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Here's how 'Perfect Crown' styles the modern royal look

Published: 01 May. 2026, 07:00 Updated: 03 May. 2026, 18:50

KIM JU-YEON
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IU as conglomerate heir Seong Hee-ju and Byeon Woo-seok as Prince I-an in the romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

As exotic as a fictional monarchy in 2026 may seem, MBC’s “Crown Prince” creates another spectacle with what its characters wear. Their extravagant wardrobes, deliberately fused with traditional elements, become a visual draw in their own right.

From gold-laden cheollik worn by Byeon Woo-seok as Prince I-an to a flower-patterned modernized hanbok (traditional Korean garment) worn by IU as Seong Hee-ju, the costumes in “Crown Prince” take center stage to symbolize power and social standing as much as personality in the romantic comedy series.

"I thought, what if I used hanbok to represent the royal court?" said Jo Sang-gyeong, head of the drama’s wardrobe department, in a behind-the-scenes video.

Because parts of the costumes were left to creative interpretation, Jo said extensive research was conducted to set the right tone, looking into “the full range of ceremonial garments, from the Joseon [1392–1897] royal court through the Korean Empire [1897–1910], and how hanbok could be worn in everyday settings.” This included military uniforms and other court attire worn by Gojong (r. 1864-1907), the penultimate king of the Joseon Dynasty, she added.

Byeon Woo-seok, as Prince I-an, wears cheollik with modern touches in the romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown.″ [MBC]

A cheollik, a traditional Korean garment, among clothing artifacts excavated in 2002 during the relocation of the tomb of Gen. Yi Eung-hae, a mid-Joseon military official, in Wonju, Gangwon [ENCYCLOPEDIA OF KOREAN CULTURE]

Cheollik

Viewers get their first proper look at Byeon as I-an, the charismatic prince who serves as his nephew's regent, in the first episode, as he sweeps into the king's birthday banquet wearing a cheollik.

The robe, made up of a pleated skirt attached to a top with a visible waistline, was worn across multiple social classes from the middle of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and throughout Joseon. Valued for its ease of movement, it served as everyday wear for men, as well as a military or hunting uniform and even an undergarment.

It's a traditional garment, but hardly appropriate for a king's birthday, which would have required formal wear in accordance with the protocol of a royal court of Joseon, artistic license that designer Jo acknowledges.

“It was a choice to show the character right away, even if it’s a bit off from formal protocol,” Jo said. "His entrance plays like a runway moment; he's deliberately undone, as if he were a model mid-strut." As spectators note in the scene, the loosened, undone robes gives the impression that he's heading out on a hunt, not attending a banquet.

IU, as conglomerate heir Seong Hee-ju, wears a dress inspired by cheollik in the romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown.″ [MBC]

The same cheollik inspires the modernized hanbok dress Hee-ju wears as the second daughter of a large family-controlled business group when she enters the palace. Made by the contemporary hanbok brand Tchai Kim, the dress is characterized by its round dangko collar that stands up around the neck and features a sharp angular shape in the front, while strings called goreum form the silhouette, mixed with a contemporary striped floral pattern in pastel colors. The collar cuts deeper to show more skin than traditional hanbok for a breezier look.

Traditionally worn by men, the garment has become a popular choice for modernized women’s hanbok, even outside fiction, thanks to its construction — a separate top and skirt joined at the waist.

"The seam naturally draws the eye, creating a defined silhouette, which is why cheollik has often been reimagined in modern times as a women’s dress," researcher Jang Sa-heum writes for The Federation of Korea Culture Center's Local N Culture database.

Modern elements

Byeon Woo-seok as Prince I-an in the romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

Byeon Woo-seok as Prince I-an in romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

"Perfect Crown" digs deep into the role and drama surrounding monarchs who feel powerless as they merely hold symbolic authority within a democratic, capitalist system. As I-an puts it, "politics is for politicians; business is for merchants; and the royal court can do nothing."

Hanbok and other costume elements make that dynamic visible, marking the moments when the royal family performs its ceremonial role in the constitutional monarchy.

IU as Seong Hee-ju in romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

High-ranking government officials, including the prime minister, don hanbok only within the royal court, otherwise defaulting to Western suits. Hee-ju dresses up in power suits and tweed jackets as a company executive, switching to modernized hanbok in the palace, but not in full hanbok attire like the queen dowager. At a Business Day ceremony, she is presented by I-an with eosahwa — paper flowers once bestowed by the king in the Joseon period to mark scholarly achievement or royal favor, typically worn on hats.

Hanbok elements blend into Western-style dress shirts and jackets for a touch of regality in I-an's more everyday looks. His shirts are devoid of stiff collars and instead use flat collars that create a V-shape at the neck, called a hanbok's git. In several jackets paired with such shirts, there are clear inspirations of dongjeong — a detachable white band that is placed over the end of the git of hanbok.

"I wanted to create a gentler overall feel [for I-an] by leaving out ties and using softer collars that echo the lines of a hanbok’s git and dongjeong for his everyday look," Jo said.

Then there's the durumagi, a seamless overcoat fastened in the front by goreum. The robes are first seen draped over white dress shirts and ties on high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Min Jung-woo, portrayed by Noh Sang-hyun, at the king’s birthday banquet.

Noh Sang-hyun as Min Jeong-woo, the prime minister of a constitutional monarchy, in the romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

Gong Seung-yeon as Queen Dowager Yoon Yi-rang wears a sequinned jeogori (upper garment) and skirt in romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

Ritual and military attire

In the third episode, the male royals perform an ancestral rite at Jongmyo, the royal shrine in central Seoul where rituals are held in line with the Confucian belief that a state’s legitimacy and stability rest on honoring its ancestors. At the solemn ceremony, Prince I-an and the king wear ceremonial robes called jeryebok, with little modern interpretation.

Ritual attire varied by status and period. The costumes worn by the officiants in the series follow the same clothes worn at the Jongmyo Jerye that conform to the standards of the Korean Empire.

IU as conglomerate heir Seong Hee-ju and Byeon Woo-seok as Prince I-an in romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ [MBC]

The jeryebok layers multiple garments, with a jacket made of black silk, or heukju, worn over the top and accessorized with sashes that represent rank depending on color and symbolic animals. The ritual headdress also signifies rank — a yangguan with gold detailing, fastened with a hairpin adorned with hanging hassels for the prince and a ceremonial crown with nine tassels on the front and back for the king.

The prince appears in full Korean Empire regalia at an inner palace banquet in the sixth episode, donning a look reminiscent of the imperial uniforms worn by the real royals of the Jeonju Yi clan.

In 1897, when King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire, military uniforms shifted to Western styles, and the emperor wore the uniform of the daewonsu (generalissimo) of the marshal headquarters.

Byeon Woo-seok poses for a photo at a press conference for MBC romantic comedy series ″Perfect Crown″ at the Josun Palace hotel in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on April 6. [YONHAP]

Gojong, who ruled Korea from 1864 to 1907 as the last king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) and as the first emperor of the Korean Empire from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907, is pictured in 1907. [SEOUL MUSEUM OF HISTORY]

On I-an, the uniform is sharper and more tailored to his frame in the form of Western-style tailoring — narrower sleeves, tight at the waist with broad shoulders for a crisper, more angled look. The aiguillettes, or gold braids, hanging on I-an's chest and his striped sleeves signify high rank and royal service.

The inspiration can be seen in the uniforms Gojong and his son, Sunjong, wore. Gojong, pictured in 1907 in his uniform after he was forcibly abdicated, has no insignia indicating his rank but colorful emblems decorating his sleeves and medals, including those given by Imperial Japan, France and Italy.

The wardrobe of "Perfect Crown" offers a glimpse into a parallel universe, imagining a modern Korean aesthetic that never came to be. More looks will be unveiled as the 12-episode series continues to air on MBC and Disney+ through May 16.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]