The Hidden Allure of HANBOK
Author : LEE MINJU
Publisher : Hollym
ISBN: 9781565915367
216 pages / 175 * 250 mm
| Important! Please read before you order! |
| >>>This book is written in English. |
About This Book
A Visually Rich Journey into the Desires, Aesthetics, and Identities Woven into Korea’s Traditional Dress
Fashion has been a universal human concern across time, place, and culture. In Joseon Korea-where the forms of dress we now recognize as hanbok took shape-clothing was never merely practical or ornamental. What one wore reflected not only social rank and gender roles, but also personal ambition, moral values, and an acute awareness of beauty.
Even within a rigidly hierarchical society, individuals sought ways to express themselves through dress. Some emphasized dignity and propriety, believing that a well-maintained appearance was a moral obligation. Others used clothing as a means to aspire upward, hoping that refined attire might signal status beyond one’s given position. Hairstyles, headgear, belts, and subtle variations in color all became tools through which identity and desire were negotiated.
The Hidden Allure of Hanbok brings these untold stories of Joseon-era fashion into focus through a modern lens and accessible language. Drawing on visual materials, historical records, and cultural context, the book reveals hanbok as a living system of aesthetics-one shaped by restraint and aspiration, tradition and individuality.
By uncovering the meanings embedded in everyday garments, this book invites readers to see hanbok not as static heritage, but as a refined expression of human desire and cultural imagination-an enduring legacy of Korean beauty that continues to resonate today.
Table of Contents
Part 1. IN PURSUIT OF STYLE
The Fashionable Gentlemen of Hanyang: Topknots and Horsehair Headbands
The Land of Hats and Gat
Even If the Neck Breaks: The Burden of Beauty and the Gache
Hats Desired by the French: Jobawi and Nambawi
A Feast of Festivities: White within Off-White and Colors within White
A Shifting Aesthetic Consciousness: Adding a Touch of Flair
Byeolgam: Joseon’s Top Fashion Leaders
Gisaeng: Joseon Entertainers and Style Icons
Undergarments More Stylish Than the Petticoat
Satisfying All Five Senses: The Sound of Beating Cloth
SPECIAL SECTION: Korean Craftsmanship and Hanbok
Part 2. PINING FOR SOCIAL ASCENSION
An Enduring Standard of Beauty: Skin Like White Jade
No More Than Plain Silk and Ramie: The Royal Selection List
Chima Jeogori: The Rediscovery of Femininity
Colorfully Clad, Beauty Enhanced: The Dallyeong
Embroidering Hope for Success
Norigae: Stealing a Gisaeng’s Heart
Becoming King at Last: The Guryumyeon and Gujangbok
Becoming Queen at Last: The Jeokui and Susik
Tears of the Dragon: The Ikseongwan and Gollyongpo
The Cheollik: A Royal Gift Evokes Tears
SPECIAL SECTION: Fashion Style Differences between Korea, China, and Japan
