Jacket

Item number Ed1.327 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Woman's jacket, or blouse, made of greenish-gold sheer silk with small peacock feather motif in grey. There is a narrow facing or collar of white cloth-covered paper around the neck. The left outer facing is rounded at the lower edge, while the right is straight and projects beyond the front edge. Long sleeves that curve upwards at the wrists. The centre opening has front panels that overlap to the right when tied closed with two long wide ties. One small white tie is attached to the right inner facing with a corresponding tie on the left underarm seam. The inside lining is a loosely woven, sheer white fabric, through which edges of an interfacing can be seen.

History Of Use

Jeogori made of extravagant fabrics, were favoured in the postwar period, to be worn as formal wear. “No-bang-ju” was the most delicate sheer silk available. During the 1950s the underarm seams were longer than those worn both previously and later, and the garment as a whole was wider, making it more comfortable. Formal wear, however, retained the shorter underarm seams and shorter length. The curve at the lower edge of the sleeve was deeply rounded at this time. . Graceful curves, like those at the lower edge of this garment, are important in Korean aesthetics and reflected in various forms, including architecture.

Specific Techniques

The fabric was machine-woven as double cloth, with a separate green outer layer and grey inner layer, and the grey woven with the green to form the motifs of peacocks and feathers. The garment is machine sewn except for the stitches attaching the white collar, which are done by hand. The interfacings and ties were cut with pinking shears.

Narrative

Worn by Norma Elrod while living in Korea. This jacket would be worn with skirt Ed1.326. Most of the clothing in the J. McRee Elrod Collection was made for him and his family by friends while they were living in Korea, much of it by Kim, Sung Sook. She and her family lived cooperatively in the same house as the Elrod family. While they were there, the Elrods preferred to wear Korean clothing on very cold days and for social occasions. They found it to be more comfortable than western clothing in cold weather, as public buildings were unheated in the period immediately following the Korean War. It also was more comfortable for floor seating in Korean homes, and easier to store with limited furniture than western clothing.