Jeogori
' or ' is a basic upper garment of the, a traditional Korean garment, which has been worn by both men and women. Men usually wear the with a baji or pants while women wear the with chima, or skirts. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.
Etymology
The has been worn since ancient times and went by a variety of names such as,, and in the Three Kingdoms period.Although it is unknown when the term began to be used to refer to the garment, it is assumed to have appeared in the late Goryeo period around King Chungnyeol's reign. The first historical document to mention the is in the of Queen Wongyeong, which was a funeral ceremony for carrying the coffin out of the palace. The document written in 1420 during the second reign of Sejong the Great records and . However, it is not clear whether the record is a hanja transliteration of a Korean word or Mongolian influence. Before the Goryeo period, such an upper garment was referred to as in Silla. As the was a transliteration of the Silla language, dialect forms such as and still remain to present.
Composition
Traditionally, a is made out of leather, woolen fabrics, silk, hemp or ramie. Modern Korean designers sometimes use other materials such as lace. There are several types of ' according to fabric, sewing technique, and shape.The basic form of a consists of, ', ', and sleeves : the is the large section of the garment in both front and back side and ' is a band of fabric that trims the collar. The is a removable white collar placed over the end of the git and is generally squared off. The are coat strings attached to the breast part to tie the '. Women's may have, a different coloured cuff placed on the end of the sleeves. The form of ' has been changed as time goes by.
History
The indigenous attire of the Korean people belongs to the Northern lineage, with a basic structure consisting of trousers and jeogori. In particular, the jeogori exhibits characteristics common to Northern-style clothing, such as a straight collar and narrow sleeves.The actual appearance of the jeogori from ancient times can be observed in Goguryeo tomb murals dating from the 4th to 6th centuries. The jeogori depicted in these murals is distinctive: it is long enough to reach below the waist and is secured with a belt. It features borders made of a contrasting fabric along the narrow sleeve cuffs, hemline, collar, and front panels.
Another notable characteristic is the lack of a strict distinction between the jeogori and the po; simply extending the length of the jeogori would effectively transform it into a po. These features were common across the Three Kingdoms.
The original silhouette for banbok shared similarities with the clothing of the ancient nomadic people of Eurasia due to the cultural exchanges that ancient Koreans had with the Scythians. The ancient had an open form, a collar which crossed to the left, narrow sleeves, and was hip-length which were similar features found in the Scythian clothing-style. Some ancient also had a front central closure similar to a kaftan; this form of with a central closure is mostly found during the Goguryeo period and was worn by people of lower status.
After a period in which both left-side and right-side closures were used interchangeably, the treatment of the front overlapping panel was standardized to the right-side closure during the Joseon Dynasty.
The change in collars direction from right-to-left to left-over-right, along with the use of wide sleeves, which are found in some jackets and coats were due ancient Chinese influences; these Chinese influences on the are reflected and depicted in Goguryeo paintings.
The Top of the Ruling class of Silla was influenced from Chinese fashions of Tang influence in the Silla Dynasty by Kim Chun-Chu. But the most commoners wore only a style of indigenous distinct from that of the Ruling class of Silla.
During the Goryeo period, the Tang-influenced style of wearing the skirt over the top started to fade, leading to the revival of the native Goguryeo style within the aristocrat class. And became shorter, with slimmer sleeves.
Joseon
In the Joseon Period, lengths and style fluctuated depending on current fashion and social standing.In the 16th century, women's were long, wide, and covered the waist. The length of women's gradually shortened. A or was worn to cover the chest. This was to fit in style with a large wig and skirt.