KE: What do you think of the typical teen age American style?

Jun Shin: Americans tend to express themselves more, I think, and they have a good opportunity to do so at school. In Korea, we have to wear uniforms; they are very strict about what we can wear with [our uniforms].

Alan Kim: [Americans], especially guys, wear jeans and sweatpants often.

KE: What is your favorite trend you have taken on since moving to America?

JS: I would say jewelry. It really stands out and completes your fashion.

AK: I didn’t see a ‘new’ trend since I came to America because Korean cultures had already been Americanized. There is actually not much difference between those two for teenagers.

KE: What is your the typical Korean style like?

AK:Korea has been Americanized a lot for the past decade. They don’t have a distinct style anymore. Many styles in Korea are from the United States or Japan.

KE: Where do you shop in Korea? Boutiques? Malls?

JS: In Korea everyone shops in malls, just like here. They are a lot alike. I love H&M. I shop at H&M in Korea as well. They have the same stuff as here, but they just organize their stores differently than in America.

AK: I usually shop at the mall which is about 20 minutes away from my house. I shop at outlets, markets, and the Internet shopping mall. I tend not to spend too much money on shopping, so I go once in two months, or so with my family or friends.

KE: Where are your favorite places to shop in America?

JS: I really like to shop at Express and H&M. They are both really original to themselves and they both really fit my style.

AS: Express for more formal clothing; it’s generally cheaper than other formal clothing stores. H&M is cheaper than Express. They have both casual or semi-formal styles.
American Eagle–I sometimes go there for t-shirts or hoodies. I actually prefer American Eagle over Abercrombie&Fitch because it’s cheaper and they have similar styles. I don’t really like the fragrance in Abercrombie.

KE: Describe your style.

JS: I like lots of black and grey for colors. I don’t wear any other jeans besides simple black or grey skinny jeans, and I really like the layered look for tops. I use my accessories to make my outfits stand out. I match my shoes to my jewelry.

AK: Well, it’s a very hard question to answer. I wear both classy and casual styles, but casual most of the time (mostly shirts with jeans). My favorite color is blue, but I tend to wear clothes with black and white combination

KE: Is Korea more fashion forward than the states, or are the states more fashion forward than Korea?

JS: I don’t think either one is more ahead of the other or better. They are both very different in their styles. Americans seem to be more open-minded and tend to like lots of bright colors. In Korea they wear lots of blacks and greys.

AK: Even though styles in these days are from the United States or Japan, I think Korea is more fashion forward. Since Asians usually have skinnier and smaller bodies compared to Americans, we tend to overcome this weak point by wearing more fashionable clothes. Also, it’s kind of a sad thing, but Korean society has a stronger look-ism than American society [they care more about their appearance in places such as school, work, etc].

KE: Do you try to set yourself apart with your wardrobe from your fellow classmates?

AK: Well, more positively saying, I sometimes try to look more characterful than others, but when there are many busy things going on at school (such as tests, assignments…), I don’t actually care about it.

KE: How does your culture’s clothes differ from American’s clothes?

JS: I think Americans tend to be able to express themselves more because because a lot of schools don’t require uniforms. In Korea we have to wear uniforms, and they are pretty strict about uniforms.

AK: The difference between the two cultures’ clothing styles comes from people’s body shape. Since Asians tend to be skinner than white people, clothes are designed in slimmer styles than in America.

KE: Tell me about your favorite outfit.

AK: Both Classy/Casual at the same time, but prefer Casual more.

KE: Elaborate on the following:
Your favorite…

Shoes
JS: I really like shiny or metallic silver shoes. I love heals and for tennis shoes I really like Nike. I like bright colored shoes with orange or abstract designs that are really original looking.

AK: I usually like Nike high tops, sometimes Converse during the summer.

Accessory
JS: Jewelry is my favorite thing to accessorize my outfits with. I really like to wear lots of different types of earrings. I think jewelery is what really makes an outfit pop and stand out and what completes your fashion.

AK:Every day I wear my watch and glasses, which I got as a birthday present. I sometimes wear hats, and most of them are new era. I wear scarves during the winter. Otherwise, I don’t usually wear any other accessories.

Pants
JS: I only wear skinny jeans and try to keep them pretty simple but occasionally I like a few rips.

AK: I prefer jeans most of the time. I purchased all of my jeans in America because they’re almost twice as expensive in Korea.

Top
JS:The layered look is what I really like.

AK: I prefer leather jackets, which can create a city-look image. For shirts, I like mostly dark colors, but I am trying to wear bright colors during the spring and summer,

KE: How do hairstyles differ between the two cultures?

JS: I really like to try and change my hair a lot with different colors but I like to keep it short.

AK:It seems like many people (especially guys) in America don’t care much about hair styles, but hair is one of the key elements for styles in Korea and Japan. Because of that, there are way more varieties of haircuts and better salons. While I stayed in the United States, I didn’t actually care as much about my hair as I did in Korea.

KE: Where do you get your unique style?

JS: I read a lot of fashion magazines and am very interested in different brands. I read GQ and Arena (Korean magazines) to get a lot of my style and trends.

AK: Most of my styles are from magazines, TV shows, or Internet, so it’s much about imitation. I would already be a fashion designer if I could create my own style. I wish I can make my own style.