These days, fashion that responds to the long days of the rainy season, as well as just more rain in general, seem to be finally taking hold. According to Chosun.com:

고려대기환경연구소 정용승 소장이 분석한 기상통계자료에 따르면 지난 9월 한 달간 일조시간(해가 드러난 시간)은 평년보다 하루 2.8시간(168분)이 부족했다. 지난 7~9월 92일간 비가 온 날은 56.1일에 달하고, 서울·강릉·청주·춘천·서산은 60일 이상 비가 왔다. 사흘 중 이틀은 비가 왔다는 얘기다. 정 소장은 “근래에 없던 현상으로, 지구 온난화로 인한 기후변화가 확실히 진행되고 있다”고 분석했다.

기후가 달라지자 생활의 모습이 변하고 있다. 우산은 항상 지참하는 상비용품(常備用品)이 되다시피 했다. ‘레인 패션(rain fashion)’도 눈길을 끈다. 여성들은 ‘토스(totes)’나 ‘워터프론트(waterfront)’ 브랜드 같은 작고 가볍고 예쁜 우산으로, 남성들은 영국신사처럼 정장차림에 짙은 색의 큰 우산으로 멋을 내는 경우가 늘었다. 비가 퍼붓지 않고 흩뿌리는 날이 많아지자 영국처럼 모자 달린 등산용 방수재킷을 입고 비를 맞고 다니는 젊은이도 늘었다. 등산복업체 ‘K2 코리아’ 정용재 마케팅팀장은 “방수재킷을 일상복으로 찾는 고객이 늘면서, 올 7~9월 방수재킷 매출이 전년보다 25%나 늘었다”고 했다. ‘일기가 나쁠수록, 인기가 좋은 이유’라는 카피라이트를 내걸고 방수재킷을 광고하는 업체(콜롬비아)도 생겨났다. [원기사를 읽으시죠!]

Indeed, in an older story on the new trends in rainwear, Prime News reports about designer umbrellas, colorful rain boots, and waterproof, vinyl purses:

장마철에는 잿빛 하늘과 높은 습도로 마음은 물론 얼굴까지 우울해지기 쉽상이다.하지만, 이럴 때일수록 나만의 패션감각을 뽐내기에 적격인 때도 없다. 전체적으로 떨어진 채도를 장마철 필수아이템 하나로 시원하고 상쾌하게 끌어올릴 수 있다면 당신은 진정한 멋쟁이다. [원기사를 읽으시죠!]

우리 사이트는 먼저 이 트렌드에 대해서 벌써 얘기했는데. ㅋㅋ

Of course, none of this is really that much news to some Americans in big cities, since such rain gear has been around for a while, which we reported on even here some time ago, before you were really able to see any cute rubber rain boots in Seoul, or many people sporting fancy designer umbrellas.

But a few more Korean women are foregoing the questionable (and kinda gross, in my opinion) practice of purposefully wearing dress or summer sandals and just resigning oneself to get wet, then coming in and (hopefully) washing one’s feet at the office or other final destination.

I thought that it might be some kind of wonderful to not ruin one’s shoes and skin (and these days, expensive pedicures!) with nonsense behavior like that. Seems that more and more women in Seoul are thinking the same way.

흠. 김소연이 부산영화제에서 입었던 드레스가 논쟁이 되고 있어요.‘지나치게’노출했다고 네티진들이 막 얘기하는 건데 난 동의할 수 없어요.

잘 생각해보면 요새 유행하는 어깨와 가슴선을 모두 드러내는 드레스가 가장 노출이 심하지 않나요? 제가 보기엔Emanuel Ungaro이란 유명한 디자이너의 옷을 김소연이 고급스럽게 잘 소화했다고 보이는데요. 이런게 왜 논쟁의 대상이 되는거죠?

밑의 사진을 보면서 직접 비교해보세요:

Apparently, Kim So-yeon’s dress, designed by Emanuel Ungaro, which she wore at the Pusan International Film Festival is causing controversy among netizens.

This is somewhat surprising, since not only is the dress not actually more revealing than many shoulder-less designs presently in play on Korean stars, but is something straight off a runway, done by a respected and talented Western designer. This is controversial?

Here’s a direct comparison:

근데 MNet의 행사에 민효린의 거의 자기 생식기관을 못 가리고 입었던 드레스가 하나도 논쟁적지 않았더라? 2인치 더 높이 만들었으면 한국의 최초 공적 산부인과검사가 될 수 있었겠다. ㅋㅋㅋ 휴. 진짜. 네티진들.

Yet this, worn by Min Hyo-rin to a big MNet show, is OK, although it barely covers her reproductive organs. Two inches higher, and the nation’s citizens would have been privy to the first public gynecological examination on record in Korean history. At least So-yeon is only displaying her secondary sex characteristics, as opposed to her primary ones.

솔직히 누가 더 노출이 심한가요? 보통 일반적인 미국인의 경우 하체를 노출하는게 더 심하다고 생각하죠. 나도 그렇게 생각해요. 한국인들은 상체를 노출하는 것에 더 많이 신경을 쓰는 거구요, 한국처럼 추운 겨울에도 미니스커트를 입는 나라는 사실 거의 없어요. ㅋㅋㅋ

소연은 배꼽 노출 한 것도 아닌데 별로 심한 것도 아니예요. 그리고 가슴이 다 들여다보이는 것도 아니고 옆의 허리선이 조금 노출이 되었는데 뭘 그렇게 난리예요? 민효린 같은 모습이 훨씬 더 쇼킹해요.

소연은 적어도 싸보이지않고 우아한 거잖아! 흥! ㅋㅋ

Seriously – is this really risqué? Maybe I’m just looking at it from an American perspective, which I think tends to be more conservative when it comes to showing leg than in Korea. And in Korea, people tend to worry about exposing the upper body a lot, such as with exposed shoulders, which could get you in trouble as recently as 5-7 years ago, or having a pierced belly button, which only “bad girls” did as recently as circa 2003, but now is par for the course.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Korea seems to be the only country I know of in which it’s nearly as common to see miniskirts in the deepest cold of winter as it is in the summer. In a fashion culture that actually has fur-lined panties for keeping warm for miniskirt wear in the winter, is a slightly exposed midriff (not even to the belly button!) and vertically-exposed boobies – instead of across the top – really that shocking?

‘영들의 침묵‘이지. 아니 - 사실, 나와 양들이 그냥 핵갈리다.

이하늬씨는 아주 아름다운 여성이다. 근데 이 사진들을 보니까 ‘우와 - 진짜 아름다운 여성에서 이상하게 무슨 퍼포먼스 아트에서 나오는 양복(羊服)을 입는 거네‘라고 생각했어요. ‘양복.’ 이 거 장난치는 거지?

The sheep and I are just confused.

이하늬 is just gorgeous, so this is an example of how you can make even a gorgeous woman look like she wandered off from a flock of sheep. This one isn’t even funny tragic. It’s sad tragic.

[Honey Lee pics from PopSeoul and 스포츠동아]

아니면 - 혹시 하늬의 스타일리스트가 양이랑 무슨 팬타시있는 건가? 호기 스타워즈식 양들의 여왕?이 사람을 찾고 빨리 물어보고 싶다. 도대체 왜 이런 컨셉으로 했는지? 하늬는 너무 대단한 뷰티인데 왜 이렇게 했는지.

밑에는 원래 하늬의 이쁜 사진이다. 휴. 아깝다.

I just wondered if the stylist responsible for this “fashion” look has serious sheep shearing fantasies. (Or is this fool updating the Queen Amidala look for the winter?)

I wanted to track the person down and just slap some sense into them for picking such a crappy look for Ms. Lee. Who would want to make a woman who is simply a vision look like she’s ready to provide wool for my next sweater?

I want to rally for a “Just Sad” category on FMS ’cause it might be that “Just Funny” just doesn’t cover the level of pathetic it takes to do this to someone so beautiful.

Lee in her usual beautiful form.

Thanks, PopSeoul.

근데 옷, 스타일링, 무용술의 문제아니었어요. 바로 다들 춤, 노래, 그리고 랩을 하나도 못 하니까 문제지. 그리고 비디오가 처음에 시작했을 때 춤을 췄얼 때도 단순한 줄의 간격들을 못 지킨 거야. 휴.

But it wasn’t the clothes or the choreography. It was the fact that these five women cannot sing, rap, or even dance well. Did you see how far off the spacing of their line was in that simple-ass dance they did?

나라도 노래 더 잘 할 수 있겠다. 진짜. 나 노래방에 들어가서 보여줄께. 휴.

그리고 그 마지막 긴 음을 들었나? 반음 너무 내려서 한 거다. 아니. 사실 다들 그렇게 불렀어.

원더걸즈의 룩과 마케팅은 좋았는데 에진 나오니까 실망이다. 우와. 브리트니 스피어즈보다 공연을 더 못 할 수 있는 거네. ㅋㅋㅋ

*I* can sing better than that. I’m being serious. Really.

Did you hear that last note at the end of the song? FLAT as a middle school girl in a ball gown on the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance. Oops! Wait…they are middle school girls. My bad. What can you expect?

I liked their look and marketing, but…wow. They really, really suck. It’s hard to believe someone can actually such worse than Britney Spears in last week’s VMA performance. But the Wonder Girls definitely do.

.

This is my first time sipping on the Haterade here at FeetManSeoul, but hopefully, it won’t be my last.

I skipped around the celebrity news sites looking for a celebrity in a vomit enducing outfit. However, the photos that struck me the most were ones of 이효리 at this year’s Seoul Drama Awards held in late August.

The resident FMS hater for hire actually starts her first post here with a compliment. I’ll have to spread some first-class hate later on to make up for this!

Hyo-ri looked really nice in this simple dress. Now I would have tweeked a few things, but, no matter, she’s not paying me to style her. She looked good that night.

INews24 - 이효리]

Now this outfit coup is in stark contrast to some of the craptastical outfits of horror we’ve seen her wearing in the recent past. Let’s take a walk down fugly outfit memory lane, shall we?

Good lord, what on earth is going on here? A chain gang runaway with some demented scrap metal haute couture caboose attached with a bow? Oh, nevermind, there is just way too much fug here. Let’s just move on as that photo simply makes me want to claw my eyes out.

Remember this sad imitation of Beyonce’s great outfit? What the hell was Hyo-ri thinking?

Yes, that’s a short and shiny dress with dark tights and shoes – completely WRONG for that hot little dress!

Notice too, that both of these shiteous outfits have stripes. I’d like to be able to say it’s just Hyo-ri and stripes equalling instant doom, but we know there was some horrible styling going on here with both of these get ups.

Craptastic versus fantastic!

Hyo-ri’s outfit is so tragic that scolding your stylist isn’t good enough. You fire the stylist. What makes it worse is how damn great Bey looked. Swing that horse hair weave around Bey and show Hyo-ri how it’s done!

I’m glad Hyo-ri pulled it together for the Seoul Drama Awards. Let’s pray she keeps it up.

INews24 - 이효리]