations create a more powerful image than perfectly calculated outfits.

While BTS breaks the boundaries between Korea and the world through 'Arirang,' Jimin is performing similar work through fashion. From the luxurious haute couture of Dior to the Korean silhouettes of Gwanghwamun, the long hair in London, and the 'grandfather's fishing vest' in LA, he possesses the ability to interpret diverse aesthetics as his own. What is most striking about Jimin's fashion today is not just what he wears, but how he makes anything look uniquely his own.