Korean Street Style

[Bargain Queen]

I think it's about time for Korea to break away from the Asian Street Style post and have it's own thread. I'm in Korea and will be here for the next year. All I can say is a lot has changed, fashion-wise, since the last time I was here which was about 12 years ago. At one point, Korea was kind of laughed at for their horrid yet charming 'engrish' clothing but these days, the country is starting to make NYC look like a neutral city (really. In my honest opinion, I think Korean people dress better than New Yorkers hands freakking down). The following pictures are from feetmanseoul.com which is probably the biggest and best site for Korean fashion on the net. These are all pictures taken in Seoul and NOT by me. All credit is to the above mentioned website.

Since I am in Daegu, I plan on taking pictures of the street style here which is pretty phenomenal. I especially love the men's style. I will snap them and post them up as soon as I'm not busy from work

I'm in Korea right now (Daegu) and these hats are extrememly popular:

I think this is the epitome of cool and casual:

All credit goes to: feetmanseoul.com

 

[Bargain Queen]

One thing I applaud Koreans for is their generous use of color. I love it I love it!

The shoes and the attitude these students wear definitely make their boring school uniforms edgy.

I absolutely love this girl's outfit. The colors are so simple but the structure of her shirt and skirt make it avant-garde. And the guy's man bag is to die for. BTW, almost all the guys here wear man bags and it looks so damn hot. If only the straight men in NY were that confident with their sexuality.
I

All credit goes to: feetmanseoul.com

 

[Bargain Queen]

All credit goes to feetmanseoul.com

 

[vikingqueen]

I live in Seoul, and I can definitely attest to the fact that Korean women generally look really really good (actually, the men are turned out too)

... they put a lot of time and effort into their overall look, that's for sure, and it usually pays off ... and the shopping here is insane!

 

[gr77]

I love almost all the oufits.Can't wait to see your pics

 

[Bargain Queen]

Street style from Seoul Fashion week. I love it. I love the color.

All images are property of feetmanseoul.com

 

[papa_levante]

I love all Asians! Subscription!

 

[Crakk]

I dont know where in New York you have visited, but judging by these photos, Koreans do NOT dress better than New Yorkers. They have a long way to go.

 

[papa_levante]

Well, they don't dress better but I think Koreans certainly care about their appearance than lots of other people I know.

I would know. My mother's a Korean, and she has never worn a pair of flat shoes in her life. She was, at one time, a dental assistant who had to do walking so she wore sneakers then. But now, she works in an office and always always always wears heels no matter how much they tear up her feet

 

[Bargain Queen]

I dont know where in New York you have visited, but judging by these photos, Koreans do NOT dress better than New Yorkers. They have a long way to go.

It's just an opinion. I don't visit NYC because I've lived there for all 22 years of my life. But the poster below you is right about one thing; Koreans know how to take care of themselves and overall, more people there make an effort to dress better than New Yorkers.

 

[DamonD]

It's just an opinion. I don't visit NYC because I've lived there for all 22 years of my life. But the poster below you is right about one thing; Koreans know how to take care of themselves and overall, more people there make an effort to dress better than New Yorkers.

I'm sorry but I had to laugh at what you saying. let's get the fact straight - Koreans all fantasize and dream about being New Yorker. lol. (tell me if I'm lying) and they are pretty much all copycatting Japanese style. please admit.

yeah they sure care about their appearance more than anybody (#1 plastic surgery country in the world), not just new yorkers, but bottom line, they don't look better than new yorkers IMO. if you talking about "effort" yeah, they are obsessed! to the point where they look so insecure. and as a result, they all look the same.

and those photos are, I guess, the best of best Korean fashion, maybe? Koreans you see on street are still into clothing that has huge designer brand logo on chest/back. you know what I'm talking about.

you like Korean fashion? cool. I don't think anyone has problem w/ that. but please don't try to talk smack or bring down other city style (New York, Tokyo, Paris wherever). cause you're just making fool out of yourself.

p.s) in case you wondering, I lived in Seoul for 10 years/San Francisco for 10 years/New York for 5 years.

 

[Bargain Queen]

p.s) in case you wondering, I lived in Seoul for 10 years/San Francisco for 10 years/New York for 5 years.

Korean fashion's come a long way since those 10 years you've been in Seoul. It's come a long way since 2004 which was the last time I was here. It's something called 'change'.

 

[Marvystone]

Seoul, S.Korea
sun, September 16, 2007
Ahn jung hyun (28), nurse

place: Sunday flea market (1th & 3rd sunday of every month) at DAILY PROJECTS, 1-24, Chungdam-dong, Kangnam-gu

shirt _ vintage
leggings _ Paul & Alice
shoes _

homepage: http://www.cyworld.com/dqbg302

Seoul, S.Korea
sun, September 16, 2007
Hwang Tae hyun (22), A.P.C. staff

place: Sunday flea market (1th & 3rd sunday of every month) at DAILY PROJECTS, 1-24, Chungdam-dong, Kangnam-gu

sweatshirt _ American Apparel
shirt _ Neil Barrett
pants _ A.P.C.
shoes _ Maison Martin Margiela 22
bag _ Freitag

homepage: http://www.cyworld.com/ibelievemyself

Seoul, S.Korea
sun, September 16, 2007
Chang Suk jong (?), cracker your wardrobe's editor in chief / Kim Hyun sun (22), student

place: Sunday flea market (1th & 3rd sunday of every month) at DAILY PROJECTS, 1-24, Chungdam-dong, Kangnam-gu

Chang Suk jong is cracker your wardrobe's editor in chief. cracker your wardrobe a.k.a. the cracker is newest world wide street snap magazine include S.Korea, Argentina, Israel, Germany, Spain, Poland, and New Zealand. 2nd issue out now and 3rd issue is coming soon.

jacket _ bought at Dongdaemun market /
top _ / no brand
pants _ Levi's (blue label) /
shoes _ Dr. Martens / ssamzie
bag _ eco party meary / eco party meary

homepage: http://www.thecracker.co.kr /

Seoul, S.Korea
sun, September 09, 2007
Kim Se hee (20), student /Lee Na Yeong (21), student

place: Dos a Dos Party 5th, at myoungwallgwan, Hongik Univ. street, Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu

t-shirt _ Jeremy Scott / Henrik Vibskov
pants _ Cheap Monday / no brand
shoes _ Dr. Martens / Cr8tive Recreationbag _ / Henrik Vibskov
ring _ Vivienne Westwood /

homepage: http://www.cyworld.com/materialboy / http://www.cyworld.com/ny_01

(yourboyhood)

 

[octopi]

I'm sorry but I had to laugh at what you saying. let's get the fact straight - Koreans all fantasize and dream about being New Yorker. lol. (tell me if I'm lying) and they are pretty much all copycatting Japanese style. please admit.

yeah they sure care about their appearance more than anybody (#1 plastic surgery country in the world), not just new yorkers, but bottom line, they don't look better than new yorkers IMO. if you talking about "effort" yeah, they are obsessed! to the point where they look so insecure. and as a result, they all look the same.

and those photos are, I guess, the best of best Korean fashion, maybe? Koreans you see on street are still into clothing that has huge designer brand logo on chest/back. you know what I'm talking about.

you like Korean fashion? cool. I don't think anyone has problem w/ that. but please don't try to talk smack or bring down other city style (New York, Tokyo, Paris wherever). cause you're just making fool out of yourself.

p.s) in case you wondering, I lived in Seoul for 10 years/San Francisco for 10 years/New York for 5 years.

i agree with damonD. though some of the posted outfits above look good, i don't see anything original or truly amazing. perhaps seoul has come a long way in the last 10 years but if you're comparing them to places like new york and tokyo then they still have a LONG ways to go, as another poster has mentioned. even if you take a look at korean editions of big magazines (VOGUE for example) their editorials honestly lack the same beauty, originality and artful approach that its american and european cousins embody. i think that while koreans might put a lot of effort into the way they look, they have not and are not yet doing anything original, they're just copying last year's trends from tokyo or putting on a girly dress with a designer handbag and heels.

and LOL at damonD's comment about all the plastic surgery in korea, so true! all their celebrities look the same

 

[Rebel Yell]

are you being serious... because ever since I came to Korea it's undeniable that most women have this crazy trend-driven style going on with them and some crazy mix-and-matching that they seem to think works...but actually overall I think most of the looks are very redundant, its just the same kind of style done over and over in a different way and if you live here long enough you can totally pick out the 'korean' style and a style that is not so korean. It becomes almost obvious. I think it's kind of dull how so many girls/women conform to trend,trend,trend, wear similar clothes, copy celebs...

 

[valerique]

... if you live here long enough you can totally pick out the 'korean' style and a style that is not so korean. It becomes almost obvious...

Isn't this a good thing? If I visit another country, I'd prefer to see something different and not what I see back home every day.
So trends or not, matching or mismatching, if it is characterisic, I say good for them. To some it may look ugly, to others - not.
Go Koreans!

 

[octopi]

^ to appreciate style differences in different countries is one thing but to say that "koreans dress better than new yorkers" is another. and also there is a difference between appreciating the different styles purely because they're different, and appreciating the different styles because it's fashionable/new/fresh/stylish/original etc. i personally don't think that the 'korean style' deserves any applause right now.

you know how when you come across an outfit, whether it be in a magazine or on a person or in a store, that just looks SO great in its use of colour/coordination/proportion etc or combination of all elements, that you just can't tear your eyes away from it and you can just sit there and stare at it for like 5 minutes straight? ....i didn't see ONE outfit posted above that gave me that feeling.

 

[DamonD]

Korean fashion's come a long way since those 10 years you've been in Seoul. It's come a long way since 2004 which was the last time I was here. It's something called 'change'.

so you agree w/ my post above P.S, right? (since you just cut out all of 'em) and I visit there in a regular basis. I'm current. yeah, Korean fashion evolved, so did the REST of freakin' THE WORLD. so at the end, they are still in the same place. sorry but it's something called 'reality'.

 

[DamonD]

Isn't this a good thing? If I visit another country, I'd prefer to see something different and not what I see back home every day.
So trends or not, matching or mismatching, if it is characterisic, I say good for them. To some it may look ugly, to others - not.
Go Koreans!

you are completely misunderstanding here. it's not like 'oh I think they are koreans'. no no no.

it's that 'well, there goes another Korean in a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt", 'there goes another Korean wearing designer brand, usually Gucci and Prada, from head to toe, top to bottom, inside and out'.

when RebelYell was talking about Koreans following trend, she didn't mean by dressing in similar "style". but she was talking about CLONING - same jacket, same brand, same hair, same shoes, same eyeglasses, same everything. you have to be in it to see it really.

next time you see an Asian person in anything Ralph Lauren Polo (jacket, dress shirt, t-shirt doesn't matter), go ask where's he/she from. 9 out of 10, it's Korean. (am I lying?) this is what she meant by "easy to pick out". so predictable it's not even funny. it's sickening actually. sad but true.

 

[so_jealous]

^I never even thought about the RL polo shirt being distinctly Korean...

All of those pictures are actually above what I saw when I was in Korea two summers ago. Everyone just looks like clones of Japanese inspired outfits but way more toned down than Hong Kong. It was really surreal too because althought being asian I couldn't tell anyone apart. They all dressed so similiar to one and other.

check out www.yourboyhood.com definitely something you don't see a lot of.