I bought a hanbok around Chuseok time last September, and the lady who made it for me made it really beautiful. We hesitated a lot with the colors but we found the best combination and I like the result a lot. I wish there more occasions to wear a hanbok, but I'm okay with making my own occasions to wear them.
After Chuseok, that had been really warm this year as well, however, I knew having only my hanbok would be too cold. I decided I'd get the outer jacket - dooroomagi - to wear it in cold weather. I just can't get enough of that shiny silky fabric.
BEWARE: There is a reason no one ever gets dooroomagi done, even for men who wear hanbok for their wedding photo shoots. It's more expensive to get a outer jacket done than get a hanbok done. Even if you hanbok is of good quality. The dooroomagi has a thicker type of silk and is a very long piece of clothing that basically goes all the way down. The work is different as well, so is the lining. In any case. Think of the price of a ball gown.
I planned on wearing it with two friends I met when I did an interview about foreigners liking baseball in Korea. When I mentionned that I had gone around a few time to hang out in a hanbok just for the sake of wearing it, and was planning on going to Giheung's Traditional village, they said they wanted to come too, so we set a date and there we went. If you wear a hanbok, it is half price for the entrance fee. Which is kind of cool.
It took me a long time to get there, and they were already there when I finally arrived. We sat, and had maggeolli and Korean veggie pancakes. Yummy way to start a Hanbok Day.
What I like about the Ginheung's village is that it is a very wide area fill of trees, far from the big city, where the air and surroundings are easy to get lost into. At the entrance, there are lost of small stores, but after that all you see is traditional stuff and you feel like in another era.
Especially when you wear a hanbok.
I have always liked these go-back-in-time moments of relief from the everyday life, when you can wear nice clothes and feel like a princess. I must have been a princess in another life, for I am so comfy in those clothes, even if most of the people I know usually tell me how uncomfortable they are.
We stopped at a tea place, made in an old building, that served all kind of traditional teas. I had gon in the summer so we only had benches to sit on outside, and the front of the tea bar, but we found out that in the winter they open up some small traditional Korean rooms that have heated floors for people to sit in. We took some time to hang out there and it was a blissful toasty feeling to sit on, while breathing the crispy fall air. The wind was very light and it was a great day out. The following pictures were taken at that time, that's why I am not wearing the Dooroomagi: it's hung behind us. There was a traditional coat hanger so I made it look pretty by adding my personal touch while we were there.
One reason I was really excited to wear my hanbok was because I wanted to try my new hair accessories I had ordered specially for this hanbok. I don't have many pictures where we see them well, and the pictures I have are not that good quality, but they still look cute :)
So many people asked to take pictures: either they liked my hanbok on me, or they thought it was odd to have a foreigner wear one of them, but I felt like I had the right to have a picture with one of them, too. That's why I took this one. Cute kid.
I sort of suck at getting myself to go high while standing, lack practice, but I love that the Korean swings are meant to be stood on. It feel much cooler.
