[JoyNews24 reporter Kim Yang-su] Korea's kkotsam-chui (cold snap) and the English-speaking world's Indian summer are like two sides of the same coin—each culture has its own poetic take on seasons that refuse to behave. kkotsam-chui imagines a cold that resents the flowers, while Indian summer captures the reluctant warmth of summer that lingers.
Lately, though, the weather flips from a Korean cold snap to early summer within a single day, leaving us in a no-man’s-land that fits neither expression perfectly.
Morning 8℃ (46°F), afternoon 25℃ (77°F). If that variability makes opening your closet a crisis, the secret is layering. Layering isn't just piling on pieces. It's creating combinations that look chic both when you shed them and when you wear them.
Think short-sleeve tee, a lightweight knit, and a trench on top. As the sun comes out, you can peel off a layer without wrecking your silhouette—that's true layering. A term popping up more in international fashion coverage is trans-seasonal—literally “crossing seasons.” It’s perfect for days like these when spring and summer trade places in a single 24-hour stretch. Brands have responded with buzz items and new labels: all-season outerwear, lightweight quilted jackets, and the ever-handy shacket (shirt + jacket). The shacket feels as light as a shirt but performs like a jacket, which is why it’s become the go-to for an era of 15℃ (59°F) swings between morning and night.
With running firmly established as a national pastime, athletic wear has moved into everyday life. The rise of terms like athleisure (athletic + leisure), one-mile wear (easy outfits for short trips near home), loungewear (comfy clothes that double for errands), workleisure (office-appropriate comfort), and effortless wear (the “I woke up like this” polished look) reflects three priorities: comfort, function, and everyday wearability.
Among Americans in their 20s, PPP (Pink Pilates Princess) has gone viral—think Instagram reels of Pilates in pastel pink activewear, a tiny athleisure subculture. GORP-core (GORP = Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts, merged with “-core”) describes hiking-ready looks that rarely see a trail: Gore-Tex jackets, fleece vests, cargo pants, and trail runners worn in the city. By 2026, gorp-core seems to have matured: the neon, over-the-top hiking aesthetic has softened into what’s being called Quiet Outdoor. Logos shrink, technical fabrics stay, and silhouettes lean urban. Heritage outdoor brands like Patagonia, Arc'teryx, and Salomon now sit comfortably next to high-end fashion labels, while Lululemon has firmly repositioned itself as a lifestyle brand beyond workout gear.
Clothes are less about following the weather and more about how we interpret it. Somewhere between a cold that envies the flowers and a summer that can’t quite commit, we’re living through a spring that’s hard to name. Maybe our closets are writing the most accurate weather reports.
Winter may be jealous of the flowers, but our wardrobe isn't.
◇ Jo Su-jin is the author of the bestseller Fashion X English and one of South Korea's leading English-education experts. She gained attention for her fresh approach of combining fashion with language learning. She holds a master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). She is CEO of Ilmi Food Co. and director of the Jo Su-jin English Institute.
