Lovely Runner Style Guide: Im Sol’s Exact Outfits + Dupes
The moment Episode 1 of Lovely Runner aired in 2024, Korean fashion forums were already pulling apart every piece Kim Hye-Yoon wore as Im Sol. Not because it was flashy — because it was exactly right. Soft, warm, wearable. The kind of outfit you’d actually put on for a real Tuesday.
If you’ve been searching for how to dress like a Korean drama character — specifically Im Sol from Lovely Runner — this is the breakdown you need. Actual brand names, real prices in KRW and USD, honest dupe options when the original isn’t worth the shipping wait, and styling context that goes beyond Pinterest captions.
Prices last verified April 2024. KRW/USD conversions are approximate and may vary.
What Is the Im Sol / Lovely Runner Fashion Aesthetic?
If you’ve been trying to pin down Im Sol’s vibe, here’s the clearest way to say it: soft girl meets campus comfort. It’s not the polished, heel-adjacent look of Business Proposal‘s female lead. It’s not the oversized-streetwear route that a lot of younger K-drama characters lean into either. Im Sol’s style sits in its own category — relaxed, warm, and distinctly Korean in its restraint.
Korean fashion communities on Pann Nate and Naver Cafe landed on a phrase almost immediately: 편안한 여성스러움 — “comfortable femininity.” That’s not a marketing slogan. It came from actual viewers in threads praising Im Sol’s styling as wearable idol fashion, specifically because it didn’t feel costumed. Pann threads called it out as refreshing compared to over-styled drama wardrobes where every scene looks like a lookbook shoot.
A big reason this aesthetic felt so authentic? Kim Hye-Yoon’s real-life personal style already leans this way. Her 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards press appearance in a relaxed ivory knit and wide-leg trousers — virtually no jewelry, clean and understated — could have been pulled straight from Im Sol’s wardrobe. She’s been photographed in similar soft separates at airport departures too, long before Lovely Runner was announced. When the wardrobe mirrors the actual person wearing it, audiences feel it — and Korean viewers definitely did.
Wardrobe credit goes to Korean stylist 이아름 (Lee A-Reum), who made a deliberate choice to pull from indie Korean brands rather than big-name labels. That decision is what keeps the look grounded. These aren’t aspirational luxury pieces — they’re the brands a Seoul university student actually knows and shops.
Episode-by-Episode Im Sol Outfit Breakdown (Episodes 1–4)
All prices sourced from InkiStyle’s official Lovely Runner fashion breakdown and Musinsa product pages. Prices current as of April 2024 — check retailer sites for current availability.
Episode 1: GBH APPAREL Ivory Soft Top
The outfit that started the conversation. Im Sol’s 가비에이치 (GBH APPAREL) soft top in ivory costs ₩73,000 (~$56 USD) and was paired with wide-leg cream trousers. The styling trick that made it look so effortlessly Korean? One side slightly tucked in — what Koreans call 살짝 터킹. It’s a micro-detail that changes the whole silhouette from boxy to intentional. If you replicate nothing else from this outfit, replicate that tuck.
Dupe pick (under $50): SHEIN’s ribbed square-neck top in cream (~$14) gets you the same soft fabric weight and relaxed fit. Apply the 살짝 터킹 technique and pair with wide-leg trousers — the effect holds up surprisingly well at a fraction of the price.
Episode 2: Reebok Club C Double Geo Sneakers
These are not the standard Club C you’ve seen a hundred times. The Reebok Club C Double Geo has a stacked double sole that adds subtle height without going full platform — and that distinction matters. At ₩94,000 (~$72 USD), this was already sitting in Musinsa’s women’s sneaker top chart in early 2024 before the drama even aired. Post-episode, it jumped. The Double Geo sole gives a cleaner, more elevated silhouette than the flat original, which is exactly what Im Sol’s proportions needed with wide-leg trousers.
Dupe pick (under $50): New Balance’s 480 in white (~$45 USD on Amazon) has a nearly identical stacked-but-not-chunky sole profile and reads the same way against wide-leg pants. It’s become a go-to alternative recommendation in several Korean fashion Reddit threads for exactly this reason.
Episode 3: RE RHEE Puffed-Sleeve Light Yellow Sweater
This is the premium pick. RE RHEE’s balloon-sleeve sweater in light yellow comes in at ₩185,000 (~$142 USD) as of April 2024 — the most expensive individual piece in Im Sol’s early-episode wardrobe. RE RHEE is a Korean indie brand sold through their own site and select Musinsa stores; it’s not a household name internationally, but Korean women in their mid-20s know it well. The balloon sleeve trend this piece represents was everywhere on Korean Instagram in spring 2024 — oversized at the shoulder, fitted at the cuff, feminine without being fussy.
Dupe pick (under $50): Zara’s puff-sleeve fine-knit sweater in butter yellow (~$46 USD) is the closest Western-market match in terms of sleeve construction and color temperature. It’s not as refined at the shoulder seam, but styled with the right bottoms, the silhouette reads identically.
Episode 4: ROLAROLA Green Sleeveless Strap One-Piece Dress
The ROLAROLA green sleeveless strap dress costs ₩91,000 (~$70 USD) and is the piece that sold out fastest. ROLAROLA consistently ranks in Musinsa’s feminine casual top 20 for women aged 20–28 — it’s one of those brands that Korean women just know the way Americans know Madewell. The sage-adjacent green shade hit exactly the right moment in the muted pastel trend cycle, and within 48 hours of Episode 4 airing, the dress was listed as out of stock across all colorways on ROLAROLA’s Musinsa storefront. Pann Nate threads documenting the sellout were pulling hundreds of comments within the first day.
Dupe pick (under $50): ASOS’s cami midi dress in sage green (~$38 USD) is the most accessible match — same strap construction, similar fabric drape. Size down one if you want the fitted-through-the-waist effect that made the original read so cleanly on screen.
How to Style Im Sol’s Look by Season
Lovely Runner is set across different time periods, which means Im Sol’s wardrobe actually shifts with the season. That’s useful — it gives you a roadmap for wearing this aesthetic year-round, not just in spring.
Spring / Early Summer
This is Im Sol’s natural habitat. Soft knit tops, strap dresses, and low sneakers. The color palette stays in the ivory-sage-butter zone. Key layering move: a thin cotton cardigan in oatmeal or light beige worn open, never buttoned. Korean styling convention keeps it loose and slightly off one shoulder when the cardigan is open — it keeps the softness without looking like you forgot to finish dressing.
Autumn / Cooler Days
Swap the strap dress for the same silhouette in heavier fabric — a midi slip dress in chocolate brown or dusty mauve layered over a fitted long-sleeve top in white or cream. The RE RHEE balloon-sleeve sweater works here too, but pair it with straight-leg jeans instead of wide-legs to shift the proportion slightly warmer. Korean fashion communities call this 레이어드 감성 — “layered sensibility” — and it’s how the 편안한 여성스러움 aesthetic transitions out of spring without losing its character.
The Non-Negotiables Across Every Season
- Neutral or muted color palette — nothing saturated
- 살짝 터킹 on any top that hits at or below the hip
- Sneakers or flat mules only — heels don’t belong in this aesthetic
- Minimal accessories: small stud earrings, a thin chain, nothing louder
- One color family per outfit — Im Sol never clashes
How Korean Fashion Communities Reacted
The response wasn’t just enthusiastic — it was organized. Within a week of Lovely Runner‘s premiere, Pann Nate had multiple threads specifically cataloging Im Sol’s outfits by episode, with users cross-referencing brand names, linking to Musinsa product pages, and debating dupe alternatives in real time. One thread titled roughly “Im Sol outfits that feel like something I’d actually wear” accumulated over 800 comments before the show’s second week aired.
The consensus across communities? Im Sol’s wardrobe succeeded precisely because stylist Lee A-Reum didn’t try to make it fashion-forward. Korean viewers flagged that most 2024 K-drama female leads were styled to feel aspirational — outfits that read more editorial than real. Im Sol’s choices read as something a 25-year-old in Hongdae would actually be wearing on a Saturday afternoon. That authenticity is what drove the ROLAROLA dress to sell out in under 48 hours and pushed the Reebok Club C Double Geo back into Musinsa’s trending charts weeks after its initial appearance.
On the international side, the drama’s subreddit and several K-fashion YouTube channels started producing outfit recreation videos — particularly for the Episode 1 GBH top and the Episode 4 ROLAROLA dress — within the show’s first month. The dupe economy around Im Sol’s wardrobe moved fast, which tells you something about how transferable the aesthetic actually is outside Korea.
Where to Actually Shop These Pieces
For the originals: Musinsa ships internationally and carries GBH APPAREL, ROLAROLA, and RE RHEE. Expect 7–14 business days to most Western markets. Stylenanda and 29CM are worth checking for similar indie Korean brands if specific pieces are sold out.
For dupes: ASOS, Zara, and Amazon cover most of the silhouettes referenced above. The one thing none of them replicate is the fabric quality of the Korean originals — particularly the RE RHEE sweater, which has a softness that photographs differently. If you’re going to splurge on one original piece, make it that one.
And whatever you buy: practice the 살짝 터킹. It costs nothing and it’s the single most effective technique for making any of these outfits read the way they do on screen.