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.