The jeogori is a basic upper garment of the hanbok, a traditional Korean garment, which has been worn by both men and women. Men usually wear the jeogori with a baji or pants while women wear the jeogori with chima, or skirts. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.
Etymology
The jeogori has been worn since ancient times and went by a variety of names such as yu, boksam, and uihae in the Three Kingdoms period. Although it is unknown when the term jeogori began to be used to refer the garment, it is assumed to have appeared in the late Goryeo period around King Chungnyeol's reign. The first historical document to mention the jeogori is Cheongjeonui for Queen Wongyeong, which was a funeral ceremony for carrying the coffin out of the palace. The document written in 1420 during the second reign of Sejong the Great records jeokgori and danjeokgori. However, it is not clear whether the record is a hanja transliteration of a Korean word or Mongolian influence. Before the Goryeo period, such an upper garment was referred to as "uihae" in Silla. As the uihae was a transliteration of the Silla language, dialect forms such as uti and uchi still remain to present.
Composition
Traditionally, a Jeogori is made out of silk, hemp or ramie. Modern Korean designers sometimes use other materials such as lace. The basic form of a Jeogori consists of gil, git, dongjeong, goreum and sleeves somae. Gil is the large section of the garment in both front and back side and git is a band of fabric that trims the collar. Dongjeong is a removable white collar placed over the end of the git and is generally squared off. The goreum are coat strings attached to the breast part to tie the jeogori. Women's jeogori may have kkeutdong, a different colored cuff placed on the end of the sleeves. The form of jeogri has been changed as time goes by. There are several types of jeogori according to fabric, sewing technique, and shape.
History
The earliest known depictions of the jeogori are on Goguryeo murals. The original silhouette for jeogori came from Chinese Tang influence in the Silla Dynasty. Previously in Korea, jackets were worn over bottom garments. Like clothing in the Tang dynasty, tops became shorter, and were tucked into bottoms. During the Koryo Period, jeogori became shorter, with slimmer sleeves. In the Joseon Period, jeogori lengths and style fluctuated depending on current fashion and social standing. In the 16th century, women's jeogori were long, wide, and covered the waist. The length of women's jeogori gradually shortened: they were approximately 65 cm in the 16th century, 55 cm in the 17th century, 45 cm in the 18th century, and 28 cm in the 19th century, with some as short as 14.5 cm. A heoritti or jorinmal was worn to cover the breasts. The trend of wearing a short jeogori with a heoritti was started by the gisaeng and soon spread to women of the upper class. Among women of the common and lowborn classes, a practice emerged in which they revealed their breasts after childbirth to proudly indicate that they had given birth to a son, i.e., a male heir.
Modern Styles
In contemporary Korea, the sumptuary laws within different social classes were lifted and colors, decorations, and fabrics that were exclusive to the upper classes were open to all classes. This allowed for the growth of diverse traditional design elements in hanbok styles. However, in the 20th and 21st centuries, traditional Korean clothing has not been worn every day by most people. Hanbok became more reserved for special events, such as ceremonial or bridal wear, which carries onto current time. During their own engagement celebrations, women may wear pink jeogori. After they are married, women may wear indigo jeogori. Additionally, modern silhouettes are commonly slimmer and more simplified then historical styles.
