Seoulites in search of clean cut style

Looks and appearance play a huge role in Korean society. How you look is very important! Fashion in Korea involves wearing lots of layers and having lots of accessories to go with your clothing. People like to wear clothes that have English influence. Guys wear a lot of layers as well and most of the time they are in jeans. Women on the other hand take it up to another level. Even in the heart of winter, you will see some women wearing mini skirts with no stockings in high heeled boots–I don’t know how they can deal with the minus degree weather in such little clothing! Also, Korea might just be the high heel capital of the world. The women here wear high heels everywhere. It’s quite the feat to tackle multiple flights of subway stairs in heels–I can’t imagine how that would feel. Now that I think of it, blister medication and band aid companies probably make a killing here! Most of the time you can get a sense of what fashion is “in style” by advertisements.

What’s a newly emerging Seoulite to do if you’re looking for the same clean cut style as J.Crew and Brooks Brothers? If you’re willing to spend the price for excellent quality, the closest locally grown product seems to be Bean Pole! It’s a cross between J.Crew, Lacoste and Abercrombie and the quality is consistently top-notch! It’s nothing like the sweatshop produced rip-offs from Banana Republic.

Bean Pole International is the name of a South Korean fashion brand and an affiliate company of Samsung. In 2006, Bean Pole shot itself up to international prominence when American actress Gwyneth Paltrow became part of its advertising campaign. The Beanpole International slogan is “Heritage Meets British Contemporary Sense”. The Beanpole Line features “The Gentleman”, “Ladies”, “Kids”, “Accessory”, “Jeans”, and “Golf”.

I just love Beanpole International for the Ladies and I buy the Kids clothing for my godchildren. Check out the adorable outfits for the little girls!