#ombre suit living in my mind rent free

[deliciouswastelandgoddess]

Kinnporsche and Queer Dressing - The Genius of Kinnporsche's Wardrobe

Also read:

The Genius of Kinnporsche's Humour

The Genius of Kinnporsche's Intimacy The Genius of Kinnporsche's Plot Twists

I remember the first time I came across any KP content on Tumblr - it was the entire boat scene set where Kinn is leveling a gun at Porsche asking him to be his bodyguard and P just yeets himself off of the boat. I had no prior knowledge or context for this but I still remember thinking - this looks fruity as hell. And I know it was because of alot of things but primarily it was because of how Kinn was dressed. So I bring to you my take on how Kinnporsche utilizes each character's wardrobe to frame their queerness in the narrative - four characters in particular actually - Tankhun, Kinn, Vegas and Porsche.

I want to prelude this by stating that I like to think of Kinnporsche as a romantic/comedy/action show which happens to have a gay lead pair rather than a gay mafia show - I think the cast and crew have gone out of their way to make it feel that way as well because while there exists a distinctive queer experience of life, in the end people are people and no amount sexuality or gender differences will stop us from empathising and sympathising with a character.

A character's wardrobe can be a powerful tool in delivering narrative short hand. Some short-hands can contribute to creating excessively harmful stereotypes but if done right it can engage the target audiences (queer people in this case) by giving them something to relate to. It could be the way someone talks, or their body language, film references and ofcourse their clothes. To me it feels like the KP showrunners went out of their way to find stylists who were in touch with queer pop culture (both western and eastern) and how that reflects in men's wardrobe (all men I would say but gay and gnc men in particular).

1. Tankhun

Tankhun's style is representative of the early western media depiction of what a gay man would dress like. They haven't really confirmed his sexuality in the show so far but I don't think that matters. Even if he turned out to be straight, the roots of his wardrobe choices lay in the out and proud gays of the 70s, 80s and the 90s in the west.

Tankhun sticks to a masculine cut - blouses and trousers - but the fabrics and colors are not what you would expect from western traditional masculine attire. You see a lot of pink - a colour associated with femininity traditionally, eccentric prints, colorful necklaces, glitter, funny sunglasses, leather, furs, ruffles, and ostentatious jackets. He's confidently loud about his gender non-conformity.

It's also interesting to note that while garish colors or prints are not considered effeminate when it comes to traditional eastern clothing for men, the same group of people would consider it effeminate just because the clothes are western. Tankhun really embodies the idea of queer dressing as we see it in western pop culture - this is queer dressing at its loudest. Also I would give my left lung for that floral Cape he's wearing here.

2. Kinn

Kinn at first glance seems to be the antithesis of Tankhun when it comes to his dressing. He is always in his suits and button downs, hair always in place, luxury watches, etc. - he oozes classic western masculine elegance. Very Very masculine and very very elegant. Even his informal clothing and pyjamas are very crisp. But let me remind you again that it was his ombre suit that made me think that something very LGBT seems to be happening in this show.

Porsche should have clocked him the moment he turned up to Yok's bar in this absolute icon of a suit. It's the softest of colours - a faint blush - completely at odds with his first impression of mafia machismo. He still manages to look edgy in it but it's so so feminine and delicate. The legendary ombre suit is iconic not just because it's a beautifully put together fashion moment (I would give both my lungs for this one) but because it frames Kinn's queerness visually rather than just through words or dialogues. Kinn is also the only character in the story who actually calls himself "gay" like sure everyone is gay in KP but he's the only one who owns up to that label. So not only is he an out and proud gay man he's actually in touch with queer fashion sensibilities and not afraid to use feminine/gnc elements in his dressing. It's also great representation to have different types of queer characters expressing themselves.

Once you start noticing his dressing with a keen eye you can really see that very few straight men would dress the way Kinn does but it's a very subtle thing. His penchant for red, his earrings (oh lord his earrings), the rich boy knit t-shirts tucked into his cropped pants, the 6 inches of ankle over his little pull on shoes - he screams gay but like very quietly. The second time Porsche should have clocked him:

Again to add here, earrings aren't considered to be particularly feminine in many Eastern cultures. Also they are gaining mainstream popularity in the west as well. Thirdly steel jewelry for crime lords is a very old media trope. It's still a little fruity though.

Kinn's wardrobe is hands down my favourite in the show for multiple reasons and the understated queerness just makes it even more delicious. I could go on and on about him in just the first episode but alas we have to move on.

3. Vegas

Vegas is again on the subtler side of the queer dressing spectrum - I would argue he is even more understated than Kinn. He employs a bunch of interesting prints but that's actually pretty normal for asian mafia representation in media (eg: the guy standing behind Vegas in the gif).

His most telling outfit was this red satin blouse which is gloriously androgynous - the cut is pretty masculine, the fabric is feminine and colour is something between the two. It isn't soft at all (unlike the ombre suit) but it's very delicate - both delicate and dangerous - it's a lovely dichotomy. Interestingly this is also an outfit that evokes the way lesbians tend to dress which is a very different vibe to Kinn and Tankhun. I can't articulate why this screams lesbian™ but it does and i think it's very neat.

4. Porsche

My second favourite wardrobe in the show after Kinn's. He started out with the most basic straight manwhore™ outfits but slowly came into his queer fashion sensibilities. The stylists understood the assignment with him people. The tailored Italian pants with worned out t-shirts and old chucks just -*chef's kiss*- love to see it, very LGBT of him.

It's also a fun detail because clearly Porsche is a queer character but he isn't really in touch with queer pop culture so he's picking things up from his partner - he's learning. The high fashion Italian pants are obviously an influence from Kinn who is a much more experienced...ah gay, a learned gay, if you will - he be gaying alot longer than Porsche. Funnily enough though, even before Porsche started dating Kinn he exhibited quirks that I can only chalk up to him being a ✨bisexual✨ like not to sound like a Jane Austenesque puritan but what's with all the rolled up t-shirt sleeves huh??

It's an outdated term but Porsche's recent outfits really channel the Y2K metrosexual™. It's also lovely to see the fact, that there isn't a wrong way to be queer, represented in media. Porsche may not exactly fit into the well-read tuned-in category of the Twitter and Tumblr savvy woke™ LGBT community but he is woke because he is a decent human being. He is also the most traditionally masculine in his fashion choices (the cut, the fabric, the colors) amongst the four discussed in this post- the only remotely feminine thing in his outfits is the delicate silver chain and that's it but his wardrobe still manages to feel like it's catering to the...queer gaze, for lack of a better phrase.

~

There isn't really a conclusion to this post except that I really enjoy overthinking about weird details in the media I consume.

+Honorary mentions:

Lady Jessica and Tay - love what they have done with their gender, absolute legends.

[negrowhat]

BL Tag Game

Tagged by @shutupimnapping

All time favorite bl character and why.

Right now????? I’d have to say Tay from KinnPorsche. He only had maybe 15 mins of screen time but it was enough for me to fall in love. Not only is he gorgeous, but he’s also smart and an amazing friend. And even tho Time is a no good, low down, dirty cheater he and Tay look good together visually.

What's your one character from a bl you wanted to punt in to the stratosphere?

Vee from Love Mechanics, he just grinds every single gear I have. Like I just want to square up with him so badly.

Best music moment from a bl.

I just finished Gameboys 2 and CaiReel were lovingly singing Ngayon to each other and when I tell you I was bawling my eyes out! It’s their song and it’s just such a special and beautiful song.

A popular heterosexual text you would like to see adapted in to a bl.

Ummmm I have no idea. 

A scene from a bl that always makes you laugh.

In LBC when AePete, Ping, and Pond all go to the movies and Pete harmlessly tells Ae that he likes Pond (as a friend) and Ae stares daggers at Pond for like 5 mins straight and poor Pond is scared and confused.

Biggest disappointment.

Fucking Check Out the Series. It’s not done yet, but the 2 eps I watched was a snoozefest and I’m mad I invested so much promo on the series on my page.

What two random bl characters would make hilarious exes.

Miss Tiffy from Lovely Writer and Choi Yuna from Semantic Error. Ugh the visuals Motorcycle Babe vs. The Skater Chick. I think Yuna would annoy Tiffy on purpose so they’d be hilarious exes who bicker over little stuff all the time.

Who would be the funniest person to watch a BL in its entirety and which one would you make them watch. 

My non-bl friend has been watching KP and she’s got some of the best commentary so her.

Best wardrobe moment/or character wardrobe from a bl.

Kinn’s iconic ombre suit from ep1 lives rent free in my mind, but also best dressed couple TimeTay. 

I’ll tag @kinnswife @chaos0pikachu @kpdeek @ipromisedthesunset @maibpenrai  @omarandjohnny @liyazaki @bitacrytic @itsanidiom @ommited-miscellaneously