Where: The Seoul Museum of Art’s branch museum in Kyonghui Palace
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The Hankook Ilbo, sister company of The Korea Times, is to hold an
exhibition showcasing the splendor of the Korean traditional costume
``hanbok,’’ at the Seoul Museum of Art’s branch museum in Kyonghui
Palace, central Seoul.
The screen sets of various popular films including “King and the Clown”
and “Forbidden Quest,” and the television drama “Kung (Palace)” will be
recreated to help present hanbok’s distinctive flowing lines and
silhouettes set in serene or vivid colors.
The exhibition is designed to exhibit the essence of hanbok, which is
gaining broader appeal across the world because of ``hallyu,’’ the
Korean Wave, and too further demonstrate to exquisiteness of the costumes.
Title:``Hallyu, wearing hanbok’’ _ Meeting traditional costume through
popular culture
When: April 1-25 (10 a.m.- 6 p.m., closed on Mondays)
Where: The Seoul Museum of Art’s branch museum in Kyonghui Palace
Organizer: The Hankook Ilbo
Co-organizers: The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Korea Tourism
Organization, The Korea Times, The Seoul Economic Daily, The Sports Hankook
Corporate Sponsors: KITA, Korea Investment & Securities, Shinhan Bank,
GM Daewoo Auto &Technology, Kwangjuyo
Admission: Adults, 8,000 won. Adolescents, 6,000 won. Elementary school
children, 4,000 won.
Reservations: 1588-7890 or www.ticketlink.co.kr
Info: (02) 724-2770-1
Voucher
A discount coupon is available in hard copies of The Korea Times and The
Hankook Ilbo. Please tear off and return the coupon with your payment to
receive a 3,000 won discount (2,000 won for adolescents and elementary
school students). Not applicable for group admissions.
One person per coupon. Photocopies are not valid.
03-28-2006 20:21
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The unified and prosperous China was established in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907). In China's history, the Tang Dynasty was a period when the
polity and economy were highly developed and the culture and art were
thriving.
Women's dress and personal adornments of the Tang Dynasty were
outstanding in China's history. The clothing materials were exquisite,
the structure was natural, graceful and elegant, and adornments were
splendid. Though the forms of garments were still the continuation of
the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) and the Sui Dynasty (581-618), they were
influenced by cultures and arts of the Western Regions. Especially, the
national power of the High Tang was strong. The trades and cultural
exchanges with Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Persia and other countries
gradually became frequent, and they mutually dispatched emissaries and
accepted students of other countries. In this way, a special open and
romantic style of dress and personal adornments was formed.
Because of communication with the Western Regions, the influence of
dressing culture of other minorities on the Tang court also reflected
the change of thoughts and concepts. Chinese women were seriously
restricted by the old Confucian or feudal ethical code all through the
ages. The social status of ancient women was very low: they often served
as Jileren (music performer), Guanji (official performer), Gongji
(palace performer) and Jiaji (family performer), and were regarded as
the playthings and goods that can be sold and bought by rich people.
Some females had rebel spirit in the Tang Dynasty, so they climbed or
jumped over the walls and went to the nature to view the beautiful
scenes and/or go sightseeing in the spring by riding horses with men.
Just as recorded by many historical materials, some girls therefore
dressed as boys in order to go out.
It was a fashion for women to wear Hufu (garments of the Tartars or
those who lived in the Western Regions). After the High Tang, the
influences of Hufu were gradually weakened and women's garments became
broad and loose day by day. As to ordinary women's garments, the width
of sleeve was always more than 1.3 meters.
After the reign of Tang Emperor Gaozong, purple was used as the garment
color for officials above the third grade; light red, officials above
the fifth grade; dark green, officials above the sixth grade; light
green, officials above the seventh grade; dark cyan, officials above the
eighth grade; light cyan, officials above the ninth grade; and yellow,
ordinary people and those who did not live in the palace.
The garments in the Tang Dynasty also greatly affected the garments of
neighboring countries. For instance, Japanese kimono adopted the elites
of the dresses of the Tang Dynasty in terms of colors, and the Hanbok
(traditional Korean clothing) also adopted the advantages of the dresses
of the Tang Dynasty. The dresses of the Tang Dynasty were mainly made of
silk, so dresses were famous for softness and lightness. The dresses of
the Tang Dynasty boldly adopted the features of foreign garments in
terms of forms and adornments; i.e. they mainly referred to the garments
of other countries (such as the Central-Asia countries, India, Iran,
Persia, northern countries and the Western Regions) and used them to
improve the habilatory culture of the Tang Dynasty.
All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is
permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and
a notifying email is sent to us.
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Development of Hanbok
Hanbok is apparel of the Caftan type-a style of attire which is
primarily found in Asia. During the Ko Choson era, Tan-gun popularized
shaving of the head and the wearing of hats.
During the Three Kingdoms period, which began with the founding of
Koguryo, hanbok consisted of a two-piece "unisex" outfit. The upper
garments of this period opened in front and came down below the waist.
They were held shut with a belt. The lower garments were also tied off
above the feet. Notably, the opening flap of the upper garments seems to
have been placed on a leftward diagonal from the upper right-in contrast
with the left to right flaps on the chogori worn today. This change in
the direction of the opening flap occurred after the mid-Koryo period.
Among Western apparel, a right-side flap is used for male attire, while
a left-side flap is used for female attire. Thus, the unisex style
popular in the modern period can be said to have originated in East
Asia, whereas the differentiation between male and female attire is
thought to have originated in the West. Ancient Koreans produced upper
and lower garments which were beautiful yet pracitically suited to the
active lifestyle of nomadic hunters.
During the Shilla period, Korean society diversified while contacts with
neighboring countries increased. At this time, Koreans began to
introduce the international fashions of China's Tang Dynasty. Examples
include sleeveless shirts for women, long scarves, decorative hairpins,
male headdress and coats with roung lapels. Elaborate silk clothing and
ornaments were other elements of the refined clothing fashions of the
period.
During the KoryCo period, the long upper garments of the previous period
gave way to waist-length attire. As a result, waist belts were replaced
by coat tie-strings. As one of the unique features of Korean clothing,
the coat string was initially a short, thin cord but eventually
developed into the style seen today, i.e., a long, dangling piece of
cloth that hangs down below the knees. Around this time, Tang Dynasty's
fashions became less influential. As Korean society turned to the values
of frugality and simplicity, the calm, tranquil beauty of agriculture
life found expression in the period's famous blue celadon and white
clothing. Korean clothing underwent further refinement as cotton was
introduced into Korea from Yuan China. In addition, clothing regulations
were introduced from abroad and a system of official uniforms was
established for the palace.
The beginning of the Choson period saw the development of a Confucian
society. At this time, the use of cotton became wide-spread. In
addition, the period saw the development of a unique script, known as
Han-gul, and the publication of numerous scholarly compilations. At the
same time, there were diverse developments in the system of ritual
attire. Confucianism, as the central ideology and faith of East Asia,
was actively pursued at this time, along with its system of ritual
dress. Ritual clothing represented the visible manifestation of
intangible Confucian virtues such as benevolence, propriety, wisdom and
trust. Since clothing served as a medium for the visible expression of a
rite, it was deemed a very significant form of expression. Hence, Choson
apparel, in addition to its role in delineating social status,
represented a strict conformity to Confucian codes of ritual attire. In
particular, a standardized system of clothing for the various rites of
passages was established in accordance with numerous ritual manuals.
Special attire was worn for the rites of manhood, marriage, mourning and
memorial services. Even today, these clothes can be seen at weddings and
funerals, and in particularly conservative areas, the special clothing
for memorial services is still worn. The traditional dress of Confucian
scholars can be seen in the paintings of the famous Choson folk painter,
Shin Yun-bok. In these paintings, the outer robes are long, yet never
touch the ground. Inside the robes, multiple layers of undergarments can
be seen. With wide sleeves hanging down, the grave-looking scholar
sports a broad-rimmed, horse-hair hat.
The late-Choson period saw great social changes as the common people
came to resent the feudalistic system. The period was also marked by
significant changes in values and aesthetics. At this time, female
entertainers took the lead in the new developments in women's attire.
Men's fashions, on the other hand, were primarily influenced by members
of overseas missions, political reformers, overseas students and
missionaries. Folk art depictions of women during this era show them
wearing white belts, snug chogori that show the contour of the breast,
and numerous undergarments exaggerating the volume of the dress. The
erotic beauty of the garments has little precedent in traditional
Confucian culture.
The opening of Korea to the West intensified the pace of change in
apparel. Most notably, clothing during this period became much simpler.
During the coup d'etat of 1884 and the Kabo Reform (1894), clothing
specifications for various ceremonies were combined to form a single
ritual attire. The awkward, wide sleeves became narrower and male
top-knots were cut off. Among woman's attire, undergarments as well as
concealing vestments such as the ssugaech'ima (shawl), chang-ot (hood)
and noul (veil) gave way to a more practical, short coat.
The disappearance of traditional attire during the process of
modernization has been explained in relationship to economic
development. Nations which have industrialized and developed
economically have given up their traditional clothing, as part of their
everday dress, at a more rapid rate than economically backward nations.
In Korea, the hanbok began to disappear as everyday dress in the 1960s
and came to be used only during rituals. As for traditional ritual
attire, only marriage and mourning clothing have survived. Traditional
hanbok are now only seen on special traditional events such as folk
festivals, shamanic kut, historical dramas or reenactments of palace
rituals.
In short, the hanbok has undergone many changes but has generally
consisted of elements still evident in hanbok today, i.e. pants, outer
coat, skirt, and soon. Among the hanbok's different forms, ritual
clothing has traditionally taken precedence. During its development, the
hanbok acquired some elements from neighboring nations, while changing
to suit the particular needs of the times.
Information provided by the Korean Embassy
Modern Korean Attire
At present, attire can be divided into Western-style dress, which has
become the common form of attire throughout the world, and various forms
of traditional dress. In Korea, as elsewhere, Western-style clothing is
so pervasive that one rarely comes across anyone wearing Korean hanbok
in public. The hanbok presently worn can be classified, according to
use, as everyday attire, ritual attire and special attire.
First, the hanbok worn by women as everyday attire consists chiefly of:
a dress, a petite coat, and undergarments, such as an undershirt (sok
jeogori), under pants (Gojaeng-i), inner skirt (sok chima) and socks
(beoseon). Men's hanbok are made up of jeogori, pants, an overcoat
(durumagi), vest, outer coat (magoja) and socks (beoseon). Western
accessories such as shoes and handbag are also used. In recent times,
Korea's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has launched a campaign
enocouraging poeple to wear hanbok. Facilitated by Koreans' fondness for
their own traditions, the campaign has promoted the creation of new
hanbok styles that are practial for everday use. At present, hanbok, as
everyday attire, is worn chiefly by people over 70-years old and by the
general population during special occasions such as holidays, weddings
and 60th birthday celebrations.
Second, there is a hanbok worn during rites of passage. Examples include
baenae jeogori worn by newborn infants, hwarot (loose robe decorated
with peonies) worn by a groom as the bride presents gifts to her new
parents-in law, wonsam (ritual attire worn by a married woman), jjokduri
(black, silk headpiece worn by women), hairpieces, daenggi (pigtail
ribbons), and soon. During traditional weddings, the man wears a large
robe known as a dallyeong over his other clothing, a gakdae (traditional
belt) and samo (tall cap with round projections of the left and right).
During funerals, the corpse is clothed in special attire. The clothing
design is the same as that of weddings, but natural-colored hemp is used
instead. Women from the deceased person's family wear white skirts and
coats. Third, there is special attire worn during all traditional
rituals and related events.
As seen above, the hanbok design is characterized by a two-piece outfit
without pockets and buttons that is held closed with strings, belts or
cords. In traditional ondol houses, people sit on the warm floor, thus
the legs of the lower garment tend to be baggy. Hanbok colors are based
on natural hues which are interpreted according to East Asian theories
of eum-yang (Chin., yin-yang) and the five elements. The female aspect
is represented by eum, yin and likewise the lower garment is given an
eum, yin color. Yang represents the male aspect as well as upper and
outer garments. White garments, which the Korean people have always been
very fond of, indicate the Koreans' simple and pure aesthetic sense.
Unlike most of the world's peoples, Koreans have managed to preserve the
basic design of their traditional attire up through the modern period.
Their ability to do so can be attributed to their strong sense of
national identity.
The above is merely meant to serve as an introduction. Those who would
like to see actual examples of Korean traditional apparel, can visit the
museums listed below.
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hanbok and kimono but in softer colors. Do Mainlanders have amnesia?
goodg...@yahoo.com
"The Palace", a TV drama about an imaginary Korean royal family that
ended recently, reigistered much higher than expected viewing figures.
This adaptation of a comic book drew attention with its young, albeit
inexperienced, actors locked in a love triangle, but the real buzz of
the drama was the elaborate setting and outfits.
The leading actress Shin Chae-gyeong (played by singer-turned-actress
Yun Eun-hye) was the most eye-catching as she dazzled viewers with an
endless parade of clothes: from a school uniform with a skirt that was
a little too short, and charming, romantic dresses to full-scale
traditional costume for the royal wedding.
The most fascinating was a mix and match of contemporary clothing with
modified versions of "hanbok," or traditional Korean costume. A full
skirt was shortened and worn over a petticoat, and matched with a
spaghetti strap top and a petite jeweled bag, becoming a perfect outfit
for a young lady.
Yun Eun-hye in full-scale traditional Korean costume in "The Palace."
A conventionally short jacket, usually the length of a bolero, was
lengthened, and the sleeves were cut closer to the arms, like a western
three-quarter jacket. Fastened with a sash and worn with an A-line
skirt in matching color (with the sash), it looked trendy while
suggesting hint of "hanbok." The current box-office hit movie
"Forbidden Quest" set in the Joseon Dynasty features equally attractive
wardrobe. Contrary to the common belief that our Korean ancestors
dressed mostly in toned-down, monochromatic garments, men in the movie
sport sophisticated yet bold colors such as teal and purple.
The highlight, of course, falls on the royal concubine Jeong (played by
Kim Min-jeong). She is garbed in a palette of colors from off-white and
peach to scarlet and dark violet.
If you would like to take another close look at these rediscovered
traditional clothes, pay a visit to "Korean Wave: Wearing Hanbok," an
exhibition on the traditional costumes that appeared on screen.
The first hall welcomes visitors with a special zone dedicated to
actress Lee Young-ae who earned international fame with her royal
chef/doctor role in TV drama "Daejanggeum," or "The Jewel in the
Palace." Lee was also much photographed wearing a demure hanbok,
designed by established designer Lee Young-hee, when she walked the red
carpet as one of the jury members of this year's Berlin Film Festival.
The box-office hit movie "Forbidden Quest" features attractive
traditional wardrobe.
Past the small Daejanggeum set are the photographs of Lee and other
models posing in hanbok at various locations including Mt. Geumgang and
Haheo Village, taken by celebrity fashion photographer Cho Se-hyun. A
few steps away are the sets of the movie "King and the Clown," where
mannequins in regal attire (of the king and his concubine) and humble
outfits (of the clowns) strike a contrast. Next are costumes dedicated
to "The Palace," beautifully blending tradition and trend, with such
creations as a red strapless cocktail number with calligraphy print.
>From "Forbidden Quest," costume designer Jeong Kyeong-heui borrowed a
method from installation art, putting a small LCD screen on the
mannequins wearing the costumes from the movie, a la Karl Lagerfeld or
the Teletubbies.
Opposite second hall showcases the works of hanbok designer Kim
Young-seok and needlework master Koo Hye-ja. Kim veered into the career
only seven years ago, but has made names with his designs that are dyed
naturally in modern colors, while staying true to the tradition. Over
30 creations of his are on display including sheer, unlined ramie
jackets in delicious colors such as lemon, pistachio and peach, and a
dark wine velvet jacquard coat with fur trimming. His collection of
pillows with incredibly colorful embroideries is stacked on one side,
making it an ideal spot from where to have your picture taken.
Koo is an intangible cultural property holder and designed the costumes
for the movie "Scandal," featuring Bae Yong-joon. She put on over 20
traditional costumes, those worn by noblemen in Joseon Dynasty,
demonstrating again that delightful colors - from teal, jade and moss
green to powder pink and peach- were appreciated then.
The exhibition runs through April 25 at the Kyeongheui Palace branch of
the Seoul Museum of Art. Admission fees are 8,000 won for adults and
6,000 won for children.
By Hwang You-mee
2006.04.08