Men in Dresses
This post is from 2023 but since many of you have not read every single post we felt you could benefit from a repeat...
Judy: I've now watched a few Kdramas that are set in the Joseon Period and I've come to appreciate what the men wear! Of course the nobility wears especially nice clothes; typically luscious colors of silk in either a kaftan kind of look or the 'dresses' I've shown below. But, in addition to nobility, even the palace guards wear stylish clothes. Men's clothes usually consists of a crossover top and a mid calf 'skirt' with some sort of leggings below and boots that look kind of like uggs. For palace guards they are all the same color depending on their jobs; it probably helps when they get into fights so they can identify the 'good' guys' versus the 'bad' guys. These dresses look very manly and athletic because they provide lots of movement to the men and swish about when fighting.
You can spot the palace guards because their hats are different than others & frequently sport feathers. Again, I believe that these slight differences in clothing signify different things in their society such as class or status.
Most men wear long hair with a topknot. The hat shown here is a 'classic' look for the hip Joseon man. It consists of 2 parts; a mesh headband that is worn above the brow and keeps the hair very tidy. Then, the wide brimmed hat (called a Gat) is added on top at a forward tilt and tied under the neck. These hats are made of a stiff netting material and will oftentimes have a beaded ornamental tie that hangs loose.
Couple these great Man Dresses with the Women's Hanboks and you've got some beautiful clothes....lots of color and beautiful fabrics!
2026 Update: Most of you are now familiar with the Gat thanks to Kpop Demon Hunters. Just know that the Kdrama Gmamas were ahead of the game...
I know this borders on heresy, but my latest crush in a skirt stars in a Cdrama. It’s set in a fictional dynasty but mirrors the Song Dynasty that ruled from 960-1279. The lead actor, Zhang Linghe, can rock a skirt better than any Kdrama actor I’ve seen. If you watch it, you will be smitten and you will agree with me! ~ Pat
During the Joseon Dynasty, the Gat was more than just a hat.
It could show a man’s social status, and its size and shape changed with status.
It was made from horsehair and very thin pieces of bamboo.
Most men started wearing a Gat after they got married and became adults.
So, a Gat could tell you a lot about who the man was.