Exhibition view of Lee Young Hee Retrospective (Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

Designer‘s endeavors to modernize traditional Korean costume on display in Seoul

A retrospective of designer Lee Young-hee traces the iconic hanbok designer‘s four-decade quest to modernize the Korean traditional costume and promote it in the global fashion stage.

(Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

From traditional hanbok style, consisting of a short bolero-style blouse and a full skirt, to contemporary evening gowns that are reminiscent of hanbok’s restricted use of colors and delicate silhouettes, some 100 of Lee’s hanbok creations are on display at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul until Oct. 9.

“I have kept in mind the motto ‘hanbok should change as the world changes,’” said Lee at the press guided tour of the exhibition last week.

Lee, 79, has been on the frontline to promote hanbok in the global fashion world. She is the first Korean hanbok designer to showcase her creations at pret-a-porter collections in Paris in 1993.

Lee Young-hee (Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

Dress made to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations (Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

From the very start of her career -- in 1976 when she launched her own label at age 40, her vision was clear -- ”modern hanbok.“
When a typical hanbok consisted of a blouse and a skirt in vivid colors, she used rarely-used colors such as gray, while keeping the design classic. The gray hanbok dresses earned her success, drawing huge popularity in the 1980s. Seven pieces of hanbok in light gray to black are on display at the exhibition, along with her other creations, private collections of patched fabrics and old hanbok robes.

"Clothes of Wind” by Lee Young-hee (Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

One of Lee‘s most radical attempts was to get rid of the blouse and present the skirt as a strapless dress. The strapless hanbok gown, first presented in Paris in 1994, became sensational with its elegant roomy silhouette that allows freedom of movement for a female body. A French fashion journalist of Le Mond named the gown “clothes of wind.”

“People ask me where I get ideas for new design and color. No one taught me about hanbok. I learned it from original forms of hanbok, their colors and accessories,” Lee said.

On display includes her source of inspirations - collections of patched fabrics, hair accessories, floral shoes and traditional socks. They have been on permanent display at Lee’s private museum in New York “Lee Young Hee Korea Museum,” established in 2004.
Full dresses, presented at diplomatic events overseas, best-represent her reinterpretation of Korean tradition.

Shown at the Haute Couture show at the Embassy of Switzerland in Paris in 2012, the “Shin Yun Bok” dress, inspired by the 18th century Portrait of a Beauty by Joseon painter Shin Yun-bok, presents a black-and-white contrast in the fabric and collar, successfully elevating the long-loved image of traditional beauty of Joseon to a contemporary elegance.

“Shin Yun Bok Dress” by Lee Young-hee (Maison de LEE YOUNG HEE)

Another dress made to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the diplomatic relation between South Korea and France also highlights Korean sophistication, expressed through delicate embroidery that run down on the front side of the outer garment and sheer pink fabric.

Ticket prices range from 5,000 won for children, 10,000 for students and 12,000 won for adults. Guided tours in Korean are available at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. For English guided tour, contact, info@suumproject.com.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)