Thanks go to FMS reader “Bamboo Yeti” for the tip, as well as the inspiration I needed to write about the quintessentially Korean, must-have, winter fashion item – the miniskirt!

The English Chosun has an interesting article about something we’ve been talking about for some time now. The title is a bit dense – “Turning Heads Make Skirts Rise” – but the article has a few interesting statistics, mostly based on Gmarket sales.

“Lee Hyo Ri Pants” (see Lee, below left)

Celebrities Lee Hyo-lee and Seong Yu-ri – from English Chosun

Flared miniskirts and short pants.

According to the article:

“Mini-skirt fever which started this summer looks like staying for months to come, as super-mini skirts and hot-pants just 25 cm long are selling like hot cakes at online shopping malls.

Normally discounted during the hard-to-sell cold weather season, short skirt sales have gone through the roof since the winter months began to show their colors. Online shopping mall G-market is currently selling on average15,000 mini-skirt and hot-pants per day, with some 450,000 units sold in October alone, a 10 percent increase from their summer season turnover.”

Miniskirts getting shorter during the winter? Noooooooooo. In Korea? Say it isn’t so. It’s funny that many Koreans still associate risqué clothing with the United States, when I can safely say that more skin tends to be shown in the course of everyday Korean fashion than anything in the United States, which, taken as a whole, isn’t as revealing as in Korea. Especially in the winter, when temperatures get below zero in many parts of the US, one doesn’t often see what Koreans cheekily call 똥코 치마 or “boodie hole skirts” and high heels.

Britney, someone stole your thigh socks!

Still, many Koreans like to point out that this must be an influence from the outside, rather than perhaps a sign of fashion and style changes happening from within. In reaction to Uhm Jeong Hwa’s recent performances in scanty attire:

“One irate Internet user posted opinion on the MBC’s audience notice board saying, “How can she come out on stage with those embarrassing, indecent clothes. Did she really have to come dressed in clothes that women might have worn in the 70s or 80s in cheap bars, and on a public channel, when families were watching?” Another Netizen admitted to feeling “very embarrassed” watching the display with his parents. “This is Korea. Why doesn’t she go and live in America?” he added. Related articles on major portal sites like Naver were flooded with replies condemning her getup.”

(also from the English Choson)

And the rise of thigh-high stockings and legging? Well, the leggings can be read as part of the ongoing 80’s retro trend that comes from the US, but those are largely about tight leggings (and tight jeans are a related ongoing trend) that are generally at least opaque. The Korean interpretations of this trend are just a bit more risqué.

Korean leggings seem to range from opaque to fairly sheer and transparent. Moreover, the Korean tights you see these days tend to have sparkles and other little bangles, spangles, and other bojangles.

Case in point? Two young ladies spotted at the same wedding, being a little bit less than conservative, although fashionable in their own ways. Tasteful, although not quite appropriate for a wedding, I must point out.

I was a bit more surprised at the more risque black and sparkly silver outfit – not only for just being at a wedding, but in being kind of ruined by by the boring Mary Janes she came in wearing. Star-spangled sparkles and dull, felt Mary Janes? Uh-uh.

To fix this outfit, she needed to have something like these Baby Phat mary janes from Zappos.com, the tips of which would have nicely accented her gold-speckled purse, along with the little dingle-dangle off the side of one of them.

It’s not my personal taste but it would have gone with what she was apparently trying to do, which was mix “sexy” with “playfully demure.” Sorry – didn’t work.

Alternatively – and more tastefully – these shoes are a little less wild, have some silver highlights in them from the pewter, but have a classier high heel than what the young lady was wearing above. These are from Pollini, which are available through Bluefly.com.

The point here is that “with great accessory options, come great responsibilities.” My suggestion amidst this whole short skirts/gaudy stockings/thigh high holidays?

1. Dress appropriately for formal functions, even if not temperature.
2. Match shoes and clothes with more thought, please. There’s more than just color.
3. Make the trend fit you, instead of you trying to fit into all trends. Clothes look different on different bodies.

That’s all I have to say right now. Now that Thanksgiving is here (for Americans, at any rate), the Christmas shopping season is officially here. Get dressed, go out, look good – and Happy Holidays!