What to wear in South Korea

What to wear?  I have too many clothes!!!

I decided to break this up into two blog posts. One for what to wear, and one for what to pack.
Gents you're pretty much on your own, but it's not too hard to figure out. 
Most of the men pay attention to their attire and always look nice - even in 90° degree temperature and 98% humidity~ have fun ^_^

This is pretty much your only example, men.

As for me- boy oh boy did I learn a lesson on my last trip! 

When I went to Korea in 2013 I learned a very important lesson. Jeans and black shoes/boots are NOT the way to go. Not with the humidity, not to mention I was wearing the wrong clothes for the culture too. Although no one said anything, I personally felt disrespectful. 

I found so many blogs I could refer to about packing …. For Europe. The good news is if we want to know what to wear to London or France for a year there are lots of pages we can refer to. I even found one for China. Even so, China is not Korea. Not to mention China has such a vast land coverage that their climate alters vastly. So that wasn’t going to help me.

The great thing about Korea is that it truly boasts four distinct seasons. This is also a giant pain for someone who will be there for a year, packing wise. Their summers are very hot, very humid, and it often rains. In other words: Welcome to monsoon season sweetie.

Fall and spring are much more pleasant and enjoyable and winter is…. 

Bloody hell - I HATE SNOW! 

 I grew up in Wyoming where we had 6+ month arctic snowy winters. 

This is why where I live now is pretty great. I don’t mind the rain, the cold sucks, but HEY very little snow~ Now I am going to South Korea where I get an icy reminder of my childhood torment from mother nature. 

The good news is the winters in Korea only last 3-4 months. I can deal with that. (I hope)

For now I have to focus on that fantastic South Korean summer, or as my Korean friends refer to it "Oh my god it is so hot I hate it-"

This store really ... took most of my money

When I went in 2013 I made a mistake in the clothing I brought, and just kept with my normal wardrobe. That was a big mistake. Mainly because I didn’t not realize the extent of the humidity and I really didn’t have anything suitable.  I have spent the last 2 years rectifying that.

What to wear

In the humid summer heat light clothing is best. Jersey knit holds in heat, as does black jeans. – lesson learned, hey!… It’s what I had. I wanted to be culturally appropriate, but I managed to do this backwards by covering my legs and showing my chest- Not intentionally!!

*Outfits like these are best for the heat, as well as being culturally appropriate. It is important to cover the chest area (for females) and the back is considered sexy.

The one in red although it is not necessarily inappropriate, it shows the shoulders, and halters are considered somewhat inappropriate. **This is just what I have heard I am not 100% on this. 

However, feel free to wear short shorts or skirts as they are more acceptable.

Culturally appropriate examples:

 

Culturally inappropriate

Something that shows off a lot of chest (which is difficult, because I have a rather large one) or back is not the best thing. Something that looks like the average cute outfit  around L.A.  in the summer probably wouldn’t be looked at the same way in South Korea.

 These outfits are right at home in L.A. I love the LBD - however I know very well that it is NOT okay to dress like this in Seoul. 

My problem is I LOVE CLOTHES. I already know I have too much. If I had an operating sewing machine I would be in SO much trouble. 

I have about 4 dresses 2 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of shorts, 4 bras,  5 shirts too many tank tops undergarments a couple pairs of socks (because I can buy more there if needed.

However, I know what's going to happen. I will be asked how I am doing and the truth with be