Pigling and Her Proud Sister
The Korean Cinderella Story
Broad Research
Hanbok appear not to have changed very much over time - in many ways, this felt like the easiest clothing to understand of the ones I researched.
Karl Lagerfeld’s cruise 2015 collection for Chanel took inspiration from Hanbok - exhibitied here in the sleeves. Children’s hanbok often have brightly colored striped sleeves like these.
Christian Dior, Spring/Summer 2011 featured a gown styled very much like the chima, or skirt, portion of hanbok, but without the jeogori.
Hanbok interpretation by Korean designer Lee Young-hee. The short jeogori references the bare-breasted jeogori seen in photographs above.
Photographs show very similar styles to what I found in Korean artwork, but both the photographs and the art are from the late 19th to early 20th century. This is around the same time that the story I used, Pigling and Her Proud Sister, was translated into English.
Contemporary Korean art featuring hanbok have kept the same silhouette, with a very short jeogori (jacket) and very full skirt starting high on the waist or at chest level.
This design is from a spread in Vogue Korea, 2012.
Contemporary Interpretations
Hanbok are commonly worn for weddings and ceremonial occasions in Korea, but young Korean women are also finding ways to bring hanbok designs into a more everyday context that works for the 21st century.
There are groups of young Korean people who dress in hanbok all the time, ranging from the very traditional to garments personalized in a wide variety of much more modern ways. Hanbok rental shops offer tourists and enthusiasts the opportunity to wear hanbok for a short period of time while visiting South Korea.
Design
Pigling’s clothes for the gala are described as snow-white. I wanted to find ways to introduce texture and interest while maintaining an all white look. White is historically a common color for clothing in Korea, and is associated with integrity, purity, and honesty. These are all characteristics that are pervasive across most Cinderella characters.
The fabrics in Pigling’s hanbok, I decided, should not be too luxurious - while these are her nice clothes, they are not magical or for a very formal event. I liked the layers in this chima, which are made of ramie rather than more luxurious fabric like silk.
The idea of sheer fabrics is always very appealing to me, and this lends itself to being able to enjoy all the layers of the chima more.
Rendering for Pigling. I discovered too late that red shoes are actually worn by married women - Pigling’s shoes should be white or light blue.