"Psy Style" scores as Gangnam rapper readies new song

As South Korean rapper Psy readies what he hopes will be his next hit song, aiming for a repeat of the viral "Gangnam Style," retailers are keeping a close eye on what he wears, hoping another blockbuster will send sales surging.

From the tortoiseshell sunglasses to the two-toned Oxfords the chubby singer sported for his YouTube megahit, a wide range of brands - and Seoul's Gangnam district itself - have reaped rich rewards from the Psy effect.

Psy's stylist will say only that the 35-year-old will once more be clad in a suit for the new song, whose title also remains a secret. It will be released at an April 13 concert.

"The basic concept for his upcoming song is again a formal suit but with a humourous twist. I plan to add an unexpected twist of fun," Hong Hye-won told Reuters in an interview.

"I made a point with a bow tie back in the Gangnam look. There is something like that for the new song."

Psy's slicked hair and tuxedo jacket, in a broad range of electric colours, paired with a pleated white dress shirt and a black bow tie, run counter to the carefully manicured and primped young women and men typical of the K-Pop industry.

Much of what Psy wears is from his personal closet, since it is hard from him to find a suit that fits, Hong was quoted in a local newspaper as saying last year.

Both the Vivienne Westwood white shirt and the Thierry Lasry sunglasses he sports in the video, which made YouTube history by being the first to gain more than 1 billion views, are items he bought for himself some time ago, she was quoted as saying.

French eyewear designer Thierry Lasry has been besieged with questions about the two kinds of shades - the tortoiseshell, and black with gold temples, both called "The Variety."