Korean Dramas And Their Iconic Fashion Styles

IMAGE: Netflix/Crashing Landing On You/It's Okay to Not Be Okay...illustration by Bacs Arcebal

Korean dramas have become increasingly popular since the beginning of the pandemic. Numerous dramas have become global hits ever since Netflix began streaming and producing Korean dramas like It's Okay to Not Be Okay and Itaewon Class. 

In 2020, there are dramas full of personalities and intense plots, but let's not forget the visuals! Dramas in recent years have brought us fashion icons that I aspire to be. 

Let's take a look at the amazing fashion in Korean dramas during recent years.

IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY

Seo Ye-Ji plays the main female lead, Moon-Young, a famous children's book author. In this drama, we follow the love story between Moon-Young and Gang-Tae, a health worker at a psychiatric hospital. 

This drama quickly attracted a ton of buzz exploring issues of mental health with an all-star cast.

Our heroine captures the audience with her unique personality and amazing fashion. 

She takes classic outfits and adds spice to them! She often shows up in a business-like vibe and adds a unique flair to each outfit. 

On the left, she's seen wearing a monochromatic baby blue cropped blazer and a mini skirt set.

And on the right, she's wearing a black leather blazer mini dress with black thigh high socks.

She adds a bit of sexiness to these outfits while still looking sophisticated. She definitely brings the bad boss vibe in every scene. 

I was also particularly obsessed with this ensemble she wore in episode three. She's always so unapologetically over the top with her outfits. She wears the biggest frills and poofs, paired with unique accessories like the brown leather corset-like belt.

These are just a few of the unique outfits she wears in the drama. I have loved every single one. 

BACKSTREET ROOKIE

Backstreet Rookie follows Choi Dae-Hyun (Ji Chang-Wook), who manages his family-owned convenience store, and a young girl named Jung Saet-Byul (Kim Yoo-Jung) who applies for a part-time job at his store. It's a sweet romance between two co-workers. 

Jung Saet-Byul played by Kim Yoo-Jung is our female protagonist. She works at the convenience store with Dae-Hyun. She stylized herself in fun, different outfits in multiples episodes: from baggy jumpers to a fitted mini dress. 

I love the retro-inspired looks she wears throughout the show! She brings collared crewnecks and ribbed polo knit looks back. 

ITAEWON CLASS

Itaewon Class is an insanely popular Korean drama that came out last year. It became a global sensation and was named one of the "The Best Korean Drama on Netflix" by Time Magazine. 

Google Korea also listed the series as the first most searched piece of entertainment in 2020.

The story follows Park Sae-Ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon), who overcomes a series of struggles to achieve his dream. 

One of the main characters and main love interest of Park Sae-Ro-Yi is Jo Yi-Seo, played by Kim Da-Mi. She is a social media star and genius that helps him attain his dream.

Jo Yi-Seo is bringing grunge back! She is an intelligent, sassy, and incredibly expressive personality in the show and her clothes reflect that. She is unafraid of showing off her style and pairs together unconventional colors, patterns, and materials. 

I have loved every single leather look she has worn in the show, and it makes my past high school emo heart sing.

It's modern-day grunge, and I am living for it. 

CRASH LANDING ON YOU

Crash Landing On You is another global sensation that hit streaming platforms television last year. It is the highest-rated tvN drama and the third highest-rated South Korean TV drama in cable television history.

Yoon Se-Ri (Son Ye-Jin), a successful entrepreneur and heiress, crash-land into North Korean territory during a paragliding accident. A North Korean army captain, Ri Jeong-Hyeok (Hyun Bin), finds her and decides to save her. 

We follow their Romeo-Juliet love story and her journey back to South Korea.

I watched this Korean drama in less than a week and cried my heart out. The chemistry between the main leads isn't the only unforgettable moments of this drama. 

Both female leads, Se-Ri and Seo Dan (second female lead) are dressed to the nines in this drama. 

Se-Ri and Seo Dan know how to bring bad boss vibes to the office or just any place they want to be. Their outfits scream, "the main character". 

On the left, Se-Ri is wearing a collared shirt, under a blazer knee-length dress with tall white leather boots. A group of men follows behind her as she leads with her power boss atmosphere. 

Then we see Seo Dan on the right, with her floor-length black coat and her all-white two-piece set with a small black clutch. It's a type of outfit that makes everyone want to stop and stare, wondering, "who is she?"  

The two also embrace color with their statement clothing items.

Se-Ri wears a monochromatic canary yellow set with black tights and matching colored pumps. She's perfectly matched with Ri Jeong-Hyok's simple brown-black look. The perfect couple!

Seo Dan wears an all-white ensemble with a statement orange-pink patterned dress under her white trench coat. Her impacting print patterns really reflect her strong personality.

I love how they can go from business boss looks to daring colorful ensembles. We love versatile women. 

THE BEAUTY INSIDE

The Korean drama, The Beauty Inside, is a love story of Han Se-Kye (Seo Hyun-Jin), an A-list actress whose appearance changes every month due to some mysterious phenomenon. 

She falls in love with Seo Do-Jae (Lee Min-Ki), an executive director of an airline company suffering from prosopagnosia, face blindness. 

I will not be focusing on the main lead, but a supporting actress, Lee Da-Hee. Lee Da-Hee plays Kang Sa-Ra who is the step-sister of Seo Do-Jae. She owns her own airline and is a business rival with her own stepbrother. 

Kang Sa-Ra has never failed to show up in a completely decked-out look. She is an incredibly fierce and independent woman. Although she isn't the main lead of the drama, her amazing fashion sense makes your eyes naturally follow her on the screen.

Every outfit was sophisticated yet over-the-top. I am so in love with all of the different patterns she has worn in the show. From tweed, snake, and polka-dotted outfits, and from sexy fitted looks to poofy and femme two-piece sets.

Her outfits really bring another level of confidence to her atmosphere! 

HOTEL DEL LUNA

In the past, Korean drama fashion has always been sweet, femme, and casual, until IU came in with her stunning outfits in the Korean drama, Hotel del Luna.

Hotel del Luna is set in a supernatural hotel that is only visible to ghosts who aren't ready to pass on Earth. Jang Man-Wol (IU) is the hotel owner. Her soul is bound to the hotel due to a crime she committed. 

Chan-Sung (Yeo Jin-Goo) becomes the general manager because of a deal his father made with Jang Man-Wol. 

We follow the story of these two and the ghosts that pass through.

Every single outfit in Hotel del Luna steals the scene! Jang Man-Wol wears the fanciest and most extravagant outfits and unapologetically outshines everyone no matter what she does. 

Rumors say that her clothes in the first six episodes alone cost over ten million won or around 8,500 US dollars. 

Her looks go beyond any time and occasion. She pulls off outfits from the 1900s to the modern-day twenty-first century. I'm in love with the creativity and daringness of IU's character. 

If only I could dress this extravagantly daily. 

These are just a few dramas that stood out to me in regards to fashion and style. I felt that there were quite unique in comparison to most Korean dramas. Some were just some styles that I liked and wanted to wear.

Are there any styles or looks you've seen in Korean dramas that you're obsessed with? Let me know in the comments below.