Jimin's "grandpa fishing vest" drew LA Times side-eye — and a 5-star Guardian rave
BTS's Sept. 2 Sofitel Stadium show caught international press eyes. Jimin's custom Dior vest sparked wildly different takes: one critic called it a fishing vest, another gave the whole show five stars
The vest that launched a thousand reviews
Jimin walked out at Sofitel Stadium on September 2 in custom Dior designed by Jonathan Anderson. The LA Times noticed right away and described it as "what looked an awful lot like somebody's grandpa's fishing vest." Jimin is a Dior House Ambassador.
The Guardian saw something else entirely. The outlet gave the show a rare five-star review and named Jimin specifically:
"By the end of the performance, I too had a favorite member (Jimin)," the Guardian wrote, adding, "I wanted to learn Korean."
Suga kept things grounded. "LA, it's been a while, right?" he said to the crowd in Korean.
Five years, eight shows, one record
These were BTS's first stadium solo concerts in LA since 2021. All four Sofitel Stadium shows sold out. BTS now holds the record for most performances at Sofitel Stadium: eight total, with roughly 496,000 people across all of them.
The full North America leg ran 31 concerts across 12 cities. Approximately 1.92 million attendees.
Los Angeles leaned in. The city declared September 1–8 "BTS Week." On September 1, City Hall glowed red—the concept color of the new album ARIRANG.
From Gwanghwamun to Stade de France
LA was one stop in a longer tour. BTS played London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June and Paris's Stade de France as part of the same cycle. Back in March, the full group's comeback stage at Gwanghwamun Plaza featured Jimin in armor-concept clothing by Song Ji-o, reinterpreting the flowing lines of hanbok.
Near Sofitel Stadium, the Line Hotel created member-specific food tour itineraries for fans. The route hit Joseon Galbi, Quarters, Gobau House, Yeolttok, and Harukei Cake. Koreatown sits about 6.4 km northeast of the stadium, connected by the Metro K Line.
A grandpa vest that lands both a Guardian five-star and an LA Times side-eye in the same week? That's a styling win.
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