Hi guys! I’ve received a lot of questions on how to dress for winter in Korea so I thought I would make this guide. Just to let you know, This post is not sponsored by Uniqlo. I just genuinely like and use all of these products and I think they’re super affordable.
Winters in Korea are the coldest I’ve experienced and I’ve lived in many places. The temperature often goes below freezing, and the wind just chills you to the bone. I would say the coldest time is late December through February. I actually try to stay indoors as much as possible but when I do go out this is how I dress. You might think that everyone in Korea is really fashionable but in winter, I think the goal is just to keep warm. If you see people dressing cute, it’s probably because they drove and didn’t take public transportation or go outside, which is actually quite common here especially during winter and summer. If you’re traveling here, you will probably be taking public transport or cabs.
Base Layer
As a base layer, I wear heat tech or thermals. I have thermals that are made of wool. Wool keeps you really warm but it tends to make me itch. So after discovering Uniqlo heat tech, I started to wear that as a base layer. There are 3 different kinds of heat tech – regular heat tech, extra warm, and ultra warm. The regular heat tech is lightweight and really kind of sheer, and will do when it’s above freezing and not windy but on those really cold below freezing winter days you want to extra or ultra warm. Uniqlo isn’t the only store that sells this. You can buy these thermals at places like E-mart in Korea or Seiyu in Japan. Heat tech functions sort of like wool by absorbing the moisture that your body emits and then trapping it in the fibers of the fabric. On cold days I’ll wear both a heat tech top and leggings as a base layer.
Wool Sweater
You want to look for a sweater that has a high wool content. Nowadays there are a lot of Wool blends consisting of 80% polyester and 20% wool or less, but you want the wool content to get closer to 100%. I have a couple of really old sweaters from banana republic and club Monaco that are 80-100% wool. Wool has a natural layer of keratin, a protein all animal hair contains which helps maintain body temperature. On top of that, wool hair fibres act as an insulator to trap the air inside the cloth, which helps stabilise your body temperature. Since air conducts heat, this means the warmth you might generate through exercise or general movement also gets trapped by wool, which keeps you even warmer. I think it’s better than heat tech but since it makes my skin itch, I don’t like to wear it directly on my skin. If it’s not really that cold or you want to take some cute photos on your trip, this is where you should change up your top to a cute sweater or something.
Windproof Pants
If you want to be cute wear jeans or a skirt but if you really want to be warm and youre ok dressing kinda sporty then pick up a pair of these windproof pants from Uniqlo. They only sell them in the men’s section but I can wear a men’s small and it looks okay. They have the look of joggers but they are ultra warm and really protect you from the wind and cold. When I wear jeans my legs are always cold. And you can’t always fit heat tech under your jeans. I wear my black windproof pants pretty much all winter. You don’t really need to wear heat tech leggings under this but I do when it’s super super cold.
Fleece-Lined Pants or Sweats
For my kids I buy them leggings with this furry fleece inside, and it’s insulated so it has sort of heat tech properties . I bought this online on gmarket for about $7 each and I think you can get fleece lined leggings at gap or old navy or carters. For men, Uniqlo sells these fleece lined sweats which my husband wears and I got a pair for myself to wear around the house. They are so cozy and warm! But they aren’t windproof so they are not as warm as those windproof sweats I told you about earlier.
Fleece or ultra light down vest or jacket. – I wear this on top of my wool sweater. I have a really old north face one that I wear a lot and I recently got a Patagonia fleece. These are super warm and if you have a really thick coat then forego the fleece. But you can also get an inexpensive one at Uniqlo that’s really warm, that’s what I got for my kids. The Uniqlo one is super soft and warm. Alternatively I see a lot of people wearing these ultra light down thin coats or vests under their jackets especially if you’re wearing a suit or going to work, it’s a little more polished than a fleece jacket.
A Warm Puffer Coat
You want something that’s knee length or longer and ideally with a hood. I have a long, ultra light down coat from Uniqlo which is why I wear the fleece underneath, but if you have a really warm windproof coat, like north face, then you probably don’t need the fleece. If you want to look more stylish or professional then you wear a wool coat but honestly it’s not going to be as warm as a down coat. Right now these sleeping bag coats are trending in Korea right now especially among high school kids. You will see them moving in packs all wearing these warm black coats. I got my coat at Uniqlo and I think they have really affordable ones, around $100 or so on sale. I like mine because it has a hood so I dont have to remember to bring my hat, and also it zips up high so I don’t need to remember my scarf either which is great since I have to keep track of my kids stuff as well. You can buy these down jackets at tons of places and I feel like the warmest would be from performance retailers like north face or super expensive ones from brands like Canada goose or moncler. You get what you pay for! I have soooo many coats, and I used to work full time in Washington DC and NY where it’s not as cold, so I got a lot of use out of them but here in Korea, even though people are more fashionable, I still stick to my long down coat because maybe I care a little less about how I look but also it’s so much colder here. Just insanely, unbearably cold. So this is my warmest coat.
Uggs or Sorel Boots
On my feet I wear Uggs when it’s dry and sorel boots when it snows. Let me tell you the sheepskin and insulation makes such a big difference. I got some Ugg’s that don’t scream “uggs”. They really are the warmest boot in my opinion. Sorel boots are insulated and waterproof so I wear these when it snows.
Accessories
Gloves, hats, scarves and face masks! If you have a jacket like mine then you don’t need a hat or scarf. But otherwise remember to bring your accessories. I grew up in California and I used to wear hats and scarves as a fun accessory but after moving to the east coast I realized that they served a purpose!! And they really do make a difference in Korea. Gloves are always nice especially if you’re pushing a stroller or carrying your kid and you have to have your hands out. Face masks are also popular here. In Japan they are used if you’re sick to prevent others from getting sick, but in Korea we use them 1. to filter out pollution and there are special masks for that, and 2. for warmth in the winter. They really help when the wind is blowing.
Heat Packs
I dress really warm so I don’t need to use these but if you want to be a little more stylish then you can buy heat packs. You shake them up and they get really hot after about a minute. They even have ones that you can stick on your shoe or on your body, you can get these at the convenience store or daiso. In the winter you can find them everywhere.
Concluding Remarks
So that’s my basic formula for staying warm in Korea. I think this style of dress would also be appropriate in places like Hokkaido if you’re going to the Sapporo snow festival, or anywhere north of Boston. If you’re traveling and you want to look cute then I would recommend wearing a cute top and take off your fleece and jacket when you take photos and just take photos from the waist up.