Train Roots: Korean tradition to contemporary rehearsal dinner



I love this dress story because it weaves tradition, sentiment and personal style into a dress that has mileage far beyond the wedding and it’s a great conversation piece.

Back in April 2010, Kim, a young woman new to Seattle came to me asking if I could turn her mother’s wedding Hanbok (traditional Korean dress similar to a Kimono) into a contemporary yet classy rehearsal dinner dress.   Ah, YES, I would be honored to help with such an amazing project!  

Before phtoo of Hanbok

Kim and I sat down to talk about the design and her personal style; classic, timeless, strapless, straight skirt with a hint of contemporary design, slightly formal with black satin buttons down the back.   As we were talking I learned about traditional Korean wedding (attention-grabbing to me as my better half is Korean but grew up in the states). Sadly, I found out that Kim’s father had passed when she was in high school which immediately makes the sentiment of her mother’s dress far more powerful as he is present in spirit through the fabric.  

Flash forward 10 months later when I started the dress in January 2011.  Might I add that I was scared out of my mind to cut apart this traditional garment!  It had been a long time since a dress really made me that nervous.  My first thought was that I was breaking (at least) a few sacred Korean rules and in my afterlife I would suffer the wrath of their fox lore.  Off course I triple checked my pattern lay-out and made sure to avoid age and wear spots and that the embroidered cranes were all flying in the same direction and not cutting them in half.  Red crowned cranes are a sacred symbol in Korean and other Asian culture, the bird is a symbol of luck and represents spiritual immortality and longevity as birds mate for life.  After I got past cutting, the dress went to together without a glitch.  Kim and I designed a separate black jacket to make the dress more versatile and incorporate the two piece top element of the Hanbok.  We even designed a necktie for her fiancé with a small piece of the Hanbok fabric, including a crane. 

cutting out dress and tie design






After having a great time getting to know and working with Kim, my fav photographer, Jason Fukura, graced us for a mini photo shot with Kim (these photos can be seen on twice blushed homepage twiceblushed.com). To ice the cake, the wedding was going to be in Pennsylvania and I was to ship the dress to Kim’s mother before Kim arrived.  Upon delivery her mother opened the package and called Kim.  Tears of love, loss and joy… “It’s beautiful.”  

Fabulous finale