Walk through the vintage clusters of Seongsu-dong on a Saturday afternoon and you’ll start noticing the same pieces turning up on people who, by every other signal, look thoroughly current: quilted floral vests, hand-crocheted knit cardigans, delicate lace collars peeking out under structured jackets, the occasional vintage brooch pinned somewhere unexpected. None of it reads as costume. Paired with chunky sneakers or a pair of futuristic wraparound sunglasses, it reads as exactly what it is — Seoul’s most talked-about style movement of the year, and it’s dressing like somebody’s grandmother on purpose.
The trend has a few names floating around it — “Halmeoni style,” after the Korean word for grandmother, or “Halmennial,” a blend that nods to who’s actually wearing it. Either way, the idea is the same: take the wardrobe associated with an older generation of Korean women — florals, quilting, crochet, lace, the kind of craftsmanship that doesn’t get mass-produced anymore — and let a younger generation reinterpret it without irony.
What keeps it from tipping into costume is a styling rule that’s become something close to gospel among the people doing it well: keep roughly 70% of the outfit modern, and let the vintage pieces do the remaining 30% of the talking. A crocheted vest over a plain modern tee. One vintage floral midi skirt against an otherwise contemporary silhouette. The balance is what separates “thoughtful styling” from “wearing a costume,” and it’s also exactly why the trend rewards actually shopping in person rather than buying a pre-packaged “grandma style” look online.
Which is where Seoul’s geography matters. Seongsu-dong’s growing cluster of vintage and upcycle shops has become a direct feeder for this look, sitting alongside the neighborhood’s parallel upcycled-denim scene. Hongdae’s long-running vintage markets are the other reliable hunting ground, with enough volume that you can actually find the specific pieces — a real quilted vest, real handmade crochet, an actual vintage brooch — rather than a fast-fashion approximation of them.
If you’re visiting Seoul and want to try it yourself, treat it as a scavenger hunt rather than a shopping list: spend an afternoon working through Seongsu-dong’s vintage racks for one or two genuine pieces, then build the other 70% of the outfit from whatever you already packed. The trend isn’t really about the grandmother aesthetic at all — it’s about proving you can make something old feel inevitable next to something new.
Sources: The Soul of Seoul, “The Halmennial Trend In Korea And What It Means”; Grandpeona, “Korean Fashion Trend 2026: Why ‘Grandma Style’ Is Back in Style.”
