Sunday, November 14, 2010

Neighborhood: Seoul Mish Mash #1

The past week has been major suck (and looks like the suck will last for a while) from the uber cold weather that's moved into the city. I'm not prepared to wrap myself up like a 5'4 snowman, but the days of cute fall/winter wear are coming to a quick end. I feel like I went to sleep and woke up to cold weather. What happened to summer???

I've collected a smattering of photos around Seoul that aren't enough to create a section of their own, so I've figured to just throw them together here.

I spent a lot of time debating over whether or not to create a section about Myeongdong. I decided against it because it's an area that's covered extensively by travel guides as well as other blogs, lost a lot of its unique touch because of the chain stores that have entered the area, filled with Japanese tourists who pretty much dictate the styles that are sold here, and too many generic items are sold here. That said, there are two places I like to visit when I'm in the area.

myeongdong1

A-Land is a staple for a trip to Korea. They have one of the largest collection of Korean brands as well as three other floors of other nonsense. B1 is the vintage/used/hipster-iffic clothing; 1F is Korean brands, APC, and Cheap Monday; 2F is more Korean brands plus accessories; 3F is pure vintage/used clothing - be prepared to dig.

SSFW is a recent find, a concept store that sells clothes, handbags, hats, accessories, and some nominal housewares. Their products change regularly, so I always make a point to drop in whenever I'm around. To be honest, I have yet to make a purchase here because the customer service is so spotty. (I'm also astonished at how I've suddenly turned into a needy customer since arriving in Seoul. I hate being approached and catered to outside of Korea.)

myeongdong3
myeongdong2

The last two are of Gwanghwamun, one of my favorite areas in Seoul. I'll probably create a new section for this later, but I wanted to share these two for now. The mountain in the background is Gook-ak San (국악산) and so lovely when the weather is clear like this.

gwanghwamun-2
gwanghwamun-1

2 comments:

  1. I'm remembering how cold it was in Korea when I was living there in the winter time! I hope you stay warm :) There's this one store in MyeongDong that I really liked (they carried a lot of fleamadonna which I am a FAN of haha) but the name just does not want to be remembered... will let you know when I do hehe

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  2. Aland is my ISH!
    Yes, customer service is a bit spotty but in general they're pretty on the ball if you really need something. I've bought scarves here and most recently a gorgeous jacket that I saw on a girl that I photographed a week before. Seroosu-gil (parallel to Garusu-gil) is an area that I love now, there's a lovely store called Le Digue, great sweater, dresses and accessories.

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