Curly perm hair, mismatched print pants or overly fluorescent outdoor apparel, arm sleeves, oversized visor, sun umbrellas and we-rule-the-world kind of behavior. What do all these remind you of? Yes, they’re the Korean ajumma(아줌마), the strong, undefeatable middle-aged Korean women. Don’t get me wrong, though. Although they are known for their bold character, they are indeed the living example of the Korean moms; dedicated, amiable and caring. Today, we’ll have a look into their staple style.

曲捲髮，錯配印花長褲或是過於搶眼的螢光色戶外衣服，還有袖套，大型遮陽舌帽，太陽傘以及與唯我獨尊的舉止……這些描述讓你想到甚麼？是的，就是韓國「阿珠媽」（아줌마ajumma）──堅強、不會被擊敗的中年韓國女人。但不要曲解我的意思，儘管她們因為無畏的形象而為人所知，其實她們是韓國母親的生動例子：盡心盡責、和藹可親以及關懷備至。今天，我們將了解一下她們標誌性的風格。

Mismatched prints

The first thing that comes into our minds when we think of ajummas is their printed wide pants, commonly referred to as mom-ppae baji(몸빼바지). These are normally worn when ajummas work in the fields to harvest crops, but ajummas continue to explore on their fashion by matching them with other printed tops, most likely floral. In real life, however, a Los Angeles-based restaurant owner Roy Choi took the ajumma style to another level by turning the mismatching prints into the wait staff uniform. On the runway, Louis Vuitton Resort 2015 show had a handful of mismatched prints, as well as Saint Lauren’s playful mix of a neutral snakeskin blazer of a starry violet silk slip dress at the Spring show.

當我們想到「阿珠媽」的時候，第一個映入我們眼簾的是她們穿著的印花寬褲，也經常會理解為大媽穿的褲子 (몸빼바지ppae baji)。它們一般是「阿珠媽」們在田裡收割時穿的，但是「阿珠媽」們會不斷研究時尚地將印花特別是碎花圖案上衣搭配這些褲子。現實生活中，有一位洛杉磯餐館老闆Roy Choi就將這種「阿珠媽」風格帶到另一個層次——錯配的印花褲搖身一變成為職員制服。在天橋上，Louis Vuitton 2015度假系列就展示了少量錯配印花元素，以及Saint Laurent春夏系列中性色調的蛇皮西裝外套玩味混搭閃亮紫色絲質吊帶裙造型。

Fluorescent outdoor apparel

In addition to the printed pants which draw enough attention, now these ajummas also wear fluorescent outdoor apparel, especially on a weekend hiking get-together. No wonder the Korean outdoor apparel industry is flourishing. From vests to jackets, these outdoor apparel comes in many colors and designs. On the runway, Rag & Bone’s SS13 Collection featured neon green jackets and vests, whereas Christopher Kane debuted bright yellow dresses at his SS13 show.

除了印花褲引來足夠注意力外，現在這些「阿珠媽」們也穿起了螢光戶外服裝，特別是週末一夥人一起爬山時。韓國戶外服裝業如此興旺實在不足為奇，從馬甲到夾克，這些戶外服裝還有多種顏色和設計。在時裝天橋上，Rag & Bone的2013春夏系列就以螢光綠色夾克和馬甲為主打，而Christopher Kane也在同一季度發佈了明亮黃色連衣裙的設計。

Arm Sleeves

Now we’ve come down to the part about avoiding the sun. Yes, most Korean women regardless of their age absolutely hate exposing themselves in the sun. So, here it is – arm sleeves, or long gloves – whatever you want to call it. Their love for colors is never ending. On the runway, Peter Copping for Oscar de la Renta sent off models in pink leather gloves for his debut collection, whereas Band of Outsiders created a warm look by matching gray fingerless gloves over the sleeves of a button-up shirt for its Fall 2015 Collection.

現在我們來到有關遮陽的部分。是的，絕大部分韓國女人無分年齡都非常討厭暴露在陽光底下。所以，就有了袖套或是長手套——不管你是怎樣叫它都好。而她們對於彩色袖套的喜好更是無止盡。在時裝秀場上，Oscar de la Renta設計師Peter Copping在首秀系列就讓模特兒戴上了粉色皮革手套，而Band of Outsiders的2015秋冬系列則以灰色露指手襪包裹在扣鈕恤衫的長袖外營造出溫暖的造型。

Oscar de le Renta, Band of Outsiders
Photos via getty_catwalking

Oversized Visor

This is the part where I find the funniest, but Korean ajummas love their oversized sun protective visors. You might think of green colored visors you see on pro golfers, but the gigantic visors that Korean ajummas put on is no joke. These visors easily cover up their whole faces; they look pretty much like robots or some kind of extraterrestrial creature. On the runway, Consuela Castiglioni of the Marni label debuted some fashionable visors for her SS14 show. Do you think you can try them on?

這是我發現最好玩的一部分，就是韓國「阿珠媽」們都喜歡戴上超大的遮陽舌帽。你可能會想到專業高爾夫球員的綠色遮陽舌帽，但是韓國「阿珠媽」們戴上的巨大遮陽舌帽也不是鬧著玩的。這些遮陽舌帽能輕易地遮住她們全臉，讓她們看上去像極了機械人或是某些天外生物。天橋上，Marni品牌設計師Consuelo Castiglioni在2014春夏系列就首次展出了一些時髦的遮陽舌帽。你會試試戴上嗎？

Sun umbrellas

Last but not least, the sun umbrellas. Korean ajummas, just like any other Asian women, can’t live without their sun umbrellas. These sun umbrellas also appeared at Tracy Reese’s Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear show, making a powerful fashion statement.

最後，來到太陽傘部分。韓國「阿珠媽」與任何亞洲女性一樣都彷彿離開太陽傘就無法生存下去。 太陽傘也曾出現在Tracy Reese 2012春夏季度時裝秀上，塑造出一種強烈的時尚宣言。

What do you think of the ajumma style now? Do you think you can pull it off?

現在你怎麼看「阿珠媽」時尚風格？這種風格你能勝任嗎？

TEXT: JISU
CHINESE TRANSLATION: KWAN
DESIGN: CYAN F/HOKK FABRICA