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The hanbok --- “Korean dress” --- is just what the name suggests: Korean traditional dress. One of the most enduring images of traditional Korea are the smooth, gently rounded lines of the hanbok, which both obscures and allures. On the holidays, the nation’s train stations and bus terminals are awash in the bright colors of the hanbok as Koreans don the traditional garb to celebrate.

Of course, the popularity of the hanbok as everyday dress has decreased with the adoption of Western-style dress with Korea’s modernization. It hasn’t disappeared, however --- the so-called modernized hanbok adopts traditional clothing to the modern lifestyle, while fusion fashion blends East and West to create a new fashion language. As is the case with many aspects of Korean traditional culture, Korea’s greater confidence in accordance with its growing economic, political and cultural clout has led to renewed interest in the hanbok as a symbol of the nation.

Women

Jeogori: The jeogori is a jacket worn by both men and women, but the one for women is quite short, usually coming down between the breasts and waist. The sleeves are curved, and the garment is tied at the breast with a tying ribbon.

Chima: The chima is a full, wrap-around skirt, usually worn with a petticoat. The chima runs from the trunk of the body to the feet, elegantly flaring out as it moves down. It is typically pleated.

Men

Baji: Baji are men’s pants, usually worn baggy.

Jeogori: Like the women’s version, this is a jacket, but in the case of men, it is longer, usually coming down to the waist.

Po: Men sometimes wore a po, or overcoat, over the jeogori. One common type, usually seen in winter, is the durumagi, a long overcoat tied at the breast.

Magoja: The magoja is a Manchurian-style jacket, adopted following the return from exile in Manchuria of Heungseon Daewongun, an important 19th century Korean politician. Originally only for men, it is now worn sometimes by women, too.

Both men’s and women’s hanbok are typically made from silk, although in summer months, lighter, breathier ramie is preferred.​

Times change and, with them, so has the hanbok. Due to its expensive materials and elaborate designs, the traditional hanbok is regarded as impractical for daily use by many Koreans. To make it more practical, some designers have taken to switching the material from silk to cotton. Buttons and zippers were added, and the silhouette was cut down considerably. The result is the “developed hanbok.” Easy and comfortable to wear and relatively easy to wash, the gyeryang hanbok is more conducive to the activities of modern life. It is particularly popular with Korean traditional artists, who wear it as a symbol of pride in Korean culture.

Recent years have witnessed the birth of so-called “fusion hanbok,” which blend the fashion languages of East and West. One Seoul-based designer, for instance, has taken Western fabrics --- including curtain cloth! --- and fashioned them into lovely-yet-exotic hanbok. Another design has kept the hanbok but shortened the skirt above the knee and ditched the sleeves to create a lighter, “sexier” hanbok. Korean designers are getting increasingly bold and, as a result, the definition of what passes for a hanbok is growing wider and wider.