Traditional Korean Clothing (Hanbok) : South Korea  

Traditional Korean Clothing (Hanbok) - Travel guide

South Korea

Traditional Korean Clothing (Hanbok)

The hanbok has been the Korean people's unique traditional costume for thousands of years. The beauty and grace of Korean culture can be seen in photographs of women dressed in the hanbok.
Before the arrival of Western-style clothing one hundred years ago, the hanbok was everyday attire. Men wore jeogori (Korean jackets) with baji (trosers) while women wore jeogori with chima (skirt). Today, the hanbok is worn on days of celebration such as wedding, Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) or Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day).

The French call it “color of mystique” and “fantasy.” The Hanbok, which is Korea’s traditional outfit, has one of the richest, most vibrant colors of all Korean traditional things.

The women's hanbok is comprised of a wrap-around skirt and a jacket. It is often called chima-jeogori, 'chima' being the Korean word for skirt and 'jeogori' the word for jacket. The men's hanbok consists of a short jacket and pants, called 'baji', that are roomy and bound at the ankles. Both ensembles may be topped by a long coat of a similar cut called 'durumagi'.

The Hanbok, worn today are patterned after those worn during the Confucian-oriented Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The Yangban, a hereditary aristocratic class based on scholarship and official position rather than on wealth, wore brightly colored hanbok of plain and patterned silk in cold weather and closely woven ramie cloth or other high-grade, light weight materials in warm weather. Commoners, on the other hand, were restricted by law as well as finances to bleach hemp and cotton, and could only wear white, pale pink, light green, gray or charcoal colors.

Price of a Hanbok
The price of a Hanbok varies according to the design and material, type of embroidery, decorations and brand name.
The price for a woman’s Hanbok generally begins at ￦150,000 for both the top and bottom. The price for a man’s Hanbok begins somewhere in the range between ￦150,000~300,000 including the top, bottom, vest, and coat. Depending on the embroidery and material, the prices vary; the more elaborate the embroidery and fine quality of material, the price can increase. Children’s Hanbok is popular for its relatively affordable price.

Tip
Most Hanboks are custom-made for sale. Select your desired colors and material, and measure your size at the Hanbok shop. It takes at least one week to as long as three weeks to make the Hanbok; therefore tourists are recommended to purchase an ready-made Gaeryang Hanbok.