Ultimate Cool Girl: Yerin Baek
We often hear the phrase "Your favorite’s fave," and that's exactly who Yerin Baek is. Yerin is an artist who frequents everyone’s playlists. With her distinctive vocals to her off-screen personality, Yerin is often described as the epitome of cool and Korea's equivalent to Gen Z, MZ세대’s, cool girl inspiration. This rang true after her appearance on Lee Youngji’s YouTube series, No Prepare.
Yerin originally debuted under JYP Entertainment in 2012, but left at the end of 2019. She has since moved to Blue Vinyl, which has allowed her to continue putting out music and to have creative control over her work.
One of Yerin’s most identifying aspects is her tattoos. Tattoos are still often seen as taboo in Korea, however Yerin is one of the people who has openly shown hers off. This is definitely one of the reasons why she features in many people’s Pinterest boards. Yerin’s personal style and interest in fashion spans years, as Yerin's mom ran a clothing store when Yerin was young, piquing her natural interest. One look through Yerin’s personal Instagram will show you why she can be called the Ultimate Cool Girl.
Yerin and The Volunteers
Back in 2018, Yerin debuted in the Seoul-based four-member rock band The Volunteers, which was co-created by herself and fellow band member Cloud. Yerin is the lead vocalist while Cloud is in charge of bass, keyboard, guitar, and producing for The Volunteers. Jonny plays guitar and Chiheon plays the drums.
The Volunteers allows Yerin to tap into different versions of herself and present her sound and image in a different light. The rock elements expand further than their sound, seen also in their outfits and how unique their performances are. Their show names Join the TVT Club and This Is TVT Club create a sense of community among them and listeners. The band gets styled for their shows, and it’s interesting seeing how their outfits, despite being completely different, all have matching elements to them, like different color animal prints.
Yerin’s outfits with The Volunteers feature a lot of influence from early rock groups fronted by women, from the staple red dress to the sleek leather. The roses within the red of the dress complement her tattoos so well.
Just as Yerin experimented with her sound, refrain from putting yourself in a box of expectations and seek different ways of presenting yourself that ultimately represent all the different sides of who you are.
Get Yerin’s Look
Contrary to her looks, Yerin seeks out brighter colors in her clothes. The contrasts between her black lined tattoos to the bright fabrics makes Yerin's vibes exquisite.
The KEBURIA Cruise 2023 collection features delicate pink fabrics but have a beautiful blank lining along the outskirts of the ruffles, which I could see Yerin in.
Yerin wears a lot of light casual wear, and to match the vibes of her single “Pisces” and The Volunteers’s song “New Plant,” I found MÄRCHEN Studios’s “Sea the City” S/S22 collection to fit these vibes. The brand describes their pieces in small poems:
"Never ending beach days. Ruffled fabric stained by salt water. Polo's are the last remaining teenage dream. We all shared our eager young hearts."
“Love will take you anyway the wind blows. The cinema of elegance will seduce the minds of many. Make an entrance in the garden if you wish.”
When looking through Yerin’s Instagram feed, you’ll see that she often styles mesh pieces in her outfits. A brand like KNWLS has been popular with people like Dua Lipa and Iris Law, appearing in their pieces recently. I could see Yerin in looks 14 and 16 of their A/W22 collection, as the purple color and print go with her vibes.
When Yerin does indulge in darker couture, I think a brand like Bonbom would fit her aesthetic a lot. The brand has been making rounds in the K-Industry, with many fellow celebrities wearing their items, such as BamBam sporting their bright pink two-piece in GOT7's most recent music video and Oh My Girl's Mimi wearing their W/22 bow dress in an issue of BAZAAR Korea. The star print has been popular this year, and Bonbom did a great job incorporating it into their designs. The dress with the exaggerated hip structure is something I could imagine Yerin wearing during a concert for The Volunteers.
Final Verdict
Yerin’s unintentional influence on her audience makes for her style to be sought out for. Whether it be from her casual day-to-day wear or her stage outfits, Yerin’s personal aesthetic is attractive to many. Through her Instagram, we are able to get to know Yerin that bit more while she lives her own life.
In the future, it would be cool to see Yerin collaborate with more brands and see how she would envision her own collection. An idea similar to Heaven by Marc Jacobs with its different elements and social media popularity among Gen Z is something that Yerin could pull off extremely well.