Korean clothing has an enriched history with colorful garment that is also related to their culture. Considering the occasion or holidays, the Korean culture of wearing a Hanbok has never faded away. Hanbok is a traditional formal attire, worn on special occasions that portray creativity and expressiveness. Hanbok is a complete set of vests, jeogori (a top jacket), and pair of pants (in the case of women, it is a pantaloon pair).
Introduction to Korean Traditional Clothing
Apart from its ritual importance, Koreans are extremely dear to this traditional dress Korean Hanbok. People sometimes wear it as a modified version of a suit for everyday wear. Hanbok represents the desire of Koreans for the blessing of the supernatural and the Confucian dress code. It represents the propriety and colors of primary.
Korean Clothing Style
Korea is popular for different styles of clothing items. Koreans wear the same outfit with a little sense of style and difference. There are a few shops to choose clothing styles. Hongdae street style is one of the traditional dresses of Korea, mostly fashionable in Seoul. It is a sort of street fashion that mixes to represent the aesthetics of rock and hip-hop. The top part seems baggy, and men also like to relax with fitted pants.
Koreans are also comfortable in miniskirts or dresses. Because of its worldwide popularity, Korea has also introduced its citizens to oversized fashion clothing that offers an effortless look. Of course, Korean clothing style will be incomplete if we do not mention your favorite Korean actor, actress, and K-pop idols. Korean outfits in school are not indifferent to Korean clothing styles. For ladies, the A-line skirt is colored and patterned with plaid that takes them limitless in the fashion sense.
Korean Clothing History
You have already been introduced to the Korean clothing Hanbok. For centuries, Hanbok has been playing an inseparable part in Korean lives. By getting influenced by the Scythian culture, Hanbok has been getting shaped in two separate forms in both top and bottom parts. The cultural construction has remained the same, but the designs have received different modifications with beauty standards in different cultures.
Korea’s traditional clothing sense received its first liberalization in the late 19th century when Western culture gets introduced to the Korean Peninsula. The era of “Gaehwagi-bloom” has turned Hanbok into western-style clothing and a degree of empowerment to Women. The Apple TV + series named Pachinko has viewed this traditional advancement to Westernization smoothly with the attire of Hanbok. Be it someone’s holiday celebration or funeral, Hanbok has given the sense of diasporic communities.
Best Korean Outfit Ideas You Can Try
Dictating beauty trends by Koreans is so popular that diversity and modernity fall behind. In help, if you require suggestions on how to dress well, check out these 10 outfit ideas that keep you in the lead of the fashion trend.
1. Bodycon Sweater Dress (Knitted)
This outfit is simple and easy to coordinate. At times in winter, bodycon Sweater dress becomes everyone’s favorite in wearing at different events. In the areas like parties or clubs, this outfit will keep you confident.
2. Knit Cable Sweater with wider Pants.
It has been a viral outfit Korea in to wear Sweaters and Wide-Leg Pants. The reason is the dual stylish, easy wearing, and suitable applicability of this dress. Korean Girls also wear this outfit in Spring.
3. Trench Coat with Body Sweater Outfit
The trench coat is perfect (if it is pastel-colored) to combine with a woolen body skirt. A trench coat brings warm feelings and looks much better. Coordinating this trench coat with a wool skirt seems simple and brings a charm with much irresistibility. Ankle boots will complete the entire look.
4. Look of School Girl
In Korea, the School girl look is the most common look with a modern vibe. To appear as a schoolgirl, an A-line skirt is mandatory. Pair with a shirt (button down) and a long-sleeved top, beret, and of course loafers to style better.
5. Style with Hats
Hats are very useful and wide-ranging in Korean Traditions. Most Koreans wear hats-beanies, baseball caps, berets, bucket hats, and newsboys to complete the overall look with an outfit. It adds a little extra to view your look.
6. Oversized Clothes with Pullovers
Koreans are obsessed with greater comfort. Most of the oversized outfits are breathable. They put comfort as the top priority and there is no restriction. Oversized clothes are those types of outfits that provide a causal look with no effort at all!
7. Turtleneck with Jeans
Turtlenecks are common but not cute in the association. But a turtleneck with jeans provides a different light tone in summer. Turtlenecks are long-sleeved tops that you can style the outfit with baggy jeans. These two components match well and give an elegant look. Pair this outfit with chunky shoes. Traditional dress in Korea has been incredible in past years and flat shoes, or canvas-type shoes can augment the beauty of an outfit.
8. Minimalist Sweater
Minimalist outfits are popular among men and women in Korea. This minimalist sweater is also following the trend. These sweaters are sweatshirts that are loose fit and stylish globally. Also, sweatshirts come in achromatic colors for instance- white, black, grey, brown, and different shades. This achromatic shade is also popular in Korea.
9. Tucked In Shirt with Skirt Tennis
This item has been fashionable over the years. These skirts are relevant and popular. In Korea, it is a clothing style to wear outfits that feature pleated skirts. You cannot deny that any skirt makes up half of the outfit. You can end up wearing cute t-shirts to match the skirt part.
10. Ripped Jeans
Koreans have taken ripped jeans of denim-made extremely. This outfit style is perfect for any casual occasion. Go for day or night, ripped jeans keep everything sober and highlight your outfit. Wearing ripped jeans with confidence will surely take you to the next level.
Common Korean Traditional Clothing Name
traditional dress Korean means exquisite clothing, none other than Hanbok. Hanbok has a beauty that embraces its natural form and color. There are 8 more beauties in Hanbok named: Structure (Jeogori), silhouette and lines, western visibility, straight and curved lines, and the five colors, free-flowing effect, and “empty” space in the overall outfit. Hanbok offers both male and female clothing versions as a traditional dress of Korea.
Apart from this hanbok, there are other clothing and accessories name given below:
Traditional Korean Hat or Headband
This headband can be seen in any Historical Korean drama.
Dangui
Dangui is an outer garment, worn at the upper part by the court women.
Jeogori
It is a jacket-like upper garment worn with a Chima (Skirt)
Norigae
Sometimes, Hanbok gets worn by men or women with an accessory named mortgage. Norigae is a traditional pendant ornamented with a knot and tassel hanging on the waist.
Traditional Korean Clothing Male
Korean Male clothing comes in several types for the upper part. Apart from that, everything is like the female clothing styles.
Korean Men Hanbok
Traditional dress Korean – Hanbok for a man consists of the Jeorgori and some loose trousers. Here, loose trousers are known as Baji. Jokki is another addition for convenience and a different style.
Korean Traditional Clothing Male name
The traditional dress for Korean males is Hanbok. It offers several varieties of clothing including- Baeja, Jokki, and Durumagi. These varieties have been discussed below:
1. Baeja
It is a male (tied) sleeveless vest worn over jeogori. This Baeja can also be adjusted with buttons and ties.
2. Jokki (Buttoned Vests)
Jokki is a sleeveless and buttoned vest. It is worn over the main top of clothing. The vest is a western-style style.
3. Durumagi
It is a lengthy outer jacket. Both men and women can wear this. In Korea, Durumagi is worn in special and formal activities. Durumagi is to keep your body warm.
4. Hanbok for Male Children
Hanbok for children is exactly like the male hanbok. The difference lies only in the patterns, colors, and structures. Young males wear shapes exactly like their adult counterparts. Here, the fabric of the young male is intense and of primary colors. Fabrics are warmer in hue as well. Young child on occasion wears a chogori with a rainbow-striped on the sleeves.
Modern Korean Clothing Male
Korean clothing is not only popular for women only but also famous for male clothing. The main twist comes when the charming Korean actor comes with completely different clothing and later that becomes trendy. Let us look deeper into the modern Korean Clothing of Male version in the following:
1. Skinny Bottoms
Korean males are well-dressed in skinny bottoms seen on TV. If you wonder how they breathe in those skinny bottoms, let us remind you that Korean males are not shy at all. Rather, those skinny bottoms bring color to the outfit.
2. Jackets and Blazers
In every Korean Man’s closet, either you will find leather jackets or colorful blazers. A knee-length winter coat may get woolen and add an extra look. Sometimes, the puffiest jumper keeps them warm and heated which you can try as well!
3. Casual Wear
Casual wear is easy-to-wear clothes that keep you relaxed and calculated. In that case, street shops may cover your fashion needs with greater affordability.
Korean Traditional Clothing Female
For female Koreans, traditional dress Korean means Hanbok. Here, hanbok comes in different colors and represents different symbols. For instances:
1. White means metal
2. Red means fire
3. Black means water.
4. Yellow means Earth and
5. Blue means wood.
White-colored hanbok is for married women. Reds and Yellows are for single ladies. Bright colors are for children. Colors not only represent the earth, and water but also signify one’s, social class. For commoners, whites and greys are reserved versions. Because upper classes wear more vibrant colored clothing.
So, the traditional dress for Korean Women is Hanbok. It consists of Chima and jeogori. Convenience and style differ from the male counterparts in the clothing sense. The nobility class enjoys colorful silk, satin, the hemp clothing. They signal their positions in society.
Korean Clothing Female Name
Apart from this traditional dress Korean, there are some other clothing of Korean females. We have listed the names of traditional dress Korean for females down. Have a look at:
- Baji: A form of Baggy Pants
- Chima: A skirt. It is worn with a Jeogori. Jeorgori is a short jacket.
- Dangui: Upper garment
- Dopo: An overcoat
- Garot: everyday dress dyed with different juice
- Durumagi: A lined overcoat
- Hwarot: Clothing of royal women
- Jeonbok: Sleeveless long vest
- Saekdongot: A colored striped patchwork
Modern Korean Clothing Female
In the Modern day, Korea has come up with distinctive styles inspired by its Western counterparts. Koreans give importance to taking care of their appearance from head to toe. If you get down on the streets, you may see it. From formal clothing to casual wear, the clothing style of Korea is full of vibrant colors. For women, it is better to avoid wearing low-top with clear exposure of the shoulders or stomach. In this case, Hanbok with jeogori is quite popular as modern wear for women. Apart from these, there are a few modern and traditional dress Korean for females given as a list in the following:
1. Minimalist clothing:
Single-color sweaters or any type of slack.
2. Denim Jacket:
Match well with any outfit and crop tops
3. Modern Hanbok:
Commonly wearable at special events
4. Oversized clothing and Street Styles:
Streetwear styles are common in Korea including oversized shirts and baggy pants with bucket hats.
5. Floral Dresses:
looks cute with sneakers and canvas shoes.
6. Ribbed Shirts:
Summer trendy style for daily use.
Traditional Korean Peasant Clothing
Koreans are known as the “People in White.” This term refers to Koreans because the common people of Korea prefer to dress in white color. If we search any images of Korean peasants, we will see that they are all dressed in white. Peasants usually engage themselves in a traditional festivity named a “chariot fight.” Here, chariots get dressed up in military uniforms, historically. These garments are all made of hemp, ramie, and cotton. Peasant men have outfits consisting of jeogori, a shirt, jacket, baji, and pants. Here, the shirt tends to be closed with two pairs of ribbons. Here, the small pair remains inside, and a larger pair remains outside.
The forum remains a garment for both men and women and gets tied up in the same way for both genders. For easy movement, Korean male peasants wear leggings. They are rectangle-shaped with ties at the top and bottom. These types of working attire are for the upper classes. Vests are quite common in Korean attire. Vests tend to have an embroidered panel on the front.
Dopo is another garment for middle-class Korean men. This Dopo is a long coat with sleeves that get slit back. Goreum secures this Dopo and remains white every day. Dopo gets paired up with a hat named Gaht. It is an open weave made of horsehair and has two main parts.
Durumagi: Durumagi is also an overcoat with no slits but is made of heavy silk. Durumagi has narrow sleeves worn by both men and women in recent days. It brings light versions and a bit of warmth.
Differences in Style between Urban & Rural Regions
In urban and rural regions, one thing is common. That is the wearing of the Hanbok. The basic features of the Hanbok remain unchanged today. But in the present day, the hanbok has got patterned and in an urban area, you may not see any man or woman wearing a hanbok every day. In urban regions, People wear hanbok on special occasions.
There are a few accessories that Hanbok comes with:
1. Binyeo:
A traditional hairpin with differently shaped tips based on social status.
2. Daenggi:
It is a traditional Korean ribbon to decorate any braided hair.
3. Norigae:
It is a typical accessory worn by all men. Here, no social ranks matter.
4. Danghye:
These are shoes for married women.
Hanbok has experienced different changes throughout history. Modern hanbok comes with no expression of a person’s social position. Hanbok is now fashionable appearance in the globe for the incorporation of traditional designs and upscale modern clothes.
There is no such difference in style between urban and rural people. But Korean forms of traditional dress contain similarities in the case of storing flat, rectangular-shaped parts, and smooth fabric textures. Male traditional dress in Korea consists of Paji (trousers) and a top.
However, in rural regions, Koreans prefer comfort over any tradition. Hanbok, a traditional dress Korean is not worn every day in both urban and rural regions. They are now tradition-specific and occasion-wise.
Current Trends in Traditional Korean Clothing
Traditional dress in Korea has been overwhelming each year since Seoul has turned into one of the fashion capitals. Behind this success, the popular Korean Media: K-dramas, and K-pop must be mentioned. In the latest Korean Fashion trends, there are a handful of resources to follow. With that being said, we have brought you some styles which are currently popular in the Traditional dress Korean segment. The current trends in Korean clothing are:
1. Modern Hanbok
When we speak of the traditional clothing of Korea, Hanbok comes quickly to mind. Hanbok, being the formal clothing of Korea, gets worn during Korean holidays and major events. Although it has a ritual touch, hanbok comes with a modified version to wear every day by getting any piece rented. This reformed version of the Hanbok has a twist of both western and fashionable influences.
Changes in Colors: Infused with different color variations and dyes.
Changes in styling: Flipped version of Hanbok where there are Western Patterns.
2. “Newtro” Normal Hanbok
As we have said before, Korean media has a great influence on current trends in Korean clothing. The Hanbok, which we traditionally identify as the layers of skirts and underskirts, has come up with a different version in BTS’s new song. BTS members’ outfits may not seem to you like the Hanbok. But they have worn in the music video the traditional Durumagi (overcoat), then daphne (half-sleeved robes), and Baeja (Vests). Among these three, Baeja is woven with visually appealing polish to get attached to their dance moves.
You may read our other traditional dresses article:
- Traditional Clothing of France
- Japanese Traditional Clothing
- Russian Traditional Clothing For Males and Females
- Ethiopian Traditional Dresses You Can Try
- Indian Traditional Ethnic Clothing To Fit For Any Festive Occasion
- Traditional Mexican Dress for Women
- Traditional Mexican Wedding Dresses You Can Try
- Traditional Mexican Blouses You May Try
Hi readers! I’m Imara Azad. I have been a fashion enthusiast for a long time which led me to become a fashion content writer. I’m currently studying at the Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Brac University. I am researching traditional clothing all over the world. One day I will publish the research paper about it.
Korean traditional clothing for both men and women is a beautiful and intricate display of culture and history. The vibrant colors, elegant designs, and unique details make these garments truly special. While Lauren Lorraine may specialize in shoes, incorporating some of these traditional Korean elements into their designs could create a stunning and unique collection of footwear.
“Korean Traditional Clothing: Male and Female” is an excellent article that provides valuable insights into the history and cultural significance of Korean traditional clothing. The author’s attention to detail, historical context, and beautiful visuals make this article an engaging and informative read for anyone interested in fashion, culture, or history.