A Brief History: Korean Hanbok

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

Before their fashion was completely westernized, Koreans wore the traditional hanbok on a day-to-day basis. In this article, we’ll discuss the deep history of this beautiful garment as well as the recent revival of the hanbok that transcends the streets of Seoul.




The Foundation of Korean Fashion

The word 한복 hanbok itself actually means “Korean clothing”. It consists of two main pieces. On the upper body, both men and women wear a jacket called the 저고리 jeogori. For the bottom, women wear a long, billowing skirt called the 치마 chima, while men slip into wide, roomy pants called the 바지 baji. The hanbok is known to be very comfortable; its baggy silhouette provides ease of movement, influenced by the nomadic tendencies of Koreans back in the day. The origins of the hanbok can be traced back to the Goguryeo Dynasty, one of the Three Ancient Kingdoms of Korea.

Although the basic design of the hanbok has been barely altered, little changes have been made here and there depending on different cultural impacts. For example, due to the influence of Mongolian fashion during the reign of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, the jeogori for women was cropped shorter above the waist. During the Joseon Dynasty, social class distinctions were evident in hanbok styles. While commoners were strictly limited to using only cotton and the color white for their garments, royals lavished in silks and vibrant hues of the rainbow.


The Modern Hanbok

As you may know, Koreans do not wear the hanbok as everyday clothing anymore. It is usually reserved for formal occasions, such as weddings and New Year’s Day. However, the traditional outfit is recently making a comeback: these days young couples are showing up to Jeonju Hanok Village and Gyeongbokgung Palace to take part in the popular hanbok tours. Modernized designs of the hanbok are also springing up in street-style as you’ll see young women wearing sets that exhibit even brighter colors and include quirky details such as moons and stars on the hems of their jeogori and chima.

A notable modern hanbok label is Sonjjang Hanbok. By integrating contemporary fabrics such as denim and gingham, designer Dew Hwang emphasizes the idea that hanbok can be worn on a casual, comfortable basis. Korean designers are not the only ones finding inspiration in the folk garment. For the 2011 Spring/Summer season Dior unveiled a breathtaking empire-waist gown inspired by the hanbok silhouette at Paris Fashion Week. Moreover, Karl Lagerfeld celebrated the hanbok and its decorative elements for the 2016 Chanel Cruise Collection show hosted in Seoul.

As hanbok for women has been making an eye-catching comeback in Seoul and gaining recognition internationally, we hope to see a comparable revival in men’s hanbok follow suit. Nevertheless, the presence of the hanbok in its many forms today reminds us of the beauty and value of this one special garment.

Visit the source for more on Korean fashion past & present!


SOURCE: MUTZINE
Omona, ever worn a hanbok?

Comments

[diamondroad17.livejournal.com]

I thought a lot of Koreans fid Hanbok uncomfortable and cumbersome. It's so big, hard to do house chores in as portrayed in dramas with new brides. The modern shorter version is probably less cumbersome but have they fix the armpit area, the most uncomfortable area.

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

Not just that but they are pretty expensive. I think what we all think of now was hanbok is a couple hundred dollars at least? My co-teacher wasn't even going to get one for her wedding because of what they cost, but her mother-in-law bought her one.

[soyunatetera.livejournal.com]

I haven't worn one and I think I'll never will but I like the colors of the Hanbok, I thought it had more layers of clothes so I wondered how coud they use it on summer, but going by what is said in this article, they're not many layers so it makes sense.
Let's remember Lee young ae and the most beautiful hanbok photoshoots I've ever seen

[daikokudanji.livejournal.com]

this photos are just........... i'm in love

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

that seems to be a different style of hanbok than what I'm used to seeing and it's GORGEOUS

[cosmicjam.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post OP. I love learning about different cultures clothing and their history. The modern Hanboks are really cool

And to answer your question, no I haven't.

[daikokudanji.livejournal.com]

Loved this post <3 as someone commented before, I also thought there were more layers, surprised to just see two!
And cliked on the site and I can't stop reading all those articles, what an amazing site op!

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

i'm just always wondering if the fabric is comfortable. the most i've seen hanbok is when the kids from superman is back or appa eodiga buy/wear one lol. and i think the fabric looks stiff and hot.

[ultimaaa.livejournal.com]

I love how gorgeous hanbok are and how clean and simple they look at a glance despite being tricky to construct. I made a modern "fashion" hanbok to cosplay this version of SeeU from Vocaloid (http://static.wixstatic.com/media/1182f5_1e89c157e7e54d1db05815ccbe00842b.jpg/v1/fill/w_574,h_813,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/1182f5_1e89c157e7e54d1db05815ccbe00842b.jpg) a few years ago and I did literal WEEKS of research into the proper patterns and fabric to use before I even touched my sewing machine. Worth it in the end though.

[tempestdance.livejournal.com]

I want to see pics!

[ultimaaa.livejournal.com]

Haha, I made it a while ago so it's definitely not my best work but I'm still pretty proud of how it turned out: http://www.acparadise.com/display.php?c=58824

[tempestdance.livejournal.com]

omg that's so cute!! you did great yay
haha i'm a big fan of the illustrator and she has more works like the seeu one if you ever want to check it out https://twitter.com/00obsidian00
she's really well known for her re-interpretation of western fairy tales with korean traditional style and ugh the clothes she draws are just amazing

[ultimaaa.livejournal.com]

Ahhh I had no idea that was the same artist. I love her work so much. +___+

[onemillionlove.livejournal.com]

Yay go Mutzine!!

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

I wore one at one of those touristy places in Insadong. They let you pick out a couple different kinds (basic kind, wedding kind, kisaeng style, etc) and you do a photoshoot. They even photoshop it so I think I looked pretty damn cute lol.
I would consider doing one of those palace tour rental packages just cuz I'm a dork and I enjoy stuff like that.
There's a really cute place in Hongdae that sells modern style ones. I would've loved one but a) where would I wear it and b) a little pricey for my budget at the time.

[joyseul.livejournal.com]

when i turned 1 my grandma gave me a traditional hanbok that i could wear as an adult and it just recently started fitting me properly
it's a beautiful garment and i'm very grateful to have it so it's a pity that i don't have many opportunities to wear it
the fabric is quite stiff and can be very hot/uncomfortable at times but wearing it for special occasions is always nice so i try to enjoy it as much as possible

[hyunbiased.livejournal.com]

I used to do Korean traditional dance and we wore hanbok and it wasn't very comfortable to dance in but I am now a master at quickchanging in and out because I had class right before and after practice and even when we were performing I was usually in other groups performing at the same events

They are very beautiful though and I love wearing it normally, but the issue is a lot of dry cleaners won't accept it because they don't want to ruin it so it's hard to maintain

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

I wore one for a friend's wedding last month