Mint Dress
Denim
Orange
Black & white
Flat shoes are always the best option when you’re standing on your feet the whole day.
Tag: what to wear in Korea
Monochromatic Dreams
I’ve always loved brown. It is a warm yet earthy colour. It is the colour of earth, wood and chocolate . Here are a few of my favourite pics from the net this week.
Workwear (Korea)
Korea is different from the western world, they have a different culture and ways of doing things. Although they also wear clothes that come from american and European companies there are still some taboos. For instance girls can wear extremely short miniskirts but it is totally inappropriate to show shoulders, collarbones or cleavage. The social laws seem to be relaxing nowadays but in some areas of the country it is still considered highly inappropriate. Therefore when coming to Korea try and keep it conservative as you will be working with these people’s children.
Summer Outfits
You should be able to get away with showing you shoulders as long as it’s not in a strappy top. In summer you can wear lovely floral dresses or skirts. Your shoes should be chosen according to your school. If you’re working at a private academy (hagwon) then go with flat shoes because you’ll be on your feet the whole day. In public schools however you’ll wear slippers inside the buildings so you could wear high heels to work if you choose.
It is always better to put your best foot forward in a new work environment. Your style can become more relaxed once you’ve settled and seen what the other people at your work wear. Generally though the Koreans are dressed to the nines. A lot of foreigners wear jeans to work here in Korea but they keep it formal rather than casual.
What not to wear to work!
Although this outfit is really cute it is not something you should wear to work. Uggs with jeans are OK in winter because it is freezing but not with sweats and t-shirts. You are a professional, try and act like it.
What to pack for a summer holiday in Korea
This weekend we’re off to Busan to meet up with my brother and his wife for 3 days. We’ve booked the hotel, bus and train tickets, and we’ve printed out the itinerary. The only thing left to do is pack our clothes.
Travelling clothes. Because we’re going to travel first by bus and then by train I’ve decided to wear something simple and easy to move around with. This entails a comfortable but pretty shirt, jeans and some comfy sandals.
We’ve decided to go out for dinner the first night so I’m taking a cocktail dress with some high heels. I’m also taking a scarf because it’s not really appropriate to let your shoulders hang out in Korea.
As is always the case, living in Korea involves lots and lots of walking, therefore a pair of comfortable shoes is always a must. For walking around I’m taking some shorts and casual dresses.
Black monochromes
Cream and salmon ensemble.
For the ride home I will probably wear my jeans and mix it up with one of the other shirts, depending on how I feel.
Korea will change you
Coming to Korea, we didn’t quite know what to expect. Luckily my younger brother has been living here on and off for around 6 years. He gave me some tips on what to expect but it didn’t nearly prepare me for Korea.
Before I came to Korea I lived a completely different life. Our whole lives revolved around our jobs. We travelled 2 hours a day to and from work. We had to wake up at 4 am just to miss most of the traffic so that we could be at work by 8 am. At night we would get home eat and sleep. Tomorrow the whole thing would start all over again.
So how did Korea change me?
Firstly, travelling. Korea has an amazing public transport system. We live in a small city in the middle of nowhere but within an hour and a half I could be in Seoul or Dajeon. I can even be in Busan in 3 hours. Furthermore I don’t have to travel hours and hours to get to work. It takes us only 7 minutes (walking) to get to work. Therefore having a car is an expense that one can live without.
Busses
You can travel all over Korea in a matter of minutes on the KTX express trains
From meat eater to weed-eater
In South Africa we ate meat at almost every meal. Firstly because meat is so inexpensive and secondly because we lived on a high protein low carb diet. Here in Korea, meat is extremely expensive. If you eat meat the way we ate it back home we would not be able to save money at all. We will then just live to eat instead of eating to live. In addition its just easier to eat Korean food. Most of the foods staple is rice and veggies. Even eating out is much cheaper
Home made food in Korea
Traditional South African Braai
Some comparison on prices
Beef – South Africa; $8/Kg South Korea; $25/Kg
Chicken – South Africa; $3 – $6/Kg South Korea; $12/Kg
Clothing
Clothing standards are completely different in Korea than in western countries. In western countries we would rather wear longer dresses and skirts and show a bit of boob whereas in Korea, showing your back, boobs or shoulders is considered sexy and is therefore off limits, but short skirts and shorts are a complete go. I have to admit that recently I’ve seen more and more people baring bare shoulders and even some midriff but this is mostly in Seoul and not in the smaller towns. It does seem that people are experimenting more and more with western fashion styles.
Another issue in Korea related to clothing is that if you are either tall, big boned or big breasted you will find it difficult to find clothes your size. I have been told that you can find clothes that fit in Myeong-dong, but when it comes to pants I haven’t found pants long enough to fit me. T-shirts and tops are mostly OK, as long as you buy them in Seoul, smaller cities will not have clothes that fit everyone. I have also taken up shopping for underwear on-line. I mostly buy Victoria’s Secret because I know that the sizes that fit me. I have recently also bought some Agent Provocateur undies from Nasty Gal and they fit perfectly. I am always scared to buy on-line because I’ve bought some dresses on-line here in Korea and the one was to big and the other fitted like a shirt instead of a dress. Therefore buying clothes from the US and other western countries would be the best bet.
Korea has changed me in more ways than one, clothing style, diet and even some beliefs about life but as far as I know it has made me a happier person to experience life here in Korea.
Some humour about Fashion in Korea
Simi's trinkets and treats 