Earlier this year, colour is seen doing most of the styling work in South Korean wardrobes. Tomato core, lemon core or mint core, for example.
There are also trends comprising balletcore ribbons, slacker-core layering and saturated prints – all of which made an outfit legible at a glance.
Moving into the second half of the year, palettes have become more restrained, with looks built on simplicity and a hint of femininity.
Dubbed “grown woman” by South Korean shoppers, the style is quickly gaining ground among consumers in their 20s and 30s.
Kitsch and Y2K mood styling with oversized logos and busy patterns are out. Instead, the emphasis shifts to silhouette, fabric and fit.
Jackets, blouses and midi skirts anchor most outfits, while leather, cashmere and silk add a sense of luxury. Purples, browns, burgundies and greys are replacing primaries.
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On online fashion platform 29CM, transaction value for work jackets rose 475% year on year between Aug 1 and Aug 30, while leather jackets rose 279% and midi skirts, 393%.
Zigzag, another online fashion platform, witnessed similar trends.
Work jacket transactions climbed 873&% this year after declining a year earlier; while midi skirts grew 38% following a 29% increase in 2025.
Accessories follow the same logic. Scarf transactions on 29CM rose 304% in the same window, and pearl earrings on Zigzag rose 77% against 17% growth last year.
The visual reference comes from South Korean shows roughly two decades old.
Han Yu-joo, played by Chae Jung-an in the 2007 series Coffee Prince, and Yoo Hee-jin, played by Jung Ryeo-won in the 2005 series My Name Is Kim Sam-soon, are the most cited templates, along with Yoo In-na's character in High Kick Through The Roof.
What links them is a kind of polish that reads as effortless rather than assembled – clean lines, natural proportions and an absence of anything ornamental.
The beauty sphere follows the same logic.
Foundation stays light enough to leave the wearer's own skin tone visible, and there is no attempt to shrink or contour the face.
The Han Yu-joo character’s version leans on straight brows, soft eye shadow, a muted lip and a light wash of blush. The Yoo Hee-jin character, on the other hand, has a more bare look, with brows left in their natural shape and shadow rarely straying beyond a ginger-beige hue.
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This season, retailers are also reporting a rising demand for leather jackets, suede blousons, H-line long skirts, deep V-neck knits and tote bags, with purple, burgundy and red emerging as the season's accent colours.
"The grown woman look can be put together with items people already own," an industry official said. "Demand for styling that stays basic while adding a sense of luxury through fabric and silhouette will keep growing." – The Korea Herald
