정조연간의 백색복식(白色服飾) 착용풍습에 관한 연구

Abstract

Historically, white clothes have been passed down through the generations as the symbol of the Korean people. This study was motivated after coming across a text written by Lee Ok(李鈺, 1760~1815), a writer during the Joseon dynasty. Lee wrote that "Koreans mostly wear blue clothes." This raised questions regarding the wearing practice of the white clothes at the time of King Jeongjo's reign(1776~1800), and led to further studies on the matter. The results show that discussions were held about changing the color of the government official's changui(氅衣) from white to blue. An order was also given replacing white boots with black boots. Therefore, it is supposed that blue clothes phenomenon was influenced from the blue changui policy. However, this change was temporary as later generations wore preferred white with the exception being women's skirts. Women preferred blue skirts to white skirts for a long period. Detailed analysis of the white changui showed that people were burdened by high dyeing costs, and this was a big factor as studies indicated a large gap in wealth disparity. In a society that put funeral and ancestral rites as one of its priorities, the white clothes could have been favored due to its multi-functional use. Also, the noblemen who set importance on Gija(箕子) Joseon connected white clothes custom to Gija. This connotes that the reason for wearing white clothes differed depending on the class. And as white clothes were widely worn, people developed different ways of wearing the clothes for aesthetic purposes.