[From Kwanghwamun] Seoul fashion trends

Fashion trends in the Kangnam (south of the Han River) and Kangbuk (north of the river) districts in Seoul have been different for many years.

Even separate areas within the Kangnam or Kangbuk districts have subtle differences.

Let¡¯s look at Kangnam. The following is an analysis of the information I collected through my own observations and by seeking the opinions of high school girls, "repeaters" (those preparing to take the university entrance exam again) and college freshmen.

Members of the ``Apkujong-pa (faction)¡¯¡¯ favor semi full dress and real hip hop styles. Long skirts are in vogue, greatly influenced by the tastes of the actors in the hit TV drama, ``Fairy Tale of Autumn.¡¯¡¯ Heroine Song Hye-Gyo is actually from Kangnam. A Burberry handbag is a must, but fashionable women should avoid luxurious items. The popularity of ``real hip hop,¡¯¡¯ based on orthodox hip hop fashions, owes much to the tastes of students who are studying abroad. The most popular singers that frequent the district are hip hop groups like ``Uptown,¡¯¡¯ ``Drunken Tiger¡¯¡¯ and ``C.B. Mass.¡¯¡¯

Youths belonging to the so-called ``Chongdamdong-pa" prefer neat full dresses in famous brands. Prada and Louis Vuitton handbags, Peraga shoes, golden and semi-transparant Gucci stockings, Chanel and Etro hairbands are the basic accessories. They also prefer undyed long hair or black color-coated hair. Colorful makeup is rare. Since they are said to be good children who obey their parents, they are called ``new conservatives.¡¯¡¯

``Daechidong-pa¡¯¡¯ is a model student type. Dubbed ``hagwon-pa¡¯¡¯ (hagwon are private teaching institutes), they wear duffle coats, Polo denim pants, Doc Martin shoes and Lucas bags. They go to department stores with their mothers and they despise bogus brands. They wear Agata pendants or necklaces. The groups ``Click B¡¯¡¯ and ``Fin. K.L,¡¯¡¯ one of whose members is Lee Jin who graduated from Eunkwang Girls High School in Daechi-dong, are still popular.

``Olympic-pa¡¯¡¯ is based in the vicinity of the Olympic apartment town in Songpa-gu, but is the general term for fashionable people in the nearby Asian Games Apartment and Family Apartment Complexes in Munjong-dong.

Both men and women are fond of white cotton T-shirts, Polo knit wear and baseball caps. They also like to wear T-shirts labeled with the names of major U.S. universities like Harvard or UCLA. Many of them are crazy about ``H.O.T¡¯¡¯ or ``BoA.¡¯¡¯

``Kangnam Station-pa¡¯¡¯ shines at night. In light of the characteristics of the district, there are many teenagers who lie about their ages and attempt to enter entertainment spots. So they prefer clothes that make them look older. The Hip-hop style favored by back dancers is popular because many of them are from Kangbuk. They like all kinds of dance music.

``Sinchon-pa¡¯¡¯ are those from the Kangdong (east of the Han River) and Kangnam blocs. They like Dorothy shoes, which are sharp in the front, wide and long. They prefer magic permanent waves or use mousse. They wear bags high on the backs. They like MCM bags and ``hunting¡¯ caps. ``Kangnam Station-pa¡¯¡¯ and ``Sinchon-pa¡¯¡¯ are also classified as ``Pan-Kangbuk-pa.¡¯¡¯

It¡¯s really an era of local autonomy in fashion. Fashion localism shows an aspect of the ``co-existence of civilization.¡¯¡¯There is sometimes a ``clash of civilizations¡¯¡¯ among those who look down on or reject other regions¡¯ fashions as ``revival¡¯¡¯ or ``yankee culture.¡¯¡¯

The garment industry employs strategies to create new designs by finding out who are the most popular entertainers in each region. Parents¡¯ ``educational concerns¡¯¡¯ are also focused on which group their children belong to.

Each region has a different opinion about the ruling party¡¯s ``lending¡¯¡¯ of four lawmakers to a splinter party. Some support the decision, some don't. Opinions on the college entrance examination system vary depending on economic class.

Participants in the World Economic Forum in Davos were discussing globalization and the new liberalism and various NGOs had markedly different views. At a time when the small Kangnam bloc is causing nuclear fission, who can talk about the interests of the world?

Hong Ho-Pyo hphong@donga.com