By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
A pair of jeans, white T-shirt and black blazer are the most common wardrobe pieces for any college woman, but when figure skating sensation Kim Yu-na sported the look to school Thursday, the outfit was suddenly under the runway spotlight.
After seeing media coverage of Kim's first day of school at Korea University, fashion-sensitive online users immediately started barraging Web forums and shopping sites with questions and assumptions over the star athlete's brand picks.
Guesses were all over the place, but with the help of Galleria Department Store, the 18-year-old's wardrobe was uncovered Friday.
The simple, black fitting blazer is a 2008 fall/winter collection by Korean brand TIME, one of Kim's favorites that she has worn for numerous events since December. Galleria says the jacket costs around 600,000 won ($445).
Since Kim started wearing the blazer, according to the retailer, TIME has sold almost 600 in its Galleria shop alone over the four-month period.
``In this business, a design is considered a best-seller if it sells more than 200 pieces, so I'd say Kim definitely gave it a promotional boost,'' said a department store spokeswoman, who added the jacket is now out of stock.
Beneath the blazer, the college freshman wore a white print T-shirt, which turns out to be one of Nike's spring tops, costing 39,000 won.
Kim went with a bright ivory-colored beaded pair of flats for her first-day look, and Galleria says the product is also made by local brand Gio & Samantha.
Priced around 235,000 won, the shoes have been drawing a sudden rush of attention with curious consumers calling the department store to find out the brand name and price.
``We've moved the pair to the front of the store Thursday after getting dozens of inquiries from shoppers,'' said Choi Eun-jung, a store sales representative.
The bag Kim carried is an old MCM design, but is no longer being sold, the Galleria spokeswoman said.
The dark blue jeans the slim-bodied figure skater sported have been at the center of attention, but netizens and fashion experts have yet to unveil the brand.
``It can be a plain old item, but once Kim is seen wearing it, the status of the product gets an instant upgrade,'' the spokeswoman said, adding that the record-setting athlete is already a fashion and beauty icon among her peers.