Shin Min-a's dresses in 'The Remarried Empress' cost 17 million won

Following the release of the first four episodes of 'The Remarried Empress' on the 4th, viewers criticized the imperial costumes for looking cheap despite a light mint-colored dress worn by Shin Min-a costing approximately 17 million won.

While the Disney+ original series 'The Remarried Empress' has drawn mixed reactions regarding its imperial costumes immediately following its release, attention has shifted to the actual price of the dresses worn by lead actress Shin Min-a. Despite some viewers evaluating the attire as looking crude on screen, it has been revealed that the garments are high-end products costing approximately 17 million won per piece. This has led to reactions suggesting that the issue may lie with the lighting and video color grading rather than the costumes themselves.

'The Remarried Empress' released episodes 1 through 4 on the 4th. The story begins when Navier (Shin Min-a), the Empress of the East Imperial Empire, receives a divorce notice from Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), who has betrayed her for Rashta (Lee Se-young), an escaped slave. Instead of accepting the divorce, Navier launches a counterattack to protect her pride as Empress by demanding permission to remarry Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk) of the Western Kingdom.

The work is based on the webtoon of the same name, which has recorded approximately 2.97 billion cumulative global views. It garnered significant anticipation before its release as the first K-romance fantasy presented by Disney+ and increased interest after being invited to the On-Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival. As a production depicting a glamorous imperial court, romance, and power struggles, its visual completeness was considered a major point of interest.

However, viewer reactions to the released work have been divided. In particular, there have been continuous criticisms that the imperial costumes and visual aesthetics did not meet expectations. Some netizens compared it to the Netflix series 'Bridgerton,' criticizing the attire as having a "cheap feel, like something worn by a middle or high school drama club." There were also reactions expressing disappointment with detailed expressions, such as the actors' hairstyles and manner of speaking.

The dress worn by Shin Min-a, which is at the center of the controversy, actually boasts a substantial price. According to information released online, the light mint-colored dress worn by Shin Min-a is a product of a Lebanese designer brand and costs 12,690 dollars, which is approximately 17 million won. The gap between the impression felt on screen and the actual price has caused surprise.

The light blue beaded dress and the black dress with a cape worn by Shin Min-a along with a tiara are also known to be British brands. The light blue beaded dress is reported to be 4,356 dollars (approximately 5.8 million won), while the black dress is 3,784 dollars (approximately 5 million won). Despite the use of expensive clothing in major scenes, the fact that their value was not sufficiently conveyed on screen has become another topic of discussion.

Following the disclosure of the prices, reactions emerged suggesting that the issue might have been the filming environment and video direction rather than the costumes themselves. Netizens commented, "I wondered why the dresses looked so crude, but they are expensive," and "The dresses are pretty, but the lighting or filters seem poor." In particular, it was pointed out that for dresses with beaded decorations to look glamorous on screen, strong lighting similar to a runway should be utilized.

The costume controversy surrounding 'The Remarried Empress' is attracting interest beyond mere price disclosure, as expensive dresses do not necessarily translate to a luxurious atmosphere on screen. This is because visual satisfaction for viewers is determined by the interplay of several factors, including the actual design and price of the product, the lighting and filming used to implement it on screen, and color grading. Ultimately, how convincingly the work implements its glamorous worldview affects the evaluation of the costumes.

'The Remarried Empress' on Disney+ will meet viewers with a total of 10 episodes, with two episodes released every Wednesday. As evaluations regarding the costumes and visual aesthetics remain divided following the initial release, interest continues regarding how the visual completeness of the work will be received as the story progresses.

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