Day 26 (9.7)- Fashion Old and New

As I’ve adventured throughout Korea, fashion has been a major looking point for me to focus on, as I believe how people dress in a city shows a lot about the culture, values, and creativity of the culture of the people in it. Since day one, I was excited to take this on the flip side, with a bit of traditional fashion, and try the local traditional dress of Korea, the hanbok.

On one of the last days of the trip, I was finally able to do so, and the experience was amazing….

….aside from the eyesore the “un-hanboked” people in the background create here.

Renting hanbok in Korea is quite popular actually, amongst tourists and locals alike. Many people in Korea have their own which they wear for special occasions like Lunar New Year, weddings, or formal events, but as the modern world has taken over Korea like a tsunami of technology in the last few decades, the hanbok has become much less seen. Still, that doesn’t stop the people of Korea from keeping their traditional dress alive through the youth and eager-to-learn tourists. While some cultures have quite specific rules about the meanings and styles of traditional dress one must wear to be appropriate, Korea is a bit more lax on these rules, the key being that the dress is put on correctly, and that the wearer likes how they feel, no matter their country of origin.

I picked a dark blue special occasion skirt, to be worn during a formal event, since I myself am a little extra at times. The tops are more modest, tending to be white, black, or a light pastel color, the skirt being the main attraction. The outfit is tied onto the wearer, tightened like so to compliment the waistline, and then complimented with a handbag and headpiece to complete the look. Other than looking silly while dressed formally in a public setting full of t-shirt and sandal-clad tourists, I found that the hanbok made me feel quite poised, but also comfortable, exactly how the Korean people seem to be in their daily lives. Unlike other cultures where the traditional dress is tight, hard to move in, and very strict in dress code, hanbok is a mixture of beautiful textiles, comfortable ease of movement, and grace which each step with little effort needed. The dress makes the person…..

….even if my Adidas ruined the graceful facade as they peaked through the skirt with each step.

As I walked around the Insa-dong area, many people stopped to take pictures of me, and it reminded me of running around in costume at Comic con, with each step, someone wanted a picture. The funny thing was, the people who would stop me to take pictures, speak with me, or compliment my dress were almost all Koreans. Yes, many obviously were giggling at the foreigner in the Korean dress, but the elderly especially, would stop me on the street to tell me how beautiful I looked in hanbok. It made me realize that as long as one is respectful and excited to learn about Korean culture, the people are even more excited to share their culture with you. As I’ve slowly realized, Korea is a place that takes its culture seriously, but that doesn’t stop them from having fun with it, which I think a lot of us in the US could learn from.

(shameless selfie)

My favorite part of my day was as I was walking back to the shop I rented the hanbok from, and I noticed a group of girls also in hanbok struggling to take a selfie together. While I was in a rush, I figured I’d take a second to ask if they’d like me to take a picture. The stared at me for a second, confused, and then understood I wanted to help them. I took their photo, and before I left, they asked me if I would take one with them. Keep in mind, on a sunny day, a quarter of the people on the street are wearing hanbok, so it’s pretty common to run into people around this area all decked out. I happily smiled with my new friends, and they asked where I was from. I told them I was from America, and asked where they were from (considering how many tourists rent hanbok during their stays, they could be from anywhere, so foreigners are always as curious about each other as the locals are). Where were they from would you guess? The US as well? China? Japan? Malaysia? Nope.

They were from Korea. Of course, they told me with a bit of a giggle, just enjoying some time in hanbok for their Instagram, I’m sure. That’s when I realized how special the hanbok is. So easily accessible to all, and still kept alive by the youth of its home country…..and super pretty as well, so I can’t argue with feeling like a princess every once in a while.

(p.s. I was in quite a hurry when I took the photo with my new Korean friends, so I had no chance to grab the photo from them, unfortunately….I’ll continue to scour social media tags to see if I come up with anything)

(p.p.s. I also bought my own hanbok to bring back home, much less ostentatious then the one I am pictured in. The great thing about hanbok is how seamlessly it integrates into the modern fashion culture, with a-line skirts and hanbok-styled blouses lining boutique stores offering something fashionable, practical, and uniquely Korean styled for a normal day.)