THE JOURNAL

All photographs by Mr Adam Katz Sinding
Five take-homes from Seoul Fashion Week.
As Seoul Fashion Week kicked off earlier this week, the streets of Gangnam and Myeongdong might have been cold and intermittently snowy, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the fashion crowd who descended on the city. Seoul has a reputation for wild and unfettered exuberance when it comes to street style, but the reality is much more varied than peacocking fashion editors and children dressed in frighteningly expensive streetwear. Look a tiny bit harder and you’ll find a veritable hotbed of refined style that is well worth taking note of. From expert layering to subtle colour play, Seoul’s got soul in bucketfuls. Scroll down to see our favourite menswear looks from the week.
COATS II: THE SEQUEL

We’ve seen a number of people this season wearing two coats at once (no doubt enabled by Balenciaga, fashion’s de facto bellwether), but we’re particularly impressed by this chap, who’s sporting a leather jacket under a flight jacket. The bright orange lining of the latter adds a great pop of colour to the look, and the checked wool trousers elevate it into something smarter entirely. Also, details. Note how the D-ring belt almost matches the silver necklace. Colour us impressed.
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NEW ROMANTIC

This man seems to be wearing an expression of trepidation. Perhaps he has seen one of the other members of the new romantic pop band he unceremoniously left. Perhaps he is unsure of his combination of a baby-blue frilly shirt and mullet. In which case, he need not be nervous. It is certainly a bold look, but one that works, probably because of the oversized punkish leather jacket, which cuts through the foppishness and bravely anchors the look.
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BURBERRY BELIEVER

A decade ago, this double-Burberry look might have been more appropriately worn by a ne’er-do-well at your local park rather than a fashionista at a Korean fashion show. But ever since Mr Christopher Bailey made the famous check cool again (and now fashion is parodying itself so readily), you can pile it on at will and no one will bat an eyelid. And note the fit, which is very much oversized, another way we are encouraged to wear our clothes at the moment.
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LAYERS (AND LAYERS)

That man on the left may be wearing a lot of clothes at once, but we’re frankly floored by how well he’s managing to do so. A waistcoat over a jacket under a pair of overalls over a shirt? This is advanced-level dressing in motion. The colours, all neutral, work in perfect harmony. The same is true of his companion, who appears to have tied the belt from his coat around his shirt instead. A double act of greatness. Gentlemen, we Seoul-ute you (sorry).
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DOUBLY GOOD

Speaking of which, we need to talk about this man’s jacket. The one on the right. The roomy, military-green waterproof. We very much like it. In fact, there is little about this photograph that we don’t like. It looks like a film poster for a coming-of-age movie, in which the two protagonists escape some form of hardship, go on a road trip, have loads of fun, and then realise something profound about themselves and the world around them. Oh, and the perfectly fitted casual striped trousers on the left? Another “like”.
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