“Fabulous Fashionistas” 컬럼에서는 서울의 뛰어난 멋쟁이들을 소개해 드립니다. 여기서 “멋“이란 어떠한 유행을 의미하는 것이나 비싼 명품 아이템을 자랑스럽게 가지고 있는 것을 의미하는 것이 아닙니다. 자기 자신의 패션 스타일을 특별히 잘 보여주는 사람, 창조적인 코디로 눈에 확 띄는 사람, 그런 분들을 이 컬럼에서 만나보실 수 있습니다.

In the Fabulous Fashionistas column, we shoot the most fashionably original people we can find on the streets of Seoul and bring them to you. We don’t choose them because they follow the trends the most closely, nor because they have the most designers labels attached to their bodies, but because they’ve managed to create their own unique style that one can’t simply pass by without wanting to remember.

미스 오렌지를 동대문의 두타 근처에 처음 봤는데 옷보다 너무 친절해보여서 말하기 쉬웠어요. 사진을 찍어도 되냐고 물어봤던이 즐겁게 해주셨어요. 처음에 어색했지만 열심히 멋진 포즈를 하도록 노력해주신 것같았어요. 그리고 그녀는 대표적인 신세대 여성인 것같았어요. 썬탠도하니까 분명히 햇빛을 피하면서 다닌 것아니고 그리고 팔, 가슴, 다리를 자랑스럽게 노출한 것같았어요. 뭐, 자랑할 만하니까 그렇죠. 이뻐서. 이쁜 걸 알면 어때? ㅋㅋㅋ 웬지 너무 편해서 다른 나라 분 같았더라고요. 왜냐하면 한국에서 길거리에서 누구한테 말을 걸으면 대게 답답할 때 많으니까. 미스 오렌지랑 그런 느낌이 하나도 없었네요.

We spied Little Miss Orange in Dongdaemun, one of the major fashion districts in Seoul, where the tastes aren’t designer, but are much more affordable, and very customizable. You can hear more about Dongdaemun by virtually exploring it with us in our audio tour of the area’s most popular mall outlets – Doota – but the quick explanation is that clothes are cheap, trendy, and somewhat flashy here. Many in their twenties and thirties shop here, and the only analogy I could give is that of a big shopping mall in Jersey, versus the Beverly Hills boutique level of Apkujeong, or the Macy’s/Niemann Marcus level of Myeongdong.

미스 오렌지의 룩은 아주 시원했어요. 머리, 옷, 페디큐어, 피부색깔까지 - 컬러 코디 잘하신 거예요. 자기 이름으로 나온 섹스앤드더씨티 때문에 인기 많아졌던 목거리도 잘 선택하셨고 인기 좋은 핫팬츠도 샌들의 레이스랑 딱 어울렸어요. 아무리 하이힐인데도 편한 캐주얼 룩을 잘 만들었네요.

Miss Orange was cool, summery and casual, but typical of some of the more risqué youth in that she was dressed to reveal, and didn’t apologize for it. Rather than the traditional aversion to the sun that many older Korean women felt – as part of achieving the ideal of the white, untanned skin of the ancient, privileged yangban class – Miss Orange’s skin was tanned and bronzed, and surely a conscious part of her overall color scheme of orange tones for the hair and even lipstick.

미스 오렌지 - 너무 멋지시당! 그리고 모델처럼 포즈를 잘 만들어주시니까 진짜 고마웠어요. (특히 그 경비 아저씨가 우릴 괴롭혔을 때 안 가버리니까 고마웠어요 - 그리고 백화점빌딩 아저씨! 법 좀 배우세요! 그 빌딩의 땅에서만 “사진 찍으면 안된다”고 할 수 있잖아요. 동대문은 다 니 빌딩의 땅아니잖아요!) ㅋㅋㅋ 휴. 하야튼, 미스 오렌지 - 끝까지 친절하게 해주셨으니까 대단히 감사합니다!

As you can see in the various shots, neon colors for mani/pedicure are in, as is the vanity name necklace popularized in Korea by you-know-who on Sex and the City. Hot pants were definitely in all summer, and Miss Orange was certainly not one to fall behind that trend. The lace frills on the shoes was a nice counterpoint to the ripped bottoms of the jeans hot pants; and the shoes themselves are very nearly casual in a country in which it is still de rigueur to put on makeup and sport heels to go to the grocery store. Her heels, from the looks of them, as well as her quick and confident stride (we had to jog to catch up with her) were certainly made for walking.

You just looked fabulous, girl! Hope to see you again ’round the streets of Seoul!