Chima | aaarticle.com

The chima is the long, high-waisted wrap skirt that forms the lower half of the woman's hanbok. Bound above the bust and full below, it gives the hanbok its billowing bell-shaped line.

Overview

A chima is a rectangle of cloth pleated onto a wide band with long ties, wrapped around the body and secured high on the chest. Full and floor-length, it hides the shape of the legs and, over layered underskirts, swells into a soft bell.

How it is worn

It is wound around the torso over the underskirts and tied at the back or side, worn under the short jeogori so the skirt seems to begin at the underarm. The volume was built up with a chemise-skirt and petticoats beneath, and the fabric hitched up for work.

History

The high-waisted chima took its full Joseon form alongside the shrinking jeogori, exaggerating the contrast of tiny bodice and voluminous skirt. It remains, with the jeogori, the defining pair of the woman’s hanbok.