Black and White Rules!

First published in New Sunday Times
10 August 2008


Black and white rules!

Nicholas Teo

Panic At The Disco won the edc Style Award

The stars came out to shine at the MTV Asia Awards in Genting Highland recently. MAX KOH gets the low-down on the fashion styles and trends of the evening.

SATURDAY night, and Genting Highland was filled with buzz. There was not much fanfare at the amusement park but a throng of youngsters were seen idling at the entrance to Arena Of Stars.

Their reason? To catch a glimpse of their favourite international stars of course.

For the first time, Malaysia was playing host to the MTV Asia Awards. The anticipation for the event hung thick in the air as fans scrambled to get passes to watch the star-studded event. Those who did not manage to get any, hung around the red carpet nevertheless, just so they may see their idols. And boy, did the artistes turn out to shine.

Well, MTV is not only about the music — it’s also the fashion statements put out by the artistes. Any teenager will gleefully tell you that fashion is as important as the music and if you can’t be a pop star, you can dress like one.

The event was hosted by 30 Seconds To Mars frontman Jared Leto and Cantopop princess Karen Mok. Any qualms about the odd-pairing were soon quashed as they worked very well together.

At the red carpet, Mok turned up in a simple sleeveless white dress that complimented her petite figure.

The handsome Leto had his hair slickly combed to the side and wore a smart, striped black coat. Both hosts were warm and friendly and looked good together.

The Pussycat Dolls was one the big draws of the evening and they dressed up to the nines. Rather than the trashy look that they project in their music videos, they opted for elegance. Lead singer Nicole Scherzinger wore a white knee-length dress with beads on the top. The other members looked elegant in black or white.

As the artistes begin to roll out, it was obvious that black and white ruled the night. Favourite Artiste Hong Kong winner Leo Ku wore a white tuxedo with a black bow while home-grown Nicholas Teo (who won the Favourite Artiste Malaysia) wore an interesting coat of white and black patches.

Leona Lewis, who was reported sick prior to flying down to KL, showed up in a beautiful silky black gown patterned with white motifs.

The dress was simple and complimented her demure personality. But her performance that night was anything but demure as her powerhouse vocals brought the house down. Also dressed in black and white were the 13 members of popular Korean boy band Super Junior.

Most guys opted for coats, shirts and ties except for a few exceptions. Rock band One Republic came out in typical TopShop-esque rock outfits while Favourite Artiste Singer Singapore Stephanie Sun was nicely wrapped in a brown body-hugging dress.

The biggest surprise of the night is the band Panic At The Disco who won the edc Style Award for their distinctive artistic style. The American emo band first hit the scene in 2006 with its first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and is known for their elaborate stage sets which include circus-act performers and contortionists. The members would wear quirky Victorian-age inspired costumes and heavy make-up as can be seen in their early videos, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, and But It’s Better If You Do. In the former video, lead singer Brendon Urie dressed as a circus ringleader.

Since the release of their second album, Pretty.Odd, the band has exchanged their eyeliners and circus references for a more psychedelic 60s pop art feel a la Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Their lead music video Nine In The Afternoon featured brass bands, colourful clothes and street festival-type costumes.

As the last performer of the night, the band proved why they deserve the awards.

The night went with a bang as a brass band, Chinese acrobats and circus performers filled the hall as they performed their hits, I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Nine In The Afternoon. What a blast!