Traditional Design: The Beauty of Hanbok

When the historical Korean TV drama Dae Jang Geum was gaining popularity beyond Korea, many of my friends told me about how beautiful the clothes in the show were and how much they would like to try wearing them. The traditional Korean clothing worn by characters in the drama is called hanbok, and it remains much beloved by Koreans today.

Photo Credit: KOREA.NET

While no longer commonly seen on the streets, many people still choose to wear Hanbok on national holidays or for special events like traditional weddings. Even during modern weddings, the bride and groom don hanbok during a special, private part of the ceremony called pae baek, when the newlywed couple receives blessings from their families.

Photo Credit: KOREA.NET

Now some fashion designers are putting a modern twist on Korea’s traditional dress. Take a look at this board on Pinterest for an idea of how that looks.

If you have plans to visit Korea, do check out the Korea Tourism Organization’s Tourist Information Center as they provide information on places and events where you can experience wearing a hanbok.

You can try on different types of hanbok ranging from extravagant wedding hanboks and court hanboks to simpler ones. You can, of course, also take pictures to make the memory last forever.