Nora Noh

Noh Myeong-ja (; born March 21, 1928), known professionally as Nora Noh , is a South Korean fashion designer. After studying and working in the fashion industry in the United States , she returned to Seoul to establish her own company, House of Nora Noh (later known as Nora Nou), in 1952. Her style blends American and French fashion trends with traditional Korean materials and history.

Noh was among the first South Korean fashion designers to establish a presence in the United States. Her supervisor later sponsored and requested available positions for her in New York and Califonian garment houses. Noh left South Korea in the summer of 1947 to receive her college education from Frank W. Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles, California, United States. She learned English and began working with designers under Californian retailers, specifically sportswear company Tabak of California and Ann Taylor (now known as Ann Inc.), where she learned how to make clothes commercially. The movement offered a lifestyle of carefree, hedonistic, stylish youth. Often these people had jobs that were not labor intensive. The movement received criticism for its implication of alcohol abuse, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, lack of individualism, rampant consumerism, and what defined "modernity" under Japanese colonialism.

Western Influence on Post-War Korea (1950–1959) South Korea's post-war reconstruction and modernization was influenced by former Japanese occupation, the Korean War, and foreign aid from the United States.The large influx of American aid sped up South Korea's plans to modernize. To solve the post-war poverty, food shortages, population, unemployment crises from Russia's occupation of North Korea, the South Korean government transitioned from an agricultural economy to a capitalistic one with the aid of the United States' administration. Jobs in the labor industries rose, and people who worked during the war continued after it ended. Most of the country was still in poverty, using post-war items like American parachutes and military uniforms to make clothing. American donations like school supplies, food, and clothing were given to the upper class, and the government sought to suppress the everyday woman from wearing American clothing for its "vanity and extravagance". Korean women rejected the idea in favor of creating clothes that were equally as comfortable as they were stylish, opting for shorter-length hanbok skirts or wearing pants. What drew women in to certain American clothing styles were its affordability and practicality for working women.

America's ideas around independence and female autonomy was at odds with the country's Japanese Confucianist ideals. American GIs stationed in Korea had an influence on Korean women and the Korean feminist movement, shaping the idea that women's autonomy could be separate from the familial structure, instead seeing themselves as working people. From ideals food, transportation, and clothing, South Korea had become an "Americanized" country.

Cold War fashion vs. Styling the Mainstream (1960–1979) In 1963, Noh came out with a line of "ready-made" clothing in response to the increasing women's labor force, making her one of the first fashion designers to commercialize her clothing.

In January 1967, Noh styled singer Yoon Bok-Hee in a miniskirt, making her one of the first Korean stars to introduce the miniskirt to conservative South Korea. Despite the backlash from the press, Yoon continued to worked with Noh, who styled her in mini dresses.

Personal life Noh's first name, "Nora" is a reference to the main character of the same name in Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House (1879). In the play, the protagonist, Nora, learns to free herself from the fear and control of the patriarchal standards of how a woman and mother is perceived.

Style and Designs Noh's style has been described as "classy", "stylish", "sexy", and "well-controlled elegance". Her use of rich, bold patterns, colors, and precise tailoring allows for any model to feel as though their piece is exactly theirs. Molded to fit the wearer's body, Noh's choice to use Korean fabrics and materials make her pieces look and feel one-of-a-kind and striking. Some design motifs in her work include cinched waists with rounded skirts for the dresses and strong, angular shoulders in the blouses and blazers, but other times, the edges are soft and plush like her trench coats.

Her most famous design, the "Arirang Dress", is a re-imagining of a traditional hanbok. Designed for a Miss Universe contest in 1959, Noh, "preserved the quintessientially Korean elements, such as its elegant lines and colors, tailoring it as an evening gown". It was named a National Registered Cultural Heritage item in 2014. Using Korean silks, the design of the dress is meant to mimic the high waistline and flowing skirt. The piece is named after the Arirang song, a national Korean song that has over 3,600 lyrical and regional variations and usages.