“The Fashion Diaries”는 진정한 패션을 아는 진짜 사람들에 의해 제작되는 칼럼이에요. 우리 패션 작가들은 그저 최신 유행을 따르는 것이 아니라 여러 트렌드를 통합해서 그저 패션을 뒤쫓는 자가 아닌 스타일 리더로써 자신만의 독특한 스타일을 연출해요. 그들은 매일 입는 옷, 그 옷들을 어디서 샀는지, 자신의 룩에 있는 변화 등까지 모두 기록하죠. 그들의 지갑, 옷장, 그리고 자신감 모두 우리한테 연 셈이죠. 흔히 볼 수 없는 진정한 패션을 우리가 친숙하고 솔직한 눈으로 바라볼 수 있게 말이에요. 만약 패션 힌트가 필요하거나 트렌드를 쫓고 있다면, 아니면 그저 다른 패션 라이프스타일을 경험해 보고 싶다면 잘 찾아 왔어요. 그러니 의견 내주시고, 댓글 달아주시고, 우리 한번 스타일 대화를 시작해봐요!
“The Fashion Diaries” are columns produced by real people wearing real fashions. Our fashion diarists don’t merely follow current trends, but also integrate them into their own particular styles as not mere fashion followers, but style leaders. They record what they wear every day, as well as what they buy, or any changes they make to their look. They have opened their purses, closets, and vanities to us, allowing us an intimate and transparent look into real fashion that we rarely get to see. If you need fashion hints, or are tracking trends, or just want to vicariously experience another fashion lifestyle, you have come to the right place. So, make suggestions, write comments, and let’s start a style conversation!
Visiting my master’s first Gicheon dojang in the US /
우리 기천 원장님의 첫 미국 도장 방문
In May, I visited friends and family in the United States.
5울에 친구와 가족 보러 미국 갔다왔다.
Q: What’s more American than guns? / 문: 총보다 더 미국서로운 것은 뭘까?
A: Shopping (Thanks, Go!) / 답: 쇼핑 (Go, 고마워!)
I got a leather money clip in the US. Definitely more pimpin’ than having a bulky wallet to sit on. It’s magnetic, though, so I want to get a metal clip that I can keep my credit and subway cards in.
미국에서 가죽 머티클립을 샀어. 두꺼운 지갑보다 더 멋있지? 근데 사용카드와 교통카드 잡기위해 자석이 없는 것도 사고 싶어.
So “money”. / “머니”지]
My sister lives in Hawaii. So I visited the land of slippers and spam before heading back to Korea.
우리 누나는 하와이에서 살아. 그래서 한국으로 들어오기 전에 슬리퍼와 스펨의 섬인 하와이에 갔었다.
my nephew makes the best accessory /
우리 조카는 제일 귀여운 액세서리
Back in Korea, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my own plans and goals this summer rather than going out. One night in June that I did go out, I hit Flower and Santa bars in Daejeon with a few good friends. This print t-shirt that a friend gave me has become one of my favorites.
한국에 들어와서 이번 여름 나가서 노는것보다 내 일과 계획에 집중 많이 하고 있었어. 6월에 어너 밤에 좋은 친구들이랑 나가서 놀긴 했지. 우리는 대전의 꽃바와 산타바 갔었어. 그 날 입었던 프린트 티 친구 준건데 마음 들어.
Hyunjin and I captivated by the mystery of the flame / 현진이랑 불에 놀라움
Pirates sometimes drink gin & tonic when they’re tired of rum. / 럼 지겨우면 해적 진토닉도 마셔
Breaking out a traditional hip-hop shanty / 힙합 해적
I’ve decided to go to martial arts every morning and only do Crossfit on the weekends. This keeps me on a regular schedule of getting up at 5 am. Insane, I know.
매날 새벽에 무술 하기로 했어. Crossfit은 주말에만 하고. 그러면서 요즘 규직적으로 새벽에 5시 이러난다. 내가 미친것 같아.
I sweat through 2 shirts during Gicheon class and then practice Gumdo after class. /
여름 더운 날씨때문에 요즘 기천 수련 하면 티 두번 가라입고 수업 마쳐서 검도 연습도 조금 해.
One of my guitar cables stopped working. So I decided to use it as a chain-like accessory.
기타 잭이 고장나서 체인같은 액세서리처럼 달기로 했어.
I unfortunately lost the bracelet in this photo recently. It was given to me by a close friend. /
최근에 이 사진에 보이는 친한 친구가 준 팔치를 잃어버렸어 -_-;;
Another thing I’ve been doing a lot lately is wearing my belt buckle sideways like Johnny Depp, one of my style heroes.
요즘 조니뎁처럼 허리띠 옆으로 잘 차
A friend in Canada sent me my first dread bead. She makes and sells glass jewelry.
캐나다에 있는 친구는 드레드 유리알을 보내줬어. 유리알을 직접 만들어서 판다.
My band members are moving to Seoul this summer, so beginning in September I’ll be coming up to Seoul every weekend for band practice and to play shows. I think I’ll be more inspired in fashion going to Seoul often. Lately, I’ve been admiring ajumma fashion for how balls-out rock ‘n roll it is. I might be tempted to get some loud floral and animal prints if someone doesn’t stop me.
우리 밴드 멤버들은 서울로 옮기니까 9월부터 나는 주말마다 서울가서 합주도 하고 공연도 할거야. 서울 자주 가면 패선 영감을 많이 받을것 같아. 최근에 아줌마의 패선 따라 할까 말까 생가 중인데 아줌마 옷은 락향이 많이 난것 같아. ㅎㅎ
Share This! 퍼주세요!!!
new trend?
But yeah. Another “Oh, Korea” moment. ><
Some seriously wicked scarves! Were did you get the hot pink one and the one with sculls???
Do you do Crossfit by yourself or is there a Crossfit place here in Seoul? Or does anyone else know? If your band has a gig in Seoul please post when and were. I’m counting on that if you have this rocking fashion sence then you should have some serious rocking skills!
so did ya keep the dreads or what? i like the belt-buckle sideways idea
That’s one thing I hate about America… the easy access of firearms.
Your nephew is so adorable.
Are you trying tell us something about your lower anatomy
(looking at where the HUGE stick is placed in your half-naked of hotness pic) because me likey.
also cute booty. sorry I am a perv.
Cjlatina! Such naughty observations! Talking about lower anatomy and boodies! Truly a perv!
Not. Hehe.
Because if YOU’RE a perv, well, you’re at the right site for it.
Hehe. Because WE have never thought of “lower anatomy” or boodies at FMS, right?
If thinking about cute boodies, or boobies, for that matter, makes us pervs — then lock me up and throw away the key! Let the law come git me! I’s going to the pokey!
Hmm. Let me think about that one. As a good friend once reminded me: “They don’t call it ‘the pokey’ for nothing.”
I’ve only recently found this site and have loved the posts about women’s fashion but gotta say this post about with the (hot) guy is one of my faves. Love the abs err dreads I mean I was looking at the dreads >_< ”
haha @ FMS careful what you wish for eh
I guess I’m gonna be the ‘hater’ here, but speaking guy to guy, I want to say that I don’t understand Sungwon’s fashion sense.
I’m not saying this as in ‘bro, that’s fruity’ or ‘i wear lots of stripy polo shirts and think this is gay’ but more along the lines of there is no apparent ‘look’ here and nothing ties together. It’s hard to see what he is aiming for. I can kind of see ‘shock’ as a misconception of ‘individuality’ kind of determining some of Sungwon’s style, but not much else.
There is a strong Korean influence here, which is to say it is Korean clothes that are themselves Korean interpretations/exaggerations of something foreign. I can tell you when and where the trend for each piece originates in terms of world trends, but how they come together in Korea is just beyond me, this is what irks me about Korean fashion in general. It’s world trends mishmashed for the most flash and least substance, without regard to deeper aesthetic themes.
In my personal opinion, good street fashion comes from mixing high and low fashion to taste (either by buying labels themselves or reinterpreting pre-trends/current trends through originals) while having an awareness for high fashion trends, keeping with things that fit with current social climates to exude awareness, a mind for presenting a shape or silhouette along with architectural/aesthetic elements such as texture or firmneness and durability, all blended with a personal swagger that is influenced by one’s subcultural leanings which is commonly manifested in how one wears the clothes. For example, sneakers, jeans, a tee shirt, and a leather jacket are pretty common mens street wear items right now, but there are many ways to wear them while maintaining a strong aesthetic theme.
I see the subcultural leanings as his hobbies, and that is cool, because we must all have personal interests, but the former three I am not seeing here. There seems to be no aesthetic theme or common thread. There really isn’t a current social/political context to which Sungwon’s aesthetic is suited to, and then there is the issue of the clothes themselves, which don’t exude a strong personal swerve or any thought to a complete aesthetic built from quality components and look more to be bought piece-by-piece. Some things, for example, like the print tee or vintage washed jeans are working too hard as pieces, harder than they really are capable of for a look.
Anyhow, I realize that interpretations of individuality and personal styling are unique like snowflakes and that everybody is entitled to their own opinion.
this guy has no style. you shouldnt wear knockoff/fake designer items, its just corny.
Bin — Are you going to offer any more specifics, or just the single line? Personally, I don’t find it problematic, in theory, to wear knockoff or designer items. If you can rock it, then rock it. Not everyone can afford them.
Hopefully, if one is going to go negative and be critical, including a few specific words of suggestion would be nice. After all, no matter what one thinks of any of our diarists’ clothes, we should all appreciate that they’re putting themselves out there for us to look at. A bit more constructive criticism, please…
Susanna – I got the pink/purple one at Doota and the skull scarf from a street vendor in Itaewon for like W5,000 ^^ I just follow the workouts off of crossfit.com. Some army guys from Osan were doing Saturday classes at Yonsei, but I don’t think that’s happening anymore. Our band might have a gig coming up on 9/12 at CoEX. We’ll post info on our myspace/cyclub pages. \m/
joanna – Yeah, I’m keepin’ ‘em for now. There’s just no love for the mullet!
cjlatina – Hey perv! No apologies, we pervs gotta stick together and show others there’s no shame in perversion. Say it loud and proud! Haha, yeah, I didn’t notice the placement of the sword until the post went up. Oops!
FMS – Maybe the time has come for a new sister site: bootymanseoul!
dudah – Thanks for the kind words and wandering eyes!
BIN – Thanks for the not as kind words and sharing your opinion! Let me know if you have any specific suggestions.
impolite one – A mix of high/low (as well as other dualities like masculine/feminine) is what I’m aiming for, I just don’t have much high yet. I didn’t think about what I was wearing until this past year, so a lot of my wardrobe is still ripped jeans and too-big metal t-shirts (my basic uniform for the past 10 years or so). As such, I’m still experimenting. And you’re completely right, I don’t have any one look in mind. I do indeed get clothes piece by piece and I just try to mix and match what I have. If I were to justify my style as not belonging to any specific socio-cultural context, I’d say it’s because I don’t like being tied down to and don’t feel that I belong to any one context or perspective. Being able to take on multiple perspectives is indeed useful in intellectual understanding, but in considering your comments, I realize that it muddies the underlying intent of a message of self-expression (fashion, art, etc.). I think I’ll converge on a stronger style of my own eventually, but for now I’m having a lot of fun playing around with different styles. If it doesn’t work, well, that’s part of the process. Thanks for taking the time to identify what you didn’t like about my style rather than simply dismissing it.
Sungwon, I can tell you have a good adventurous streak in you, which is a good base to start out with. One great thing about fashion is that it is just components for rearranging into your own expression. Plus, let’s be honest, clothes are just clothes at the end of the day. We don’t wear the same thing everyday, and people in passing judge your clothes on a superficial level, the deepest they may cut into is your personal taste. Nothing of your personality.
One thing you’ll find, as you dig deeper, is that you can express your personal message of the day without having to wear it on your sleeve, or being too literal about it and pigeonholing yourself. For example, crossing the gender barrier is quite easy to do, and with a balance. I do the same sometimes, you might see me this fall on the streets of Seoul in green women’s Cuban heels, and I promise you, they won’t look too feminine. You just gotta balance out items like that to make a look.
You have a good physique, which I think is the key element in making a juxtaposition in the gender split, btw, which is a good start. You might be interested in Rick Owens, who merges a dark palette, beautiful fabric drapery in high-quality fabrics, and non-gender specific clothing in a classy, subtle way, intended for men of cut muscular builds. Rick makes men’s high heels that look 100% rock and 0% tranny, for example. It’s something I see working for you, the direction you want to take.
The other thing I want to say is, you don’t have to literally live the look you wear and no one expects you to. That is the fun part about dressing. I personally dress like a 1970′s cocaine dealing samurai whose gone to the future to go shopping, but I like all kinds of music, appreciate a lot of different art/architectural styles, and can be caught doing all kinds of things that transcend what I wear. Just part of living really.
Impolite one — What’s with the name? You’re quite polite, actually!
Cute nephew, Sungwon! Bringing diversity to FMS, guys need to represent too.
You know, as a side note, it would be funny if you got all the fashion diarists to pose in what you spot as the latest trends. That would be uh entertaining to say the least.
Imp1- [ I personally dress like a 1970’s cocaine dealing samurai whose gone to the future to go shopping, but]
Man, I totally want to see that in action! You should volunteer to do a fashion diaries when you hit Seoul, imp1~
I don’t think my style is nearly so exciting. I’m not sure how I would describe my style. Urban hipster prep? Even then, not quite right.
Well, if I did a fashion diary of myself, I think the site would shut down. Readers would erase any evidence of this site from their browsers and try very, very hard to forget ALL about us.
Hehe. I have a few nice suits, but my belly is doing battle with the casual clothes I do like. I’m getting it under control, though.
But, I just take pictures. Not a fashionisto myself.
Be very glad I stay behind the camera and aren’t in front of it!
Interesting: some weeks ago I made a comment about booties (or the lack of them in Korea), and was requested to “keep it nice”.
Now, here is ok to talk about it?
That is the coolest dread bead I’ve ever seen! ^__^
oh, and no floral please! -__-;;
impolite one – Thanks for the pointers. I checked out some of Rick Owens stuff. Very cool and yes, probably close to the direction I want to go in.
Jae Young – Thanks! And I’m also quite curious as to the 70′s dealer/samurai/future shopper look. Contact FMS if you’re interested, impolite one!
Maria – Well, you should know ^_~ Aww, ok, maybe I’ll save floral prints for tablecloths.
FMS- I good to know I am not the only one that’s a perv here, but I will try to keep the perv-ness (if that’s a word) down….unless there will be more pics like that above than I can’t promise anything. hehehe
Sungwon- hey don’t have any shame in your game….style is all about being unique and out of the box.
Bootymanseoul! sign me up.
Maximus- AHH my booty nemesis we’ve meet again. *stare down*
Sungwon, you know you got the sideways belt from me.