Hanbok

After a few post about K-pop, B-boys and noodles I was starting to feel this blog needes something more umm... Cultural??, I've been wanting to write about the Korean Traditional dress for quite some time and finally the time has come (hehe), today we will learn a lil bit about the Hanbok

The Hanbok literally means "Korean Clothing" and is the traditional Korean Dress and it's characterized by it's vibrant colors and simple lines, it has its roots as far as the Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.B. - 668 A.D) according to evidence found in wall paintings in tombs dating this period.

The top part is galled JEOGORI, is a blouse-like with long sleeves with the men's version being longer, streching down to the wait. Women wear CHIMA (skirt) while men wear PAJI (baggy pants).

Clothes for the upper classes were made of bright colors and indicated the wearer's social status.

Fabrics!!!

Fabrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         
Due to the diverse weather conditions, clothes have been made from: hemp, ramie, cotton muslin, silk and satin. In Autumn many women wear clothes of gossamer silk because it have a rustling sound while walking that is similar to walking trough dry leaves.

Colors!!!

White represents purity, integrity and chastity (it used to be the mos common color for common clothes). The upper class and court figures wore clothes in red, yellow, blue and black becasue this colors symbolize the 5 traditional elements in Oriental cosmology (fire, earth, water, metal and wood), dyes were made from natural materials such as flowers or bark.

Women's Clothing!!!

Chogori for female have changed over time more than those for males. The earliest versions went all the way to the hips and were tied at the waist, by the late Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910), they only went as far as the arm pits, with a longer front panel to cover the breast.

Dongchong (paper collars) help accent the woman's neck.

Chima is a rectangular skirt with a high, pleated waistband. It is tied abobe the breast with long sashes.  It hides the female shape by flowing over the rest of the body, this srtongly influenced by the Confucian society.

Durumagi is worn over regular clothes for warmth during cold weather. It was originally worn by government officials and royalty as everyday attire.

Foot gear, jewelry, headdresses or hair pins complete the outfit.

This is just a LITTLE BIT about the Hanbok, as you can see I only covered the Women's clothe in this article because there are others I will cover with other Posts like Children's Clothing, Men's
Clothing, Official Clothing and Ceremonial Clothing, but it's too much information to just 1 post lol.


-Gisela V.