She was the first celebrity to make the cover of South Korea's oldest hiking magazine—and her everyday style balances feminine detail with total fearlessness

In South Korea, there's a magazine called Mountain Monthly that's been around forever—the oldest climbing publication in the country. For the first time ever, they put a celebrity on the cover: the actress Lee Siyoung. That's not really a random flex, because her life basically backs that up.

She got recognized early through the show We Got Married, then jumped into film where she got her first lead in Born Rich. But the role that changed everything was in Netflix's Sweet Home, where she got in the kind of physical shape you only achieve through months of serious dedication—we're talking 30kg of pure muscle mass—to play the character Seo Yi-Kyung, basically a female warrior that felt unprecedented for K-drama. She kept pushing that intensity, kept training, and now she's doing YouTube content alongside acting, where she combines that same adventurous energy. That's why the hiking magazine cover made sense—she's actually living that lifestyle, not just playing it on screen.

Let's break down how she's dressing when she steps away from all of that intensity.

Black velvet mini dress with pearls and thigh-highs: pure luxury moment

Start with this black velvet mini dress—pretty delicate for someone known for action roles. The sleeves have pearl and tweed trim detailing, very much in that Chanel signature territory.

Paired with thigh-high boots and you've got this high-low moment happening. The dress hem sits right above the knee, which is short, but those boots come up to mid-thigh, so the proportions are actually very intentional. In her hand is a black Chanel mini bag with the chain strap and CC hardware showing clearly. She's in what looks like a Chanel boutique, so the whole vibe is deliberately formal and high. But what it says is that underneath the action-hero image, she actually embraces pretty, feminine silhouettes when she wants to. This is her taking herself seriously as someone who understands luxury and elegance.

White jacket with scalloped edges, denim shorts, and the garden-walk vibe

This outfit is built on a white jacket with a scallop-edge detail at the hem and a striped pattern through the weave. It's not just a basic blazer; there's actual personality in the cut. She's layering a white top underneath, then bringing in light-wash denim shorts to keep it summery and casual.

What caught my eye is how feminine this layered moment is—the scalloped edge is the kind of detail you see on vintage dresses or delicate blouses, not something you'd expect on someone whose most famous role involved breaking through walls and fighting for survival. But she's wearing it effortlessly, which suggests she's comfortable with softness. The denim shorts keep it from getting too precious, and that Chanel denim quilted bag with the gold hardware is the anchor. There are green leaves visible in the background, and the white really pops against all that nature.

Light blue check mini dress plus white cardigan: soft composition against industrial backdrop

Now we're in a different mood entirely. She's in a light blue check mini dress—clean, simple pattern—and she's thrown a white knit cardigan over it super casually, like she just grabbed it before stepping outside.

The real detail is the shiny button hardware on the dress itself—gives it a subtle shine under the light. She's carrying a silver quilted shoulder bag that matches the whole cool-toned palette, and she's in silver mule sandals to complete it. There's a white metal fence in the background, which creates this composed, cool aesthetic. The whole thing reads like an unhurried summer afternoon, and the cardigan plus dress combination is giving cozy-but-put-together, which is hard to pull off.

So here's what Lee Siyoung's style actually represents: there's a contrast between her on-screen intensity and her off-screen softness. She'll wear a black velvet dress with pearl trim and thigh-highs because she appreciates luxury and feminine detail. She'll layer a scalloped white jacket because delicate cuts appeal to her. She uses Chanel bags across multiple looks, but she's not making them the statement—she's integrating them into the whole composition. When she layers, when she adds cardigans, when she reaches for soft fabrics, she's basically saying that her everyday off-screen self gets to be soft and pretty and expensive in a quiet way. No performance needed. So if you're taking notes, the lesson is: you don't have to pick a lane and stay in it. You can be strong and fearless on screen and then actually love velvet, curves, and pearl details in real life. The accessories don't need to be loud if the baseline is already that refined.