An idiot’s guide to Korean fashion - p.1
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009Part One of Two.
You know, you really shouldn’t be listening to me on this issue. I was already pretty faux metro in the States… but for what it’s worth here’s a simple observation and commentary of what can be commonly seen in Korea. By no means is this as detailed as it should be but for a non-fashion industry guy’s observation, I feel it’s worth mentioning. Nothing found on the runway, but certainly on the streets by young people. I present to you what’s happening in the world of male fashion according to a man with no appreciable fashion sense.
- Pink -
Look. I’m not here to make the whole “Korean guys wear pink” argument. Pink is found in all countries and is worn by men and women alike. Of course also in Korea the color pink is used to differentiate between baby boys and baby girls. It is clearly a girl color; however it isn’t exclusive to girls in Korea like it is in America. The remarkable thing is that Korean guys wear all shades of pink. Light pink, dark pink, medium pink, purpley pink, pink with white, frilly pink, etc. It’s insane how many shades of pink a Korean man can wear. You know the whole “tough guys wear pink” slogan? Korea is jam-packed with tough guys.
- Shiny -
No, not everyone’s least favorite Korean boy band SHINee, we’re talking about glittery suits, light-reflecting ties and sugar-coated dress shirts. Basically like a cupcake. Everything a man wants to look like, right? A dressed up call girl. Shiny is the new black apparently. 반짝반짝 indeed, kind sir. There’s nothing like a six hundred dollar suit that sparkles.
- Pointy Shoes -
Remember when cockroach killers were fashionable? Korea never forgot. Pointy shoes aren’t worn by everyone, but the guys that do wear them really have a point - those are some seriously sharp shoes. Not sharp in the nice looking way; sharp in the way that they could harm a man in an argument over who makes the more metro-looking pointy shoe.
- Scarves -
Is it cold outside? No. But we’re wearing scarves, aren’t we? Fashion scarves are a great accessory that would get a man pummeled in Texas. Although I’m guilty of owning more scarves than God, I would hesitate to wear them back in the states. Don’t want to give the wrong idea. But regardless, Korean scarves are more than just the neck-warming utilitarian objects of fabric that they should be. Instead, they are freakishly mutated shoulder covering whose design is right out of a Japanese comic book. Why do I need my shoulder covered by a yellow and black plaid piece of paper-thin cotton? I don’t. But I love how it brings out my eyes.
- Man Bag -
I, too, am guilty of man-purse ownership. Yes, the always fashionable guy-satchel is with me at all times. I try to hide the fact that it’s a man-purse by telling my friends that it’s a laptop bag that I use for work. Granted, it is a laptop bag but I never put my laptop in it. I use it daily to carry my digital camera, cell phone, reading material, pencils and the ever-important travel toothbrush. What? I like to brush my teeth…
- Couple Shirts -
Fair enough. It takes two to tango. Yes, a couple shirt is wore by both a man and a woman of said couple but it’s the guy that looks like a complete moron, not the woman. Think about it. The couple shirt is never a handsomely fitted polo shirt or a well-tailored Armani suit. Instead, it’s a pastel yellow shirt with Snoopy’s face plastered on it. When you see two young people walking hand in hand with matching shirts, you can’t help but wonder if that guy is also the same guy who drinks 소주 like a whale and who is trained to accurately shoot any North Korean soldiers that might invade South Korea. Is that him? The defender of the country? Wearing a shiny pink couple shirt?
- Zipper Ties -
How cool are these? I love these awesome alternative to the real thing. Zipper ties are cheap and oh-so-fun to wear. Instead of the traditional single piece of cloth, these ties come with a prefit knot and a crotch-like zipper that goes up and down according to your neck size. You’ll look like a big boy in no time. Thank you Korea for allowing an idiot like myself who can’t tie a tie properly to comfortably wear one for work. They are cheap and are sold by just about anyone in the subway. Buy often and buy many I always say.
- - - - - - - - -
Well that’s all about I have to make fun of say about young male fashion in Korea. Clearly there are other great things to gawk and shake your head at in disgust such as bare chest-revealing shirts, acid-wash skinny jeans and tough-guy Engrish shirts that say things like “Power love for money beast we are” and the like.
Despite the 배용준 reference, Korean men aren’t all flowery petals of femininity. Personality-wise, Korean men are truly known as a man’s man in the John Wayne sense both with advantages and disadvantages. But that’s another post for another time.
Stay tuned for next week’s look at female fashion. A sneak peak you say? Let’s just say the forecast is dark with a 90% chance of heels.
Thoughts?
Posted by Matthew in How Koreans Do It |
December 9th, 2009 at 6:35 am
checkered shirts and black-rimmed glasses anyone?
December 10th, 2009 at 1:50 am
I think fashion is what people really can argue about, but anyway I wish only share my opinion. I think western guys dress more then simply, there is nothing nice about it.
I find Asian fashion great. Japanese and Korean people are more free minded about colors and shapes of clothes, and yes, SHINY IS GREAT, as well as pink color and fancy scarves, or man’s bags and stuffs…. Anyway, just look around in the nature… Males are always more “designed” than females, so, why shouldn’t humans?
Isn’t it, that men should look as being liked by girls? And yes, girls, we love all these stuffs^^…
After all western clothes don’t show men really masculine, but instead just simple.
So.. Love love love Korean fashion! (japanese as well^^)
December 11th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I loved it! I absolutely adored this article. Thank thank thank you for sharing!
December 12th, 2009 at 7:23 am
“반짝반짝 indeed, kind sir.” HAHAH Ahh I love your blog posts.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:28 am
@ bibimbap - goes without saying. of course. how could I forget the checkered shirts? ㅎㅎ
@ Syn, Courtny - thanks for the kind words!
December 12th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
As a Texan, I disagree with the comment that wearing a fashion scar would get you beat up. Were used to fashion scarves, the man bag however… You might as well be wearing a bulls eye. Hope youve got a first aid kit in you bag…
December 13th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I can’t wait for part two!! Don’t forget about fake Ugg boots and leggings (or better yet, “jeggings”- faux jean leggings) for next week. ^^
December 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
@ yang - As a fellow Texan, I must ask you a question 1) are you a man or a woman? because a female fashion scarf can be quite classy but in this good ol’ boy’s opinion, the same cannot be said for a man in Texas. I wear mine in shame in Korea but rest assured, they will be burned when I return to the Lone Star state. Oh, and the man bag comment? Nicely said. Agreed!
@ 선미 - Uggs are just nasty everywhere.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
It could depend on where in Texas the scarf wearing occurred. I could imagine a difference in fashion norms in, say, Lubbock and Austin, for example.
December 15th, 2009 at 5:41 am
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December 16th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I find the tricky thing is to remember what can reasonably be worn back home. I’ve bought a lot of clothes in Korea that I think look good on me whatever one’s cultural frame of reference. But, I have a feeling that when I go back home and show off my precious new clothes, I’ll get laughed at.
I think couple shirts and 반짝반짝 suits are two of those things that I will never understand. To put that statement into perspective, I think over time, I’ve come more to understand Konglish t-shirts. After all, “Heaven might help us, if we decide jeans.”
December 24th, 2009 at 2:24 am
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/world/asia/23seoul.html?pagewanted=2&em
I would also add that the best way to be fashionable in Korea is to be tall. All young Koreans should take note that being short is now really bad, and they should, of course, blame their parents for this. If they really want to be in style, they need to go out to the swing set (a la Bobby Brady) and stretch out so they don’t have to be seen in public being short.
My apologies for the sarcasm, but the above article in the NY times is very depressing. This is shameful for Korea, but I am not at all suprised.
January 1st, 2010 at 4:58 am
Aww, come on, you know you love the pink. Actually, I’ve seen some rather manly men wear pink suits and it didn’t make me cringe. That’s a big deal. And I hate guys in pink…
January 2nd, 2010 at 10:40 pm
I’m American. I love the faux jean leggings… as do alot of my American friends. You just need to have the “bootay” for it! (Asians don’t!) oh my… are we terrible? This was kind of about Korean males - this article? I’ll go look for part two…
January 19th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
*drool* Korean men are so sexy! This summer an obvious fresh(and I truly mean FRESH)off the boat boy was at a local concert -full of white kids! And his style stood out so much that people were taking pictures of him! Not in the- OMG look at that freak! kind of way, but they authentically thought he looked cool and stylish.
The scarves do bother me a bit though!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
well i love Korean fashion ^^
Here in Sweden people are quite fashionable and well u see legging (god they save me XD), guys wearing pink, girls packing layers of stuff…so i don’t know what would make here in American standards
I love high heels i have bunch of them and i can’t wear them cuz it’s just not usual to wear them in the daylight..seriously !!
February 6th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Thanks for making me laugh! ^^