We’re out in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar Korea!

Known in recent years for his signature “spacesuit” outfit of white clothes and eccentric, spray-on hair antics, it is unfortunate that he wasn’t more revered for having pioneered Korean fashion overseas, bringing western mode to the Korean masses, and for being Korea’s most well-known designer overseas. Michael Jackson asked him to become his personal designer, an offer Designer Kim declined, and he has designed everything from the recent sky blue stewardess uniforms for KAL to his own lines of wedding gowns and dresses — for better or for worse, and no matter what was said about him, Kim was Korea’s premier fashion designer. No Korean designer is or was better known than Andre Kim.

For a more complete picture of Mr. Kim’s life and accomplishments, I direct you to his Wikipedia entry, and encourage you to read the English-language article I wrote up on him after attending one of his fashion shows. Which were, by the way, simply stunning.

I just wanted to put up a quick post to announce the sad news, and to wish Designer Kim a safe journey, wherever he may be going. There is a lot more information on Andre Kim if you Google him — and I trust his true importance to Korean fashion will be emphasized much more in the memorializing coverage that will be coming out over the next few days.

RIP, Andre Kim!

이 건 보람이란 친군데 내 조명 연습을 위해 해준 거다. 이쁘죠? 계속 가끔씩 스튜디오 연습 샷들을 올릴께요.

근데 요즘에 영어로만 블로깅 하니까 눈이랑 머리가 아플 수 있네요? 주로 한국말/영어로 둘다 글을 올리는데 요새 바빠서 그냥 짧게 영어로만 쓰고 글을 올린 건데 계속 뒤로 보면 대부분 한국말로 쓴 거예요.

앞으로도 한국말로도 쓰도록 노력할테니까 우리가 좋은 패션 이야기를 나누면서 친해지자고요!

그리고 한국 스트리트와 패션에 대한 유일한 사진집을 갖고 싶다면 오른 쪽에 The Seoul Fashion Report이란 우리가 만든 사진집을 사시죠! 한국문화, 패션, 또 냄새까지 전해주고 싶다면 딴 이런 사진집이 아에 없습니다. ‘리얼 코리아’이란 선물을 주3! 그 사진집에 대해서 알고 싶으면 마이클 허트이란 저자의 발표를 직접 보시죠!

우리가 열심히 한국패션을 세계에계 소개를 하는 걸 지원해주시는 게 고맙습니다!

와주셔서 감사합니다!

4th International DJ Festival 갔어요? 좋았는데. TINNews에서 나온 가사인데 밑데는 영어로 나온 버전도 있어요.

Recently, we attended the 4th International World DJ Festival to see some fresh fashions and interesting people. We found plenty, and the event has seemed to have become even more popular than even a couple of years ago, when I covered it for my online magazine, Feetmanseoul.com.

Back then, there were costumes and funny clothes to borrow, ample booths full of activities from free, legal tattoos to clothing on sale. The feeling was quite underground, and only those “in the know” were in attendance, which of course, included a lot of international guests.

This time around, things seemed far more commercialized, with even the alternative activities seeming aimed at separating one from one’s money. Of course, it is nice to see a Doc Marten’s store with its own DJ, but then again, it’s a Doc Marten’s store. That’s kind of a pricy booth — compare that to getting a REAL and EDGY tat for absolutely free. I agree — no comparison.

We were treated to a lot of open-minded, fashionable folks, sporting everything from fancy stockings to dresses fashioned after the Union Jack that stands in as the symbol of British rock, as one woman sported it, along with matching electric guitar.

Dress was kind of crazy and eclectic, but didn’t stray too far from the trends. Colorful socks were common, in a way they weren’t just a few years ago, when one had to special order interesting colors from the Internet. Now, they’re all over street stands from Dongdaemun to Myeongdong to Shinchon.

Skirt and minidress lengths are still very, very short, partially enabled for the masses by black and other colored stocking that make the shorter lengths seem more cute than super-sexy. But there IS a lot more skin showing these days, to be sure. For example, I especially liked the look of the young lady in the simple short minidress and red stockings and boots. Simple, but makes a strong statement.

And while we’ve mentioned boots, I still have to note once again how popular and prevalent they are nowadays, even in the summer. Doc Marten’s, or boots inspired by them, are all the rage. One can say that they’ve become a dominant fashion trend — the young ladies in Seoul have come to love them.

Men’s fashion has come a long way as well, as seen in the fitted red suit one attendee was wearing. It reflected a major change on the runways for men these days, with things getting tighter, lines getting slimmer, and moving away from the roomy looks of the past. On the model in question, I love how the suitpants are shorts, along with the red sneakers. SPORTY!

There were a lot of interesting looks to catch, as well as good music marked by a lot of big acts that the crowd seemed to enjoy quite a bit. As I’m not a music expert, I can’t comment on that much, but I will say that the DJ’s and live bands sounded fresh enough to make the crowd move and keep things rocking all night long.

Speaking of which, one complaint I must lodge has to do with crowd handling and the press. Persons with press passes were told that once inside, you were not allowed to leave and re-enter. Now, this is an event going from 2PM until 6AM the next day. Even when covering a 3-4-hour event, the option to leave the venue, eat, edit, or even upload content online. Now, the DJ Festival people only provided a single tent with 2 tables and no Internet or amenities. But then again, we didn’t expect them. It was quite fine without them. Still, not being allowed to leave is not a reasonable rule, especially for members of the press.

I’m 40 years old. I have an oversized camera bag weighing in at over 25 kilos with no secure place to put it, tripod, monopod, and studio flash stand, and other accessories. I’m not complaining — I’m a photographer covering an event. However, I need to shoot for a few hours in the afternoon, leave and do anything from eat real food, take care of business, use the Internet, or even sleep. I might want to cover both daytime and nighttime looks — but I’m not going to stay up 18 hours straight to do it. If anything, I was planning to shoot in the afternoon, leave for dinner, get some sleep, and then return around 3 in the morning to catch the nighttime fun. I’m not a 21-year-old kid with a blanket and book. I’ve got real responsibilities. What if I’m married with a wife and kid? Or a photographer with another deadline? This event needs to be run with a higher regard for the press — we’re not the general public, we have a lot of equipment and responsibilities, and we’re carrying drugs in our bags. And if the problem last year was press passes being given out as journalists were leaving, then simply require a photo ID next time — don’t punish us like we’re teenagers. Because we’re not.

See, despite the good music and girls in short skirts, the press isn’t there for the free tickets. If conditions are similar next year, I won’t be covering this event. I’ll leave it to the press who will tolerate such treatment, such as the reporters for university newspaper photographers and other amateurs.

우리 red hair 가사가 한국말로 나온 거다! TINNews 덕분에.

Red hair has taken over the streets of Seoul. It’s not that everyone has changed to red hair, but those with perms, especially the younger and edgier, are sporting colored hair that is much redder than before.

Actually, I started noticing this about two summers ago. Since I tend to take pictures of people who are more fashion forward than others, I noticed that some of the most edgy girls I was photographing had noticeably redder hair. And this was not just what Koreans call “염색” or the dark maroon or orange color streaking popular from the late-1990s, but really, really red hair.

I mean, like Irish people living in Ireland red hair. I mean bright red, like a Japanese goldfish. Two years ago, the best example I saw was of the young lady wearing a very bright red hair wig. Just last weekend, I saw so many women walking around with the same color, there were too many to count.

One reason I actually like this trend is, unlike many trends that come and go here in Korea, this one actually looks good on Korean women, against Korean skin. I always think that mother nature is the best judge of beauty, and in this case, the trend seems to be in agreement with her. In nature, red hair always appears with very pale skin, and is this time of very little melanin. It’s common in Ireland, for example, and even among African-Americans who are albino, they often have red hair. And a lot of caucasian women in the US and Europe, especially those going for the Goth look or some such, dye their hair jet black and even get hard bangs or perm their hair straight. And it often looks quite good.Or does Dita von Teese look better as a blonde?

Source: The Daily Mail

So is the case with Koreans, who largely have pale skin and look good with this particular shade of hair. This is because it’s simply looks natural, because it is something that already appears in nature. I dislike many cosmetic trends in Korea because they go against nature, especially when it comes to plastic surgery. For example, most Koreans think that the bigger the eyes the better, because this is the message they see from the West, as translated through domestic media. But aesthetically, it is the wrong match for most Korean faces and looks quite unnatural. Simply put, a large Roman nose, round Western eyes, or silicone-enhanced lips usually do not look good on a face that was not made for them. The elements simply don’t match.

But the present trend is an interesting, if accidental, hit. It just looks good. Anyway, much better than dark maroon streaks or blond perms. I’m sure this trend will continue to go mainstream this summer and we will see many more red-headed Koreans walking the streets.

Loved the hair, ladies!

Work it, couples!

Two fashionistas from 2 years ago predict the future.

P.S. I just bought breakfast in the Shinchon McDonald’s and 3 of the 4 female workers were sporting bright red hair, almost as if it were part of the uniform. Trend — officially tipped into mainstream!

You can read the entire story online at the TINNews web site.

The “Korean Street Fashion” column takes a look at the broad variety of actual fashions on the Korean street, from the most quirky and colorful of looks to those that are typical and everyday. We take an anthropological approach to the real looks we see on the street and try to record Korean fashion in all its diversity, and not just in terms of our own ideas of what it “should” be.

We started the afternoon last Saturday in Myeongdong, with my photo class, testing out street portrait shots with multiple flashes. We were actually just entering Myeongdong and hadn’t even set up when we saw this really unique and colorful woman sporting a pink heart purse and heart high heels — could we not stop and shoot?

She and her companion were kind enough to wait for us to set up, meter the ambient light, and start getting our flash settings right. And she was an eager model, as well, full of energy and a great sense of humor.

And we couldn’t neglect the heart-shaped heels. You don’t see these every day.

And there were other interesting folks as the afternoon went on.

But then we bumped into a lovely redhead, who is emblematic of a new trend towards redder perms, and even completely red hair. We blogged about this before a while ago, and I guess we were right. Red hair is IN, and it’s looking good.

You’ll see more examples we picked up over the next few days of Korean redheads roaming the streets. But here’s our first great example of the day.

Awesome. Doesn’t this look better than yellow or bleach-blonde perms? Go red, and go red all the way, I say! Next, we ran into a great example of Korean “frilly fashion,” which is girly and cute, but with typically Korean high hemlines. Demure, but leggy. Reserved, but showy. Very Korean.

Now, here’s an interesting couple, dressed to the nines, looking sharp.

Love the veil. Love the gold-box-as-clutch, love the attitude. Work it!

And you did notice the zebra on the hat, right?

As luck would have it, I then ran into an ex-student of mine and her friend, who were coming back from a wedding. Of course, a perfect opportunity for some formal Korean fashion — but then again, attending weddings in Korea doesn’t require one to be much more formal than one would be by just going out for an evening in Myeongdong.

Very cute portrait, and our flash setup is working well.

I really wanted to get a shot of just my ex-student’s friend, who was sporting a flowery mini-dress and vanilla bolero jacket, which itself was topped off with a big ole’ flower. Very Korean!

I also liked this pair, who looked normal but very Korean. Black tights and short shorts with heels, a feminine mini-dress with signature hiiiiiigh hemline.

But lawd, look at the shoes! Killer.

We kept the variety up with this young lady, who was rocking the very popular “vintage” look, and was as cute as could be. Three completely different patterns all woven into one look — you go, girl!

Then, we ran into Mr. Street Fashion, with custom can rolled into his hair.

See it?

Told ya. Now, here comes a fashionista worth her salt, too.

It’s an interesting look, to say the least.

And exacting makeup standards — she’s in control of reflecting light. And with the flash, it helped to have a flat, matte finish to her skin.

Let’s meet a few more hipsters. The man with the mohawk came up next. Rock it.

Cute couple, eh?

But the most original detail in her whole ensemble was her shoes!!!

And then two young ladies, more on the bohemian side of things.

Another cool couple — the guy is from France, I believe.

And for a change of pace, a young lady rocking typical Korean domestic-style fashion, with bright-yet-earthy tones, layers, and a girly look.

Funnily enough, she really wanted to do a jumping shot, popular in advertising and fashion magazines now. She had quite a bit of energy and did an amazing job! How many times did she jump? 20? 30? It was a pretty fun shoot.

And last, but not least, we meet a woman who seems typical of many women in Myeongdong — effortlessly and endlessly formal, to the point that being dressed up, out and ready to look good no matter when or where.

Shoes…cool.

Fierce! And a good one to end on from our evening stroll through Myeongdong.

The “Korean Street Fashion” column takes a look at the broad variety of actual fashions on the Korean street, from the most quirky and colorful of looks to those that are typical and everyday. We take an anthropological approach to the real looks we see on the street and try to record Korean fashion in all its diversity, and not just in terms of our own ideas of what it “should” be.

We took a trip out to Itaewon a couple weekends ago, just when things were starting to warm up and people were starting to come out of their shells — and thick clothes. Itaewon, being a haven for the parts of Korean society at the fringes — foreigners, gays, and other kinds of Other — always has interesting folks to see. And on the weekend, the street’s always a party!

But Itaewon nights are not just for the edgy and risqué, but for the more reserved as well. We ran into this young lady, who leans more on the more reserved and demure side of Korean everyday fashion. For me, it’s all about ribbons, peachy colors, and the summer minidress. I wish she hadn’t been in such a rush and had more time to photograph.

Last but not least, we ran into a couple of colorful girls, who were quite happy to pose before going off to a night of clubbing.

I also liked their colorful kicks.

The  “Korean Street Fashion” column takes a look at the broad variety of actual fashions on the Korean street, from the most quirky and colorful of looks to those that are typical and everyday. We take an anthropological approach to the real looks we see on the street and try to record Korean fashion in all its diversity, and not just in terms of our own ideas of what it “should” be.

Lately, I’ve been trying to improve my street fashion photography techniques by bringing more of the studio to the street. Still, it’s hard because to walk around the city all day with large backs and stands without eventually putting my back out. I’m also trying longer lens lengths, rather than simply using my wide-angle lens. The results are quite interesting, especially with this vintage-girly-cool look that is quite popular these days, but which I thought the young lady above pulled off quite well. And as you know, the Converse-stockings-and mini-skirts continue to be all the rage here.

A young lady crossing the street turned out to be more than just another Korean high schooler hiking her skirt up. Actually, the reason she caught our eye is because her uniform was designed like this, as the uniform for a new performing arts high school here in Seoul, the Hanlim Multi Arts High School (한림연예예술고등학교). Not only is the uniform designed to be cute and in keeping with contemporary trends, the student informed us that the uniform itself was fashioned by a famous designer. The young lady in the picture is training to be a musical artist, that being someone who sings, dances, and performs in musicals. Good for her!

Indeed, a cute and smart uniform! Much more tasteful than the traditional uniforms than those the students are simply blindly hiking up artificially, usually by simply rolling them up higher than regulation.

Our second street fashion article has come out in the Textile Industry News’ print edition, as well as online!

The “Real Korean Street Fashion” column takes a look at the broad variety of actual fashions on the Korean street, from the most quirky and colorful of looks to those that are typical and everyday. We judge real Korean street fashion in terms of real looks on the street, as they are, without being filtered by narrow and biased definitions of certain kinds of styles. We take Korean fashion for what it is, not just our own ideas of what it “should” be.

These two young ladies were the first we stopped last week outside the Sookmyung Women’s University gate, since they were just so darn colorful and perky. When asked what style they were rocking, they simply replied, “Spring!” Of course, there’s the “vintage” trend that’s going around, but that’s not what they said were sporting, although it may have influenced their choices. Still, they were conveying a mood, not just a “look.” And kudos to them.

These days, there’s a lot of casual shoes mixed with extra-girly feminine frills, with lace and ribbons showing up a lot for kitschy effect. “Vintage” materials and patterns are all the rage, along with colored socks worn with sandals or open-toed heels.

Countering — or going along with — the extra-cutesy, demure look are decidedly high hemlines. Hemlines are high and been getting higher over the past few years, and it looks to be one of the shortest hemline seasons ever.

Here are two other young ladies with a similar set of influences, ones quite popular over the past year. I really like this portrait a lot because of the studio-like lighting we used to light the girls.

Socks and sandals! I was always told to avoid this, but I guess things have changed. Here’s some more colorful shoeware:

From a most cool lady.

We liked her simple look with the t-shirt and headphones, but also her simple “me” statement with the canvas shoes.

Then we came across a whole crew of young Sookmyung students, who were all indicative of what’s popular on many streets here. I really wanted to light these girls right, and without brightening up the foreground too much. Hence, I shot high off the camera instead of low, where the camera was.

Our favorite member was channeling a lot of popular trends these days, especially with her skirt. Rocking it with the patent leather (pleather?) jacket, it’s a cheeky contrast with the hyper-girly below. Very Madonna, circa Who’s That Girl, eh? Well, kinda. ㅋㅋ

Jung Hun Jong’s show was solid, as it is every season, full of bright colors and richness of color. His designs channel the Korean traditional hanbok dress into sophisticated cocktail dresses and gowns. As with every designer, we have the entire F/W 10-11 collection online as a Flickr set, as well as the entire set as a slideshow.

Yang Hee Deuk didn’t do a full, main runway show at Seoul Fashion Week this year, but he did put on quite an impressive, smaller-scale presentation that displayed some pretty cool, retro-inspired looks this year. The thing that stands out about Yang Hee-deuk is the detail and high-quality work that goes into his designs. Watch the fur and leopard prints and fanciness fly all over the runway.

As with all of our shows, the entire photo set of the show is available through Flickr, along with a slick slideshow that allows you to just click on or just send the link, and the show starts right up. In the meantime, below are a few picture highlights of the show.

]]> http://www.feetmanseoul.com/2010/04/10/seoul-fashion-week-fw-2010-11-yang-hee-deuk-runway/feed/ 0 http://www.feetmanseoul.com/2010/04/08/fms-shoots-seoul-fashion-week-for-tinnews/ http://www.feetmanseoul.com/2010/04/08/fms-shoots-seoul-fashion-week-for-tinnews/#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:06:43 +0000 FMS http://www.feetmanseoul.com/?p=4620 Our pictures, which are being used in our partnership with TINNnews, were nicely laid out, big and wide, in their print edition. Looks NICE!

TINNews, the textile industry newspaper for Korean fashion, has been using a lot of our shots from FMS himself and our site. Our partnership is going well!