Take your cue from your favorite K-dramas on how to dress up as a couple for Valentine’s Day. Because nothing screams “in a relationship” more than matching T-shirts in public.
Some are subtle about the matching clothing. For example, the characters of Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won are the ultimate beach bums in “Lovestruck in the City.” Jae-won and Seon-a/Eun-o lead a life our pandemic selves can only dream of. They wake up to the sound of the ocean every day, eat fresh seafood, and pass the time swimming or surfing.
On Yangyang Beach, the couple wears casual clothing and flip-flops, then go matchy-matchy in surf tights and rash guards. They’re in basic black which contrasts with the blue ocean and white sand. Fans can just imagine how they taste the saltiness of the sea from each other’s lips as they kiss passionately.
In the Korean version of “A Love So Beautiful,” Sol-i (So Ju-yeon) gives Heon (Kim Yo-han) a shirt signed by a famous soccer player as a birthday gift. She said she couldn’t afford to buy a ticket for the game so she’s giving the shirt instead.
Telling
Sol-i’s father sees how much she wants to watch the game live, and surprises her with a couple of tickets to the game later on. Sol-i invites Heon to the game. When they see each other at the venue, they are both wearing the same shirt.
This is ingenious on Sol-i’s part, because while they are not yet officially dating, they have photos of themselves wearing matching shirts. To other people, they could easily be mistaken as a couple. The fact that Heon doesn’t complain was also very telling.
Accidentally wearing the same thing or pattern can cause a misunderstanding. In the drama “True Beauty,” Ju-gyeong (Moon Ga-young) wears a striped shirt under her denim jacket. Seo-jun (Hwang In-yeop) arrives wearing a striped shirt, too. This causes their classmates to tease them mercilessly.
Su-ho’s (Cha Eun-woo) friend who knows of his feelings for Jug-yeong suggests that they draw straight lines on his white shirt, too. The matching clothing does not apply only to couples. No one will judge you if you show up wearing the same clothes as your friends. Take it from Mun (Jo Byung-gyu), Mo-tak (Yoo Jun-sang), Ha-na (Se-jong) and Mae-ok (Yeom Hye-ran), mankind’s defenders from evil spirits in “The Uncanny Counter.”The four always wear red jumpsuits that do nothing for any of them. They own several of these uniforms, such that burning one into oblivion is useless. They hate the uniform yet they proudly wear it on their missions because this is what identifies them as counters.
This is why matching clothes, at least in K-dramas, are endearing. They are a declaration of love to the public. It’s a show of pride in belonging to someone.