Hanbok Series Part 2.2: Court Style

The ceremonial clothing of the Yangban and the Royal family were heavily influenced by foreign culture. As we already know, the Dangui was worn as everyday clothing by the royal family, so in this section, we'll cover ceremonial and ritual clothing worn in the palace. 

Symbolism

In much of Korea's history, the color gold was reserved for royalty alone. The rank and position of a person in the court was distinguished by the symbolism on the wearer's clothing. A dragon represented an empress and a phoenix represented a queen. Princesses and royal concubines wore floral patterns, and high ranking court officials wore clouds and cranes.

Hwarot

 Princesses wore this ritual attire during the Goryo and Joseon Dynasties. The noble classes also wore it as a bridal topcoat during weddings. Images of the 10 noble plants and animals representing longevity, luck, and wealth in Korean culture were embroidered with red thread. Hwarot is also worn today during traditional wedding ceremonies, called Paebaek.

Wonsam
 Wonsam was a ceremonial topcoat worn by royalty, high-ranking court ladies, and noble women. The color and decorations around the chest, shoulders, and back represent the rank of the wearer. The nok wonsam was also used by commoners in marriage ceremonies.There are three notable variations of the Wonsam:

 ~Hwang Wonsam was worn by the Empress 

"Hwang" means "Gold"

~Nok Wonsam was worn by the princesses and was also worn for commoners' weddings

As you have probably already guessed, "Nok" means "Green"

~Hong Wonsam was worn by the Queen

"Hong" means "Red"

Cheokui

Cheokui was the queen or empresses' special ceremonial outfit. It originated from the Goryo Dynasty and the design is based on a present from China's Empress Hoyja (Ming Dynasty). The King's outfit was called Myonbok and was worn during religious and formal ceremonial occasions. Both were complete with headdresses.

Hanbok Series Part 2: Colors & Styles

Throughout Korea's traditional culture, the underlying themes seem to have much to do with nature. This is largely due to the influence of Confucianism in Korea's history. Although Confucianism was introduced from China long before Buddhism, it wasn't until the introduction of a Neo-Confucian ideology that it began to be heavily implemented in public society. From about the 14th century onwards, or the beginnings of the Joseon Dynasty, Confucianism was the main system of belief among the Yangban 양반 (government officials and their immediate family; aristocracy) class, and this system carried over into everyday dress. 

In Joseon society, rigid class divides separated the Yangban from the commoners. Under Neo-Confucian ideology, each person had to be content with the class he or she was born into, and by law, these class distinctions were decidedly marked in clothing, particularly by the color and fabric options available. 

Colors and Fabrics

Sources: top- http://www.thekoreanbaby.com/sections/category/hanbok/

botto- http://12decemberprincess.blogspot.com/2011/08/hanbokapakah-ini.html

For the Yangban, fine fabrics such as silks were used in cool/cold weather, and closely woven ramie cloth, hemp, or similar cloth was used in warm weather. Generally, rich but subdued colors were worn by men and women, with bright colors often worn by children and unmarried young people. For women, the color of the Chima symbolized social status. For instance, a navy or purple skirt would indicate that a woman had given birth to a son.

Saekdong (색동), or a rainbow-patterned fabric was often worn on the sleeves of children aged 1-7, and this is still a very popular selection today. The  pattern symbolizes a calling to each of the five directions for their blessings, and wishing good health and long life.

Commoners were quite restricted in their clothing choices, with white cotton being the required everyday wear. For this reason, Koreans were long referred to as the "People in White." For special occasions, light shades of pink, green, gray, and charcoal were allowed. 

For government positions, such as the military or lower-ranking officials, there were various different uniforms, and rank was distinguished by subtle differences in these uniforms. 

Hanbok for palace maids were chiefly in bright colors, such as yellow jeogori and red chima. As a side note, inside the royal palace, one's rank could also be distinguished by subtle differences in dress and decoration, and some of the above regulations were enforced, but with a bunch of little nuances. However, this is a section that deserves its own post. (see part 2.2!)

So you see, one could tell a person's rank, social status, and even his or her personality by the wearer's Hanbok. Talk about high pressure choices!

While certain color combinations are still considered traditional for certain points in one's life, one's artistic side can be set loose. Still, it would be useful to keep in mind that generally, bright colors are often worn by young people, with subdued colors being worn by older folks. Also, according to Oriental philosophy, men belong to the east, which is represented by the color blue. According to the same philosophy, women belong to the south, whose color is red. This was reflected in dress, and is specifically carried over into wedding traditions today. The mother of the groom will wear a blue Hanbok while the mother of the bride wears a red-colored Hanbok. 

Source: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/costume/StudentProj/hanbok/04.html

~The Yellow and Red combination is for young, unmarried women

~The Green and Red Hanbok is worn by brides to indicate marriage

~Dark blue skirt & Lilac top are for women in their 30s 

~Dark gray skirt & Red top are for women in their 40s

~Tan skirt & Orange top are for women who are older than 50 years of age

Styles
Interestingly, the Hanbok's style is said to have a duel existence. Hanboks worn by the Yangban were heavily influenced by foreign fashions, and an indigenous style of Hanbok was worn by the commoners.

In this selection, the Neo-Confucian values held heavy influence yet again. The foremost social values were honor in men and chastity in women, and these were incorporated into the Hanbok. In addition, the makeup of Korean culture is vividly expressed in the beauty and complex simplicity of the Hanbok. Hanbok is emotional in design, and the elegance of the style is created by an abundance of material, which draws a seamless mix of curved and straight lines, as mentioned in the first installment. 
The quality of a hanbok is judged by three things:

~Baerae, or the curve of the sleeves (which is said to mimic the eves on traditional Korean houses, Hanok)

~How the Otgoreum, or the bow unique to the Hanbok, lays against the Chima

~The way the Git, a white, replaceable band of fabric above the DongJeong (동전), or collar, is ended

Dangui 당의

   Dangui was the daily garment for court ladies, and for commoners, Dangui was worn for ceremonial occasions such as weddings during the Joseon Dynasty.

       The main characteristic of the Dangui is emphasis on the beauty of Hanbok’s curving lines.  The form is similar to that of Jeogori, however, the length of both the front and back is up to triple to that of a Jeogori, and sleeves are narrow with a curved hem. This style is elaborate, yet quietly exudes a dignified air.

The Hanbok in the photo above is reminiscent of what a member of the royal family would wear daily. Setting it apart from what others were allowed to wear are the gold Geumbak (flower) patterns around the bottom of the Chima and on the sleeves of the Dangui, and the decorations on the center and shoulders.

 It is difficult to find a picture of a plain Dangui, but this is similar to what commoners were allowed to wear for special occasions. Also some of the head court ladies were allowed to wear this style. 

There are two types of Dangui: a double layered Gyeop-Dangui (겹당의), and a single layered one Hot-Dangui (홑당의). The former was usually worn during winter while the single layered Dangui  was worn for summer. Women switched from single to double-layered Dangui the day after the Queen changed hers.

Fusion
Today, many young people are opting for a more modern style of Hanbok, called Fusion Hanboks. Fusion Hanboks are often made of light, airy material and they have several twists that would be out of place on traditional Hanboks, such as ruffles, layering fabrics, or combining several types of fabrics. Often, Jeogori are not worn with these styles, and if they are, the Jeogori can be made with sheer, light fabrics. 

My favorite Fusion Hanbok designer is Hanbok Lynn.  Here are several photos from a shoot last year. I love the scenery in the photos. The delicate backgrounds and lighting really emphasize the femininity of the Hanboks. Adding traditional instruments was a nice touch as well. 

Hanbok Series Part 1: History

A few posts back, I had mentioned the idea of starting a series on Hanbok. With New Years' Day just having passed, and the Lunar New Years' celebration coming up in less than a month, I think the subject of Hanbok seems rather appropriate for a short series.

There is a lot of information scattered about the internet on Hanbok, but half of it is in Korean, and the other half is a bit of a headache to sort through. So I hope that this series will be able to give readers a more thorough look at the subject in an easily comprehensible way.  

The more I learn about Hanbok, the more I find myself fascinated by the dress. There are so many intricate details and so much symbolism involved that I imagine it would take many years to become an expert. Still, it's fun to learn about!

So on that note, let's start with a brief history!

Three Kingdoms Period

The earliest evidence of Hanbok is traced back to the 3rd century BC. During the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, both men and women wore a jacket and trousers, with a skirt added to the ensemble close to the end of the period.  

At this point, the jackets for both men and women were long, reaching almost to the knees, and belted at the waist.

Source: http://flickr.com/photos/bdnegin/2693718058/

Since these early years, the basic structure of the Hanbok has remained very close to its original style of a jacket--저거리, pants--바지, and skirt--치마. 

Goreyo Dynasty

After a peace treaty was signed between the Goreyo Dynasty and the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, foreign fashion began to influence the Hanbok worn by nobility and royalty.

Source: 안휘준, 정양모 외 지음, 《한국의 미, 최고의 예술품을 찾아서 1》, 돌베개, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Goryeohanbok01.jpg

The 저거리 was brought up nearly to the waist and tied at the chest with long ribbons, and the 치마 was shortened to ankle-length.  

Interestingly, the Hanbok also influenced Mongolian fashion as much of the female nobility adopted the Hanbok as a part of their wardrobe.

Joseon Dynasty

The Joseon Dynasty saw the most fads in Hanbok's style. In the early part of the Dynasty, Hanbok remained relatively unchanged, but by the 16th century, important modifications were beginning to take place. The ladies' 저거리 was shortened to waist length and tailored close to the body, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, bell-shaped 치마 and dangerously short 저거리 were fashionable. Especially during the late 1800s, 저거리 became so short and form fitting that women of respectable backgrounds began wrapping a piece of cloth, called a heoritti, around the top of the 치마 so that their undergarments would not be exposed. (This played an important part in the design of fusion hanboks of today.)

Heoritti is the black strip of cloth between the jacket and skirt

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10264998@N02/1551384060/

Finally, in the early 20th century, the 저거리 was lengthened to end midway between the waist and chest.
The 치마 also went through a few modifications over the centuries. In the 17th century, the 치마 was designed into a shape similar to bustles that were popular in the West at the time. In the 19th century, the 치마 style was changed again to somewhat of a triangle shape, with the fullness of the skirt achieved by many layers of undergarments. This style is still preferred to this day.

Since the end of the Joseon Dynasty in 1897, Hanbok has changed very little. However, in the hopes of adding a new dimension to the variety of options available in traditional styles, fusion hanboks have been created. Fusion hanboks will be covered in a later post.

Hanbok is a proud Korean traditional culture said to contain the wisdom of ancestors and the hopes of its wearers. Its characteristic is to reveal beautiful curves and to seamlessly mix lines with these curves; an important aspect which is still practiced today.