Women's Hanbok

All about the women's Hanbok

The women's hanbok consists of a chima (wrap-around skirt) and a jeogori (top or blouse). Its silhouette is different from all other traditional women's dresses. While cultural dresses such as the Vietnamese ao dai feature a form-fitting silhouette that hugs the body, the hanbok is more fluid and free in its cut.

The variations of the women's hanbok mainly come from the different types of jeogori that exist. For example, there is the jeogori banhoijang and the jeogori samhoijang which have patches of different colors on various parts of the blouse, and the jeogori saekdong (multicolored striped sleeves).

In this description of our hanbok collection, we will cover the main components of the women's hanbok and see which parts you need to wear the hanbok beautifully at a Korean wedding, family event, or celebration. This is your introduction to Korean hanbok fashion for women.

What does the women's hanbok look like?

The hanbok is a traditional Korean outfit consisting of a jeogori (hanbok jacket or blouse) and a chima (skirt). Tight on the top and flowing on the bottom, the hanbok harmonizes opposing forces. The spirit of balance is imbued in the hanbok. The jeogori features soft curves while the skirt flows as naturally as breathing. Stylists often say that the jeogori is the quintessence of curve aesthetics. At a glance, it is easy to understand the Korean aesthetic preferences through the flared hem at the bottom and the soft curves of the jeogori's falling sleeve.

The tight top and loose bottom became more pronounced toward the end of the Joseon dynasty. Although the jeogori shrank and became more restrictive, women continued to move without difficulty. That is why the lower hem of the jeogori took on a curved shape to conceal the chest.

Moreover, the skirt's shape varies depending on the underwear worn. The traditional layered slip appears voluminous compared to thin Western-style underwear, and some say the rounded shoulders to midsection of a hanbok reflect a celadon from the Goguryeo dynasty. This striking silhouette extends to the bottom of the skirt. Neither too low nor too high, the overall shape is natural and pleasing to the eye. The tasteful shape of the skirt is considered one of the most elegant attributes complementing Korean women.

The adaptive nature of the skirt's shape is also remarkable: an H shape when still, an A shape with slight adjustment, and a V shape when stretched. By gathering the skirt's hem with one hand, each silhouette appears serene. It's hard to think of another garment that produces such a grand effect.

What are the components of a women's hanbok?

1. Chima (skirt)

The chima is a wrap-around skirt made of pleats and waist cords. You wrap it around your waist according to your size, then secure it by tying the waist cords. The hanbok skirt is thus very comfortable and easy to wear, as it has no restrictive ties.

2. Jeogori (blouse or top)

The jeogori consists of gil, somae, git, seop, donjeong, and goreum. The front of the jeogori is open when you first wear it, so you fold it from left to right and adjust the closure with the goreum.

But before exploring the different types of hanbok, let's review the basic hanbok terms: 

Basic Hanbok Terms

• Baerae: The lower curves of the jeogori sleeves, more precisely, the part from the sleeve end to the jindong.
• Boseon: Traditional socks worn with hanboks and hanbok shoes. They are traditionally white with floral embroidery.
• Gil: The wide part of the upper garment's body.
• Git: The collar part of the jeogori
• Godae: The back of the git that is attached between the shoulder seams.
• Goreum: Two strings attached to the front part of the jeogori or durumagi to tie the garments.
• Gyeotmagi: The part of the jeogori located under the armpit.
• Kkeutdong: A fabric of a different color attached to the edges of the sleeves of jeogori.
• Seop: A fabric attached to the front part of upper garments such as jeogori or durumagi, to prevent them from opening.
• Sunuk: The seams of the beoseon.

The different types of Jeogori (Hanbok blouse)

This is where the fun of fashion comes in! There are many types of jeogori that women can wear. While the chima remains the same length (for traditional hanbok; modern hanbok is a whole different story), the jeogori is diverse and each has its own distinctive look.

1. Min Jeogori

This blouse is short and solid-colored. It is a plain jeogori generally worn with everyday hanbok. It conveys a casual vibe and is preferred during summer when people want to wear lighter, cooler fabrics like linen for hot summer fashion.

2. The hoijang jeogori

The hoijang jeogori is a jeogori that features patches of different colors on various parts of the blouse. The colorful patches can be on the edges (cuffs) of the sleeves, on the collar, or on the blouse ties. It is generally bicolored, meaning there is a primary color for the blouse and a secondary color for the sleeve and collar patches. It is considered a classic of Korean hanbok that the colors are contrasting, without being tasteless or contradictory.

3. Samhoijang Jeogori

The samhoijang jeogori is a jeogori where the collar, the underarm area (called gyeotmagi), and the cuffs of the sleeves have a different color from the main part of the jeogori. It is similar to the hoijang jeogori, but is seen less often.

4. Saekdong Jeogori

The saekdong jeogori is a jeogori with multicolored striped sleeves. You will often see this type of jeogori worn by toddlers, children, or young adults, as it conveys brightness and liveliness. Adult women can also wear it, especially for happy occasions such as the Korean Lunar New Year, but it is more common among children or unmarried women, as the color reflects social status and is important in Korean design.

The royal blouse, the Dangui

There is a particular and magnificent type of top, so much so that it deserves its own section in this article: the royal dangui. The dangui was part of the Korean royal court attire and the ceremonial attire for women during the Joseon dynasty. Today, the dangui is widely appreciated and is a popular choice for hanbok wedding attire, due to its elegant shape, beautiful decorative patterns, and classic beauty.

If you have ever watched a Korean historical drama, you have probably seen how women of the royal court, such as the queen, the queen mothers, princesses, and high-ranking court ladies, wear a type of hanbok top different from ordinary women. This is the dangui, a semi-formal jacket with side slits. The dangui was worn by female members of the royal family as official clothing for ceremonies and daily activities. It was also worn by royal court ladies who served the royal women, but the materials and decorations were different. Women of high social status wore the dangui when going to the royal court, and also as part of their official hanbok wedding attire.

The dangui is similar to the jeogori, but the difference lies in the narrow sleeves. The sleeve length reaches the knees, as the front and back panels are longer than those of the jeogori. The hem is curved, and the side seams are open up to the armpit, so it has 3 panels: 2 in the front and 1 in the back.

There are a variety of dangui colors: purple, dark green, yellowish green, and white. The yellowish green color was the most common. The lining of the dangui, however, was mainly red, and the ribbons on the chest were purple. White cuffs called geodeulji were attached to the ends of the sleeves.

The dangui of queens and princesses were decorated with geumback patterns (gold leaves) from the shoulder to the end of the sleeves. They were also embellished on the front panel, back panel, and goreums. These patterns were traditionally flowers, bats, or lucky Chinese characters for words such as longevity, fortune, or happiness. The queen, however, wore a very special phoenix pattern.

The dangui also changed according to the season. For example, there were these common types:

• single-layer dangui
• double-layer dangui
• quadruple-layer dangui
• single-layer dangui with a tapered lower hem

Although no royal family walks today in Korean palaces, many women choose to wear dangui during their engagement or wedding photos to feel like members of the royal family. And who can blame them? The dangui is a magnificent traditional garment.

The evolution of hanbok style

The traditional hanbok has changed over time to follow the trends and style of women of the era. We can see the evolution of the hanbok through representations in literature and drawings from different periods of Korea's past history.

Hanbok from the 16th century to today:

• Late 16th century: The most classic and traditional hanbok clothing style described in literature is a silhouette from the late 16th century. Researchers and historians deduce that the hanbok of this time was a ceremonial dress, worn for special occasions or festivals that required preparation. At that time, women were not allowed to participate in festivals or rituals. The flowing skirt and hem convey a sense of movement and lyricism.

• Early 18th century: More than the hanbok of women from past regions, the early 18th-century hanbok was a simple or plain dress, with the jeogori extending down to the waist. The skirt was now a full and spacious skirt. However, the skirt was cut at the ankle, revealing the shoes of the person wearing it.

• Late 18th century: At this time, the hanbok evolved towards a narrow waist, with the jeogori being tighter on top and closer to the body (fitted). The skirt, meanwhile, became much rounder and fuller – like an inflating balloon. This silhouette features many curves.  

• Late 18th century: The comfort of the wide and ample skirt was enhanced by the large fabric people used to tie their chima around their waist. The hairstyle of the time consisted of a high, voluminous hairdo that went hand in hand with the jeogori and chima. From top to bottom, the overall silhouette of the person wearing this garment was wide (heavy) on top, then small in the middle of the body (light), and finally wide (heavy) at the bottom. 

• 19th century: The hairstyle became much smaller in the 19th century, and the overall silhouette of the hanbok also underwent major changes. The pleats of the skirt became much more numerous, the chima became more spacious with many pleats and longer, reaching the floor. While the previous silhouette of the late 18th-century hanbok showed tension between conflicting components of the hanbok, the 19th-century hanbok gives the impression that the clothes flow together from top to bottom, like waves cascading over each other. The overall look became very soft.

• Late 19th century: The garment was originally tight, leaving little room for the wearer, but the sleeves of the top became much wider in hanboks worn by women in the 19th century. The chima, meanwhile, became simpler and more modest, eliminating the many pleats and wavy appearance of previous decades. The overall silhouette became more natural and seemed to drape the body very naturally from top to bottom, while maintaining its overall roundness.

• Today: Today, while the hanbok is relegated mainly to ceremonial and formal wear, the traditional style of hanbok has not changed for a long time. It retains the look of the late 19th and 20th centuries, as Koreans associate the hanbok with tradition, history, heritage, and the old ways of Korean life.

The silhouette has, however, changed a lot in the field of modern hanbok, a term that refers to contemporary hanbok styles that have been significantly modified by the integration of new silhouettes, new components, and Western shapes.

In the past, the chima was a basic element of the women's hanbok, despite various changes over the centuries to the length, material, and volume of the hanbok. But today, the women's hanbok is no longer limited to a variation of jeogori and chima. The modern hanbok also features women in different baji (pants) silhouettes that often mimic the look of a chima with its flowing layers (as shown above) or in a straight style like that of a hanbok baji (pants) from the men's hanbok.