Journal — Hanbok
Which hanbok color looks best in photos?
Standing in front of the racks at the rental shop, almost everyone asks me the same thing: which color should I pick? Here's what I tell them.
Yong-Kwon Jeong
Founder & Chief Photographer, Aurea Studio
My short answer: the one you love
I don't push a particular color. Pink and light blue are by far the most popular choices, but part of the charm of hanbok is that you can wear the color or design you like best, whatever your skin tone. There isn't a color I'd tell you to avoid at the palace, either.
If you want to know what suits you, the most reliable answer comes from the staff at the rental shop I take you to. They dress people all day. So pick a color you like, then ask them what works for you and the mood you're after.
Does skin tone matter?
A little. In general, people with darker skin tend to look great in strong or deep colors. But that's a tendency, not a rule. The choice is still yours.
Couples, families and friends
My advice is to wear different colors, not identical ones. For a couple, matching your colors or designs to some degree looks lovely. For a family, the prettiest photos come from a range of colors that aren't too far apart from each other.
Seasons and weather
In autumn, warm colors tend to suit the palace. The rest of the year the season doesn't really change what I'd suggest, and neither does whether you shoot in the morning or the afternoon.
The weather is a different story. On a cloudy day there's no sunlight falling on you, so strong colors look better. If you go for low-saturation colors on both top and skirt on a grey day, the hanbok loses a lot of its presence in the photos.
Two things I'd skip
- Lots of cheap gold. Traditional hanbok almost never has flashy gold or ribbons, so designs covered in them don't look traditional. Hanbok is at its most beautiful when it's neat, simple and elegant.
- Sneakers showing under the skirt. If you could change one thing, it's this. More than a few guests have been disappointed to see their sneakers in the photos. If your skirt is on the short side and your shoes show, wear traditional shoes (gomusin) instead.
Wondering whether to book a morning or an afternoon slot? I compare the two here, with photos from both.