The end of “Fashion month,” with Seoul Fashion week showcasing the creativity of countless Korean designers, is upon us! Temperatures are slowly dropping, and it is now time to prepare our closets for the Winter with more practical Winter clothes. If you want to stay in style but are still trying to figure out the right Korean winter fashion, this article is for you!
Today, we are going through the most popular Winter items. Some come and go, and some have only just appeared, but they all have something in common: everyone wears them!
Like many other foreigners in Korea, I used to visit websites such as Yesstyle and G-market to find my trendy items. But after 4 years, I can show you which retailers are the most popular in Korean fashion. We will go through what they sell and what their best-sellers are.
Which Korean Fashion retailer should I trust?
Granted, Korea has an overwhelming number of clothing stores, department stores, malls, underground boutiques, etc. It would be almost impossible to list them all; therefore, we will go with the staple. With this super-store, you can never go wrong, and you will always be right on trend if that is your wish!
NAVER SHOPPING
I would have never guessed it before, but Naver’s shopping section is one of the top destinations for quick and easy shopping, as it compiles thousands of brands in one space. One of the best features is that you can see the current search rankings to know what piece of clothing (or style) is most popular for the season.
What Items Should I Search For?
On Naver Shopping, the current trend is heavily influenced by the weather. As we can see, the top 2 trendy items are naturally “knitted dresses” and “winter dresses.”
In the Menswear section, the searches show that padded coats, trench coats, and long coats are the top trends.
Womenswear: popular knitted dresses
This cashmere ribbed knit long dress is one of the best sellers on Naver shopping. Its straight and flowy shape covering most of the body is popular and found in most fashion stores in Seoul.
The same style is seen on multiple occasions with small variations: this collar knit dress also sports a straight shape, although it has a slightly more curved silhouette and a flaring at the bottom. It is a more feminine take on the knit dress with just as much coverage.
Womenswear: popular Winter dresses
In terms of Winter dresses, there are clear winners in Best Selling. Comfort, be it at the office or home, is at the top of the list. Take a look at the top-reviewed winter dresses on 11st.
In these cases, the mid-length A-line dress is also quite a popular feature. For office or dressed-up events, they add a feminine touch to a simple outfit. The variations are mostly in the fabrics and details: you can find simple cotton dresses, but you can also find them in tweed or silk, depending on the brands.
Colors vary but stay neutral: Navy blue, black, beige, and white are overwhelmingly popular, especially in the Fall/Winter season. It is possible, however, to find the occasional blush Pink for the ultimate feminine look. Patterns, unless they’re extremely simple, are almost inexistent.
Womenswear (bonus): cozy sweaters
Although there is a clear category of items that have stolen the show since the beginning of Autumn, not everyone wears them. The next items on the list, even though it is far behind in terms of popularity, should be given time to shine: sweatshirts!
One thing I have noticed about Korean fashion trends in the Winter is that people do not fuss about it: it’s either “full glam” or the epitome of comfort, which is why sweatshirts follow the iconic Winter dress in the ranking for most popular items.
Source: Gmarket
These two sweatshirt styles from Gmarket are the Best Sellers in their category. Cozy, fluffy long sleeves are perfect for hanging out at a cafe on the weekend or…at work! Yes, you have read me right: many companies, often start-ups, authorize clothing such as sweatshirts and slippers in the office as they value comfort, especially during long work days. As a former office worker, this was one of my favorite attributes of Korean companies.
Therefore, the keyword “COZY” is easily identifiable for this season.
Menswear: popular padded coats
For many K-drama fans, these padded coats are recognizable as staples of Korean Menswear during Winter. Seen in the famous drama Gobelin and many others, these mid-length coats are loved for their streamlined shape, strong shoulders, and elegant designs.
These more casual padded jackets closely follow these coats. They are warm and comfortable while staying thin and compact. These coats often climb to the top of the searches depending on the temperatures, so they often replace the typically padded coats for men.
It is impossible not to mention the famous puffer jacket when looking at Winter trends in Korea. Every year, without missing a beat, brands such as the North Face, National Geographic, FILA, and many more release new and improved versions of the iconic puffer jacket. Sometimes falling to the ankles, its most popular version is the short one, more compact and easy to wear.
How to Complete Your Purchase on Naver Shopping
NAVER Shopping is convenient because it combines multiple brands and shopping platforms. Thanks to its configuration, customers can compare prices and shipping fees to make the best decision, rather than having to visit multiple online shops. In other cases, the customers are automatically taken to the brand’s website to finalize the purchase.
To check out, NAVER is quite simple. Once the best option is chosen, customers are taken to check out, where they can enter their shopping information and payment method the traditional way. If you do not speak Korean, you can always use the Google Translate feature (by right-clicking the page and selecting “Translate”) for a rough translation of the page that will facilitate the process. Of course, it will not be perfect, but enough to get you to the finish line!
For those who have lived in Korea for a while, you might already have NAVER Pay or KakaoPay. Those platforms already have your payment and shipping information saved, which makes the payment even easier!
What Are The Color Palettes?
One thing about Koreans is that they know how to stay elegant in any season: the trends privilege neutral colors and streamlined designs. Therefore, you will rarely see flashy or neon colors. Rather, you will notice that many will wear Black, Beige, Brown, and Gray during Fall and Winter. If more intense colors are included, they will include Navy Blue, Sky Blue, Emerald Green, Olive Green, and Burgundy.
Now that you know where and what to search for, you are ready to shop for Korean Winter trends like a professional! Of course, we always recommend sticking to what works for you in terms of colors, but it is also nice to sometimes feel on-trend. That is the fun of Fashion, after all!
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