Hanbok Fashion by Yi Zhu

HANBOK

FASHION Korean Hanbok Fashion From Past To Present

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KOREAN HANBOK FASHION

CONTENTS

What is the hanbok

12-13

Hanbok meaning

14-15

An Introduction to South korea's National dress

16-19

History of the Hanbok

20-25

How to Wear Men's Hanbok

26-27

How to Wear Women's Hanbok

28-29

Korea's traditional clothing has gone from forgotten to trendy. But will its popularity last?

30-31

The hanbok through history

32-33

Harmonizing beauty with meaning

34-37

Is Hallyu playing a role?

38-39

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trends and industry big names

40-41

Two places suitable for wearing Hanbok

42-43

Korean Women are Turning Hanbok Into a Fashion Statement

44-51

WHAT IS THE HANBOK? There are two main pieces to the hanbok. On the top, both men and women wear a jacket known as a jeogori. On the bottom, women wear a long skirt called a chima. The skirt is quite large, with billowing folds of fabric, and reaches all the way down to the ground. Men wear pants called baji. They’re large and roomy and both the men’s and the women’s version of hanbok is very comfortable. Hanbok isn’t worn as an everyday garment anymore. These days, most people wear a hanbok only to formal occasions or special events. This includes weddings and New Year’s Day. However, perhaps because of the importance of the hanbok in Korean culture, this historical garment is making a comeback.

HANBOK MEANINGS The colours and patterns of a hanbok once held significant meanings. Class and marital status were the most important determiners of what people wore. Commoners wore white cotton most of the time, though they were sometimes allowed to wear pink, green, or grey. However, the upper classes had a huge range of choices. Noblemen and women wore more colours in their hanbok, but there were strict rules governing the use of these colours. Children and young girls could wear bright colours, but older women wore more subdued shades. Unmarried women wore a red skirt and yellow jacket, and married women wore green and red or blue after they had given birth to a son. And the patterns were tightly regulated to flowers or bats. Members of the royal family got

the most choice in hanbok colours and patterns. These held a variety of meanings. Queens wore images of phoenixes, kings wore fire, dragons, mountains, or water plants, and princesses wore butterflies, cranes and lotus flowers. Many of these patterns could only be worn by members of the royal family. 15

HANHOK An Introduction to South Korea's National Dress

Hanbok-clad girls pose at Gyeongbok Palace Jeon Han / Flickr

Colourful children's hanbok on display at a market Rowan Peter / Flickr

Symbols such as phoenixes and dragons were characteristic of hanbok worn by royalty KoreaNet / Flickr

A mix of traditional and contemporary hanbok Jeon Han / Flickr

Hanbok, the traditional attire of the Korean people, has a history as colorful as the garments themselves. Worn daily up until about a century ago, the hanbok remains an important icon of Korea, and is still donned on special occasions and holidays. We take a closer look. Hanbok, which has nomadic roots in northern Asia, was originally designed to facilitate ease of movement. The fundamental structure of hanbok, specifically the jeogori (jacket), baji (pants) and the chima (skirt), was established during the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BCE- 668 CE), and the design features have remained relatively unchanged to this day. Hanbok can be classified into ceremonial and everyday dress, and then further categorized by gender, age and season. Regardless of the differences in these classifications, the basic aesthetic framework of all hanbok is centered around the Korean fondness for naturalness, desire for supernatural protection and blessings, and the Confucian style dress code.The general design of hanbok aims to create a delicate flow of lines and angles. Similar to the soft, sloping eaves of hanok – traditional Korean houses – the balance of the curved baerae (bottom line of the jacket’s sleeves) with the sharp angles of the dongjeong (creased white lining of the jacket’s collar) illustrates the softness and elegance of traditional Korean aesthetics. Another prominent attribute of hanbok are its vivid colors. Traditional hanboks boasted vibrant hues that correspond with the five elements of the yin and yang theory: white (metal), red (fire), blue (wood), black (water) and yellow (earth). Colors also symbolized social position and marital status. Bright colors, for example, were generally worn by children and girls, and muted hues by middle aged men and women. Unmarried women often wore yellow jeogori and red chima while matrons wore green and red, and women with sons donned navy. The upper classes wore a variety of colors. Contrastingly, commoners were required 18

to wear white, but dressed in shades of pale pink, light green, gray and charcoal on special occasions. Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social position could also be identified by the material of his or her hanbok. The upper classes dressed in hanbok of closely woven ramie cloth or other high grade lightweight materials in warmer months and of plain and patterned silks throughout the remainder of the year. Commoners, in contrast, were restricted to cotton. Patterns were embroidered on hanbok to represent the wishes of the wearer. Peonies on a wedding dress, for instance, represented a wish for honor and wealth. Lotus flowers, on the other hand, symbolized a hope for nobility, and bats and pomegranates illustrated a desire for children. Dragons, phoenixes, cranes and tigers were reserved for the hanbok of royalty and high-ranking officials. Beginning in the late 19th century, hanbok was largely replaced by new imports, such as the Western suit and dress. Nowadays, formal and casual wear are predominately based on Western styles. However, traditional hanbok is still worn on special occasions and celebrations such as weddings, Lunar New Year, ancestral rites, and dol, a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first birthday. The hanbok has undergone various changes throughout its more than 1,600year history, and continues to evolve even today. Specialty designers have made classic motifs wearable with designs that render traditional patterns and structures in simple cottons, linens, leather and lace. These modern reinterpretations of the hanbok have made a splash in the fashion world and have been spotted around the globe, from the ChampslysĂŠes to the catwalks of New York Fashion Week. However much it may continue to change, hanbok remains an exquisite cultural heritage, not only for its historical value but also for its uniquely Korean artistic significance, and will continue to be for many years to come. 19

History of the Hanbok 18TH JANUARY 2019 Hanbok, which itself can be translated as ‘Korean clothing’, are traditional outfits that used to be the everyday attire of those living in Old Korea. Origins of the Hanbok Almost all of the traditional hanbok seen today are fashioned in the style of the Joseon Dynasty, which began in the late 1300’s, but the birth of the hanbok dates back much earlier than that. Some researchers have found evidence of hanbok in murals within burial tombs dating back to the Goguryeo Era (37 BCE–668 CE) – over 1600 years ago! Other researchers can even trace hanbok styles through ancient Siberia and Mongolia. Hanbok have always consisted of comfortable and easy to move in skirts (chima), pants (baji ) and jackets (jeogori), which, through different era’s and fashion trends, have evolved into what is known as a typical hanbok. During the beginning of Three Kingdoms era, both men and women wore short, tight fitting baji and waist-length jeogori. But towards the end of this period, women of higher class began wearing long chima and short jeogori that were tied around their waists, likewise, noblemen wore looser fitting pants, that were cinched at the ankles, and tunicesque jackets that were also bound at the waist. As time went on, the hanbok trend didn’t evolve too much from this baggy and comfortable style, which remained pretty much the same throughout the later eras of Silla and Baekje, the Joseon Dynasty and down to modern day Korea!

A Unique Hanbok Style As the Joseon Era continued, women’s chima became fuller and their jeogori became shorter and more tight fitting, whereas the men’s paji and jacket didn’t change much during this time. Near the end of the Joseon Era, around the 18th century, the jacket of women’s hanbok became so short that it didn’t even cover their chests, so they began wearing a piece of fabric called heoritti , originally worn beneath the jeogori, to cover themselves. Although those among Joseon’s nobility began wearing heoritti, the women of the lower, common and slave classes preferred not to wear any chest coverings at all. In her book Women’s Life During The Chos n Dynasty, Han Heesook wrote about the common woman’s unique fashion, stating that; “Women belonging to these classes exhibited a unique fashion style after giving birth which basically consisted of them exposing their breasts, a practice which appears to have been limited to women from the commoner and lowborn classes. This practice of bearing one’s breasts after giving birth to a son and proudly breastfeeding the child in public, over time, became firmly entrenched within the culture of these classes.”

Hanbok Accessories During the 17th and 18th centuries, undergarments made of linen and silk, such as the sok-sokgot , dan-sokgot, go-jaengi and dari-sokgot, were worn beneath women’s skirts in order to give the hanbok varying elegant forms. Other accessories that accompanied women’s hanbok were ornamental hairpins or binyeo, norigae or colourful tassels that indicated social class, as well as shoes. The shoes, much like most aspects of Joseon clothing, indicated social status – keunghye were shoes worn by royalty, dang-hye were worn by married women of nobility and the un-hye were worn by those belonging to ordinary or lower status. Hanbok Colours and Patterns The colour of one’s hanbok depended on the level of your social and marital status. The hanbok of the royal family were usually decorated with various patterns, each with their 22

own meaning, for instance, kings would be decorated with symbols of mountains, fire, water plants and dragons to symbolise their characteristics. Likewise, queens would wear images of phoenixes, whereas princesses were to wear lotusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, butterflies and cranes. Only members of the royal family or of the noble class could decorate their hanbok with dragons, tigers, phoenixes or cranes. Members of the nobility wore more colours in their everyday hanbok than those of the lower classes; typically the children and young girls wore bright colours whereas older women wore more subtle tones, unmarried women wore red chima and yellow jeogori while married ones wore green and red or navy blue when they had given birth to a son. Other hanbok patterns for the nobility included pomegranates, peonies, bats and lotus flowers. In contrast, commoners wore white hanbok, often made of cotton with hemp

undergarments, but on special occasions, they were permitted to wear light pinks, greens and greys. Hanbok in Modern Korea Up until a hundred years ago, Hanbok were still worn as everyday attire in Korea, but now, wearing a hanbok or any traditional clothing is limited to special occasions such as weddings, Lunar New Year or Seolnal and other traditional ceremonies. However, in recent years, influential fashion designers such as Lee Young-hee, Lee In-joon, Lee Seo-jung and clothing stores have incorporated the traditional elements of hanbok and made their own adaptions, which have led to a wave of modern hanbok and a resurgence of interest in Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ancient fashion culture.

During the Korean wedding ceremony, vows are taken in the kunbere ceremony. Both bride and groom wear the traditional hanbok, a traditional Korean dress specially designed for the ceremony. The hanbok represents thousands of years of tradition and is usually made of a lightweight material with bright colors, simple lines, and no pockets. The bride will wear a pink or purple hanbok, while the groomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother wears a blue hanbok. Female members of the family may also wear the hanbok, but they may choose more modern clothing in place of the traditional dress. 24

Men's Hanbok How to wear Putting on a hanbok if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a man can be a little complicated too. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how:

1. Put a white t-shirt underneath. 2. Gather the leftover fabric on the right side and cross it to the left. 3. Hold the fabric down and cross the belt over it. 4. Knot the belt in the centre and fold the waistband down to cover the belt. 5. Pull-on the white socks that are worn with the hanbok, ensuring that the seams are straight. 6. Position the pantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seam on the ankle bone and pull the excess fabric outwards before wrapping it around your ankle. 7. Wrap the ankle strap twice around the fabric to secure it and tie it on the inside of your leg. 8. Repeat with the other foot. 9. Put the jacket on. 10. Tie the inner fastening ribbon on the left. 11. Tie the outer ribbon. 12. Wear the vest over the jacket and do up the buttons. 27

Women's Hanbok How to wear The modern hanbok is fairly easy to wear, but not easy to put on. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Put on the undergarment dress, which usually fastens in the front. 2. If it’s cold, you can wear jeans or trousers underneath. 3. Wrap the skirt around you with the fabric out and the white surface inside. 4. Cross the ribbon behind you and tie it in a bow at the front. 5. Position the skirt at the bust level. 6. Put the jacket around your shoulders and do up the clasp or button. 7. Put the short ribbon on the long one, making an ‘X’ and tie a knot. 8. Make a loop with the long ribbon and pass the short over, under, and grab it on the other side. 9. Pull the short ribbon to tighten the knot, which should make both ribbons the same length and complete the outfit. You can wear a vest over the top of the hanbok if it’s cold, or just go out and start exploring the city.

Korea’s traditional clothing has gone from forgotten to trendy. But will its popularity last? A young twenty-something couple walk past Gyeongbukgung Palace in hanbok, traditional Korean dress. His silky, purple baji, or traditional Korean pants, bands together at the waist and meets at the ankles – unlike the formfitting denim jeans that are the mode of today. Once upon a time, it was easier to draw conclusions from this scene. It could have been the filming of a historical drama set in the Joseon Dynasty, or more likely, a Korean holiday such as Chuseok or Seollal, when traditional customs long dictated time-honored dress. However, the past few years have seen a revival of hanbok. Trendsetting

young designers are changing the game and making hanbok more accessible as they play with lines and patterns. Thanks to hanbok rental made easy, the hanbok hashtag on social media reveals thousands of tourists, Korean and otherwise, posing in rented costume whilst visiting famous sites such as the palaces of Seoul, Bukchon Hanok Village and Jeonju Hanok Village. It’s caught the attention of fashion designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Carolina Herrera, Giorgio Armani and Miuccia Prada. Style magazines around the world are investigating hanbok’s significance in the modern world and pondering its future. What does this trend mean and is it here to stay?

of a slightly oversized jeogori and loose trousers tightened at the ankles with a string called a daenim. A woman’s outfit has a form-fitting jeogori and a bellshaped skirt called a chima. A woman’s jeogori has a lined collar that often spotlights her neckline. Common accessories include overcoats, petticoats, vests, hats for men and hair pieces for women. Embroider y was reser ved for royalty. As with many different cultures, the color and quality of one’s hanbok long distinguished his or her place in society.

The hanbok through history

Although many associate the hanbok with the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the origins of the costume can be traced back to the 4th century BC. Despite these minute changes over time, the basic concept has remained remarkably consistent. Trademarked by its simple, clean-cut lines and often noted for its vibrant colors made with natural dyes, the two-piece attire made most commonly with silk, satin or hemp is different for each sex. Literally meaning “the Korean clothing,” the hanbok was the daily outfit less than just a century ago. The men’s outfit usually consists

Harmonizing beauty with meaning

The pulchritude of the traditional dress lies in its movement and symbolism rather than its straightforward aesthetics. A careful dance of complexity with simplicity, flatness with volume and curved lines bowing to straight edges, the hanbok points to Koreansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desire to be close to nature and keep life in balance. Although contemporary variations of the hanbok have added floral prints and monotone palates into the mix, traditional primary colors commonly found in nature such as red, blue, green and yellow as well as black and white were used in the color scheme. Each shade conveyed a different meaning and the complements between the tones expressed the harmony of yin and yang. Compatible with any body type and designed for maximum mobility, the subtle shadows created by a hanbokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movements highlight oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s naturally flowing silhouette. 34

Is Hallyu playing a role? Since foreign tourists account for a great percentage of those taking part in the hanbok craze, how much of the trend is related with Hallyu? Are K-pop celebrities who pose in hanbok or attend events in hanbok playing a part? Could the peaking interest be related to the costume’s appearance in dramas ? Or is this a sudden wave of nationalism and nostalgia for tradition from today’s youth? Many fashion analysts say it is likely the result of a combination of these factors, and also point to the fashion cycle. Kwon Mi-ru, blogger and instagrammer known

to have traveled the world in her hanbok, cites another reason for the clothing’s sudden popularity. A May article in the Joongang Ilbo newspaper entitled “Hanbok is Preferable No Matter What” credits her with sparking the socalled “hanbokstagram” craze on Instagram. She told the paper the hanbok is in vogue again because it’s pleasing to the eye. “If wearing hanbok were a sudden display of nationalism or a marketing scheme, it would have faded out over time,” she says. “Today’s youth aren’t going back to tradition; they’re just trying to have fun.”

Today’s trends and industry big names Korean fashion designers who have been working closely with hanbok for years might not chalk up the trend to just fun, however. Not only are some of the biggest names in Korean fashion well versed in traditional hanbok, but many designers are also passionate about finding a new place for the costume in the modern world, or creating modern variations that are less intimidating for everyday use. Up-andcoming contemporary hanbok designer Lee Yebom says that modern hanbok are trending “very feminine and flowery.” The modern chima flares a lot less and often stops short a few inches above the knee. In contrast to the traditional hanbok’s vibrant color scheme, modern hanbok popularly use light pink and baby blue in spring and summer and muted tones of beige, navy and mustard yellow in autumn and winter. Straying away from convention, the jeogori often has a steeper necklace and floral prints. Yebom’s line, which you can browse on her Instagram account (@yebom_yangpum), reflects this contemporary hanbok style aimed at a younger market. Luckily for Yebom, there are a handful of designers to look up to. Designer Lee

Young-hee has been a doyen in the field for over forty years. She introduced her hanbok collection in Paris as far back as 1993 and brought the costume to the runway of the French Haute Couture show in 2010. She’s paved the way for younger designers who continue to bring fresh material. One such designer is Kim Young-Jin, who owns the brand Tchai Kim. Among Tchai Kim’s best known products is the chullik one-piece, a revamped version of military uniforms from the Joseon Dynasty. Hwang Lee-sle, CEO of the brand Leesle, is best known for her practical additions to hanbok. She has worked to incorporate hanbok into daily life by adding zippers instead of strings and making the fabric easier to throw in the wash. Another name working to make hanbok more mainstream is In Oh-kyung, who r uns a hanbok company called Inohjudan. Trademarked by her hanbok featuring prints of the American cartoon character Spongebob, she was one of five Korean designers in Hollywood last year for a pre-Oscars fashion show that introduced the hanbok to an international audience.

Claiming international fame The current push to promote hanbok traces back to 1996, when Hanbok Day was established. There were rather unfruitful campaigns to have people wear hanbok on the first Saturday of every month. Years later in 2010, a biannual fashion show project called Concept Korea was launched by the Ministry of Culture in order to bring attention to Korean fashion. Though not limited to the hanbok, it put Korea in the spotlight. Just a year later, hanbok-inspired pieces were seen in the spring collections of both Chanel and Dior, further rousing the

fashion world. Amongst Koreans, and thanks in part to Kwon Mi-ru, the hashtag â&#x20AC;&#x153;hanbok travelâ&#x20AC;? is trending on Instagram, and there are many young Korean women who are packing their hanbok on international trips. Student Lee Su-bin, who recently sat for an interview with Cosmopolitian Korea, said she wanted to combine her dream of becoming a designer with her dream of traveling the world. By wearing her hanbok on her travels, she believes she is able to customize her experience.

Two places suitable for wearing Hanbok There are so many cool places in Seoul and the rest of Korea, where you can take awesome pictures when wearing a modern Korean dress or hanbok.

Free Entry To The Seoul Palaces The best place to take stunning pictures while wearing a hanbok is one of the Seoul Palaces. Even better, when wearing a hanbok, entrance to Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung Palace is free. These palaces are a must visit when in

Seoul. Check a detailed 4 day, 5 day and 7 day Seoul itinerary for more info on where to go to when in Seoul.

Take A Traditional Tea Ceremony There is no better way to experience Korean culture than taking a tea ceremony. During the ceremony youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll learn about the tea culture while tasting delicious tea and tea snacks. Wearing a hanbok just takes this experience to another level. Check more info here.

Korean Women are Turning Hanbok Into a Fashion Statement Growing up in Korea, I thought modern hanbok was only for people who lived an alternative lifestyle, like those who visited temples every day and ate like Buddhist monks. --Tina Chao When I was young, the only person I knew who regularly wore modern hanbok was a martial artist who ran a kumdo dojo downtown. Unlike the colorful hanbok that we wore on holidays and special occasions, modern hanbok seemed to come only in drab earth-tones, like burnt orange, greyish green, or anything else that reminds you of the word ‘muddled’. But fast forward to 10 years later, and I realized modern hanbok had evolved beyond what I had imagined was possible. While in the past I only saw middle-aged Koreans wearing modern hanbok, more and more Koreans in their teens and 20s are finding cute modern hanbok and wearing them on special outings, like a visit to the palace or a lantern festival, or even just on a regular day. I did a double take when I saw Sarah from 2hearts1seoul wearing this adorable outfit on Instagram: The top seems to retain the classic features

of the jeogori, or the shirt portion of the hanbok, with the shape of the collar and the goreum, the long pieces of fabric you tie in the front to close the jeogori. But this modern hanbok has shorter sleeves and goreum. This has three advantages: it makes the jeogori easier to put on and to move around in, and it’s better for warmer months. The original hanbok skirt also spans from your chest to the floor, but the modern hanbok skirt is just the right length for everyday wear— long enough to remind you of the classic hanbok but short enough that you can walk around in the park without stepping on your own skirt and falling over. I love how Sarah styled her modern hanbok with a cute chain purse and sandals. As a millennial who buys everything from shoes to a potato peeler online, I had to give into my natural instinct and scroll through her feed to find out where Sarah bought her set and also explore other modern hanbok looks Korean women love. It turns out, the possibilities are endless. From light pastels to dark winter colors and from sleeveless jeogori’s and midi skirts to longsleeves and mini skirts, there are so many amazing options. 44

And the best part is, modern hanbok is so easy to mix and match, not just with other modern hanbok pieces but with non-hanbok clothes as well. For instance, I love this longer version of a jeogori paired with dark denim. It reminds me of the classic white button-down, except this one is really a stand-out piece. 48

Traditional hanbok, with its full, billowing skirt and the jeogori that accentuates the wearerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soft neckline and shoulders, has a unique sense of majesty thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard for modern hanbok to replace. But modern hanbok makes the hanbok more wearable and convenient. Since modern hanbok also provides a wide range of options when it comes to cut, style, and the degree to which it departs from the traditional hanbok, more and more people are able to wear hanbok more often and enjoy it, incorporating it into their daily lives. If you love Korean fashion and culture, a modern hanbok piece, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a jeogori, a skirt, or any other item, might be just what you need to add a little Korean twist to your wardrobe. 51

HANBOK

FASHION Korean Hanbok Fashion From Past To Present