Korean Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Fashion is a way of life in Korea. Both women and men put a lot of effort into making sure they are not only presentable in the appropriate setting, but they also look trendy and highly fashion-conscious. It almost seems as though no matter how fashionable you feel on any given day regardless of much money, time, and thought you put into choosing your outfit, a Korean will upstage you. Add that on top of how they are insanely gorgeous as a people.

Korean Fashion Do’s and Don’ts
[ image: http://www.thehandsome.com/ko/ ]

While South Korea is a very modern country, their culture is a bit conservative as compared to Western culture. If you intend to travel to Korea, you might be struggling with what you think you should wear during the time you spend in the region.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should observe so that you can leave a fashionable impression among Koreans.

1. Do Not Wear Casual Clothing For A Formal Setting

If you are going to South Korea to do some sightseeing then by all means feel free to tour around with your crocs. However, if you are going there strictly for business, then it’s advisable that you observe a bit of formal wear in your dressing.

While a pair of sneakers, jeans, and a funny labeled tee is more than ideal in Silicon Valley, in South Korea things are pretty different. Similarly, women have to wear a blouse, pencil skirts, and closed shoes.

2. Do Not Expose Your Cleavage or Shoulders

As much as this is slowly changing, and Korean clothing brands are stocking more tank tops, older Koreans are still indifferent to exposed chest area. Showing cleavage or bare shoulders can cause you a lot of unnecessary attention especially in less urban areas, unlike Seoul or Busan.

3. Add Layers and Textures To Your Outfit

As explained above, exposing too much upper body skin is considered inappropriate and thus you should make layers work if you want to look fashionable. If you observe Korean fashion closely (eg. at UnnieLooks), you will find that they adore layers, patterns, and textures. If you’re wearing a shirt with your jeans, you can add a faux fur jacket or a blazer that matches the color of your jeans or shoes.

4. Feel Free to Expose Your Legs

It might be considered strange to cover up the upper body area but you can more than compensate for the skin covered by exposing your legs. Mini skirts and shorts are popular fashion items in Korea as the culture deems it fit to reveal a lot of the leg area.

Final Thoughts

Korean fashion is great and there are a lot of international as well as Korean clothing brands operating stores within the country. However, keep in mind that a lot of non-Korean women find it very hard to find items they can wear such as shoes because South Korean women usually wear shoe sizes 8 or 9 US standard. The same goes for bras as Korean women are generally limited between A or B cup sizes.

However, clothes are much cheaper in Korean and you are guaranteed to find exactly what you are looking for.