Mr: "Funnily enough, I was just thinking the same thing"
Mrs: "What style were you thinking of?"
Mr: "Oh you know something with a huge pleat from the top of the back, you know making it 'swingy', and long, with great drape. Lichen? What were you thinking? Lichen or moss?"
Mrs: "No WAY! Oh that's freaky. Do you want a fur collar too?"
Mr: "Yeah, but make mine detachable, you know so we don't look like freaky twins."
Mrs: "I'll call our tailor"
I was just heading to the shops when I saw this lovely couple outside the KaDeWe. There are moments when I am glad I am lugging my camera around in my bag instead of other probably more vital items. I probably wouldn't even have noticed them had it not been for the huge darts on the back of their coats. But it made me wonder: where do people go to get his and her matching coats?
I'm not talking about the his and her Berghaus brigade. That's easy enough done. And I guess it wouldn't be too hard to rock the his and hers Burberry mac look, but these are like, proper normal winter coats. (Well, maybe not normal, but you know what I mean). Where are these shops? Or do you have to have a tailor?
It's a total mystery to me. And I'm not even going to start on the subject of why you would want to be wearing the same clothes as your partner.
Hahaha, oh I love it. You do see an odd number of couples dressed alike here. It reminds me of going to Disney World when I was a kid and you'd see a whole family in matching day-glo green shirts or hats or something so they wouldn't get lost. I have one friend teaching in South Korea, and she said that it's totally standard issue for couples to dress alike there. So much so, that stores actually sell/advertise "couple's sets," so you can dress alike without even thinking about it. Handy!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to Google 'couple's sets'. But why do they do that? I'm pleased to hear that they advertise it there, because I wouldn't know where to start looking over here. Patently I need to keep busier here if these are the things troubling my mind! :-)
ReplyDeleteHeather, I'm a fresh convert! Loving these t-shirts, (http://www.thecoupleshop.co.kr/goods/content.asp?guid=220)
ReplyDeletebut not only that they have some other lovely things in this shop. I really like their silver envelope necklaces.
Oh my lord. I just poked around that site for a minute and didn't see the envelope necklace, but I DID see his/hers underwear with a key for him and a lock for her. Now I can't un-see that. As for why they do that, in the words of my friend...
ReplyDelete"If you are not 1/2 of a couple here, then your existence on earth is pointless and you should be sad everyday. Or at least that's what the Koreans make it seem like. In America the 14th of February is Valentine's Day and that is the one day that everyone is supposed to get all gushy and that is just great. In Korea, the 14th of EVERY SINGLE month is some kind of couple's day. Talk about exhausting! Also, if you are single for more than 2 weeks at a time here then your friends will begin setting you up on blind dates. I've talked to girls and guys who will have 3 blind dates set up in one week just to make sure something works out. Usually by the 3rd date people do the whole "official, committed couple" thing. Then within the first year sometime, the boyfriend presents the girlfriend with a couple's ring. They don't have diamonds or anything, but they are supposed to be expensive and the girls and guys wear them on their ring finger, proudly. When you get engaged, you just replace that ring with the engagement ring. Also, "couple's sets" are super trendy here. That is when boyfriends and girlfriends dress exactly alike. Stores sell these couple's sets. I see at least 4 couples dressed exactly the same from head to toe each day. The same sneakers, t-shirt or sweatshirt, coat, skinny jeans, even hat. After several months of seeing this daily, it never fails to amuse me."
There were a few other things about couples/his & hers dressing and androgyny, but that's the bulk of the reason.
Wow! That must be tough if you 'just can't be bothered seeing anyone at the moment'. I have to say, since I started German class here I fell in love with Korean culture. It's just so different to mine and so interesting. Even the fact that when they are born they are automatically 1 year old and then when it's the new year they become two. (At least I think that's what my friend Kunalum said!). I don't suppose your friend blogs about it?
ReplyDeleteSo you're born one? Wild. I hadn't heard that before.... pretty interesting. I wish she blogged about it, she's a riot, but no luck yet. She just sends extremely amusing email updates full of fun facts like the "couple's sets."
ReplyDeleteJust one of those coats is ugly enough but two together! Eeek! So funny! Please slap me if you ever see me do this with a future partner!
ReplyDelete