Thanks for your story, @Andy! I can definitely relate, as where I live, I get 3 days of coat weather a year. And although I had a love of coats before my K-drama watching began, they definitely inspired me to wear them more often.

Your examples are so great, too. I always loved seeing Bok Joo padding around like a lil’ penguin in her gorgeous blue coat, and oH! The pantsuits and just. any of the outfits in Misty. Simply divine. Would definitely make me want to wear high heels if I didn’t trip and die every time I put them on. 😂

You will certainly be the cutest student at your university, Andy! (cue mom’s exaltation)

Before then, I advise that you secretly get your mom to watch (more) dramas with you. It will be a wonderful bonding experience, with the possible added benefit of greatly loosing up her purse string for both of you to look fabulous despite the status of the weather condition.

Cheers to owning the uni campus like a boss, Go Hye-ran style!

where do you live and how can i get there? I'm so done with the winter over here! it's supposed to be spring and we just had snow on monday! That aside--I love you post and the breakdown of fashion influences from different shows!

Haha 😂 This was great! I really enjoyed reading your article 👍

I am a sneaker fanatic (hard not to be when I tower 0.5-1 head over most of my friends) but LYW's GORGEOUS as heck classy outfits in Buamdong made me wish so desperately that I wore heels. In fact, I agree with all the cute outfits you mentioned here...

Though over the years I did realize I don't look half as good as any of these actresses, and have since made a conscious attempt to stop myself from any attempts to buy similar clothes.

Also... the place where I live in? Hah, it's 100% summer all year round. Yup, not just 80%, 100%. Our temperatures average 30 degrees on a daily basis, and I for one dislike to be hot and sweaty. This means that while my classmates are shivering in their thick cardigans in our air-conditioned classrooms, I am braving it out in a thin camisole. (Also, partly practical because cardigans/jackets are heavy and can't be worn outside of the classroom in the hot weather, and I have enough things to carry in uni.)

Sigh, if only. I love fashion so much.

Our idea of winter here is apparently 22 degrees. And yes, I mean in Celsius! We had a 'cold snap' end of last year and I heard one of the most ridiculous thing on radio - some actually bought thermals!

I like to wear as little clothes as possible so my admiration for Kdrama fashion with all those gorgeous winter and formal wear stays firmly in drama watching. The only time it hits me is when I travel overseas in winter. Still, I find it hard to justify spending heaps if I want to look like Go Hye Ran instead of a Korean ahjumma who sells fish in the market. Thank god for retailers like Uniqlo which offers the most decent looking coats at very reasonable prices. I don't think I am big sized but I still look like a whale in winterwear. I figure Kim Nam Joo must be size minus 4. It's impossible to look so svelte in coats!

It is interesting.
Although I also pay attention to the way these actresses dress, the shoes they wear, their hair looks and sometimes even tiny things the camera holds in view for some seconds every time on, like jewelry or make up... come on, I am a woman too, and not totally an ajuma, I don't look bad and I like to be creative with my outfit once in a while.... still, I have never, not even once, thought of buying anything similar to what they show us in dramaworld. It is like, for me that is another dimension.
Also I am so focus on the story and reading the subs, I never have enough time to look more of these things, and I forget them also pretty quick.
I will remember the plots of the dramas I like, the atmosphere, the feelings, the acting, some dialogs and reflextions I made while watching, and many times also the music. But I never remember clothing, make up, accessories or whatever PPL... LOL
Such a bad candidate for shopping Korean merchandise!!!!! 😂

Good luck at university.

I'm sure the haircut didn't look that bad, it is pretty cute.
My first k drama had a lead with distinctive hair too and laugh. Oh my god the laugh. It was Fated to Love You.
As much as Jang Hyuk's hair fascinated me I luckily didn't emulate. His whole look was so different from what I was used to seeing men wear on screen. At the time I just thought it was that show's unique styling.

Ah the coat envy is universal it seems! I am sure you will be the best dressed in university! I live on the 'sunny side' of Australia and will be lucky if i can find 5 coat days. But Kdrama's have really made me aware of my skin and how dull and dry it looks compared to the gorgeous ladies we see on tv. I am greatly googling Korean products each day and my fb timeline is filled with sponsored Korean beauty products!!! I guess I am waiting to take the plunge and buy some beauty goo's finally!

Kim Nam Joo's fashion statement is GOALS..

Guy fashions on K-dramas are often ridiculous. But when a character does have a good look going on its usually something that I would look absurd in if I tried to wear. I was perhaps thin enough to wear a sleek 'skinny suit' my last year on college... for a couple months... maybe

Ah but you see @Andy those aren't silly purchases.

Buying Lee Yuri outfits is just getting ready for when you need that extra bit of confidence. Dress like her and you'll feel good going into any presentation that you might have to do, or when you at some point have to go for a job interview.

Those clothes are just the female version of armour - wearing them will get you mentally prepared for arguments and discussions.

So just tell your mum you're not spending silly money - you're investing in your future! (well, she might not buy that argument but it's worth a try ;-) )

Thank you for sharing your story, Andy. I live in a country where it's summer all year around, my style of fashion is Dong Man's comfortable T-shirt! And because my work place is very casual, so it never matters, LoL.

But to be honest, I always love how the Korean dresses in drama. Kim Nam-joo is a goal, but you know, it's a goal that I never achieve, LoL.

My mom & I both LOVE (note *love* not *buy*) the winter wardrobes in kdrama. While she is a fan of the fluffy woolens, I prefer the sleek coats, then scarves & mittens & boots & what not 😂

But the biggest barrier is our forever tropical country. Seriously, every year the winter season arrives & departs in the blink of an eye while the humid summer lasts for 6 months...Such a pity...those clothes are so pretty T.T

I love your article, you're cringe at the haircut reminds me of my own reaction during the time that boys over flowers where shown on local tv and I just shake my head in amusement at seeing my schoolmates sport the same haircuts as the leads (minus Lee Min Ho's of course, coz no one could do that) while it is cute, it definitely is not for the weather here in my country.

Same goes for most of the winter wardrobes seen in kdramas which is something that you will never wear here, so maybe I'll have drama-induced shopping on winter wardrobe if ever I go at a country which requires them.

It's April and still snowing where I live so I got distracted by the part about the land of 80% summer. . .

I love it! I won't lie. I have drooled over delicious coats and sweaters all the time and have had to talk my self out of buying the whole lot of them - not because of the weather, it's freaking freezing (Spring, do you hear me? I think you missed your cue) here, but there are only so many coats I can justify spending money on.

This being said, where do you find your gorgeous outfits? What's your go-to website/store/brand when you shop for such awesomeness?

Your story is basically my story!! (I started K-Dramas as a Uni student) though thankfully where I live I have full 4 seasons and a full winter season...so coats galore!!
My first nice winter coat was totally K-Drama inspired! Its light grey, long, and cinches at the waist with a cute belt with a bow of the same material: I still use it :D
The second one I got to buy for myself as a graduation present: its a velvety royal blue :D :D
Of course I'm not counting my ripped jeans, over-sized clothing, and ankle boots at all...

I loved reading this, was so cute! I'm not big on clothes shopping but I can definitely say I once ran out to the mall after watching Cheese in the Trap to emulate a Hong Seol outfit, her clothes in that show are just so cool!

I loved all your pictures of all those beautiful clothes. I'm envious that you have so much fashion sense as a teen. I was a dowdy teenager, which made me look like I was perpetually in jr. high. I'm lost when it comes to fashion and (prepare to roll your eyes) my husband dresses me most of the time. He recently eyed a coat from Hwayugi that he liked for me--the grey one Sun-mi wore for like 1/2 the drama, and we are still looking for it here. I pay much more attention to male fashion in dramas to be honest, because those men are dressed to impress. I'm less likely to buy something for me than for someone else in my family, because I always think I will look (as you say) like an ahjumma (which I already am) instead of a trendy mom. I did get a "best dressed" award a few years ago in fellowship, but again, no thanks to me, but to my husband who knows what looks good on me. I think I might try the business outfits of Misty and Father is Strange though, even though I didn't watch these, your article featured them so well, that I think I could at least pull them off! Oh, and I do have quite the shoe collection, I get that!

Bom's winter wear! They look so comfy and warm! I think I found the drama I'm going to rewatch next lol. Good thing I have no money or I'd be spending them on these.

Go Hye Ran's wardrobe was no joke! She was fierce! If I thought I had what it took to pull those looks off, I'd be working it too. Sadly I do not! (Not sad for my wallet though! LOL!)

I always coveting the cute clothes...but I've also got to covet the slender bodies to go with them. I don't think my current shape would be flattering! But maybe it'll be incentive to start working on it. :P