Tori Coded - Blog Posts

hey are you sure the dresses in /post/620583382020145152 are qi styled lolita dresses? 2 and 3 look especially like korean hanboks :0

Hello! Thanks for the question! I assume you’re talking about these two pictures?

I can see why you would think that. Hanbok and hanfu share similar traits. When the dress is paired with a petticoat I’m sure it looks much more like a hanbok than hanfu. However, there are a couple of reasons why I firmly believe these are qi-lolita sets rather than hanbok inspired coords.

Firstly, hanbok lolita… isn’t really a mainstream thing and extremely hard to find unless homemade. There are definitely “cute” and “modern” interpretations of hanbok that are short and look similar to qi-lolita ensembles, but they are few and far between. I don’t think any of the big name lolita brands have created styles exclusively with hanbok in mind. Even Taobao brands tend to focus on the Chinese market when creating lolita garments.

Secondly, hanbok is always worn with crossed collars. Both of these ensembles are emulating a qixiong ruqun with parallel collars. The top ensemble is actually two parts. The short cardigan is sold separately, and the original dress has spaghetti straps. 

Finally, the chest band of these two sets are highly decorated and tied with ribbons in the center and/or spaced apart on each side. In hanbok, the top (jeogori) is usually cut quite plainly and does not include a decorated chest band. In hanbok, the jeogori goes over the skirt, not under. The tie (goreum) is tied in a specific asymmetrical one-winged knot that is unique to hanbok is rarely found in hanfu. 

I did find a couple examples of hanbok lolita. You can see the difference between a jeogori and ru.

I hope this helps!

-Jaz