All posts by The Hidden Thimble Team

Korea, Travel

Garosugil

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Being in Seoul, probably one of the most recognized, if not hottest place in the world right now is….

Yep! Gangnam is everywhere now, but unfortunately for us it didn’t come out while we were still overseas*sadface*. But it’s not just a street or a small district in the city’s landscape like I originally thought. It’s actually quite a big area with 22 other neighbourhoods including Apgujeong, Sinsa and Garosugil.

After spending much of the daytime visiting idol headquarters (anyone like Kpop?), we headed to Garosugil after getting off at Apgujeong to find this one elusive bubble tea shop to the Stars called Cofioca. I’ll let Talyssa tell the story but do not get off at the Apgujeong Station as it will take you to Plastic Surgery Street and not Rodeo Street, which is 30 minutes walk the opposite direction… Oh crap how painful! So to fight our disappointment (and the cold) we went to Garosugil. Lucky for us this single street, though not a very big road, was waaaay more easier to find than some small obscure little shop in a little unknown lane way.

Garosugil at night… in winter

Along Garosugil’s boutique streets, styles range from being feminine and flowy, with lots of handmade accessory shops selling flower hairbands and cute bows, to vintage and quirky-artsy with a few rare second hand shops and graphic goods stores. Since we went to Seoul during winter we didn’t get the lovely “European” vibe that Garousigil gives off when the street ginkgo trees have their leaves on but spending time walking through the streets, browsing at cute boutiques and passing the many cozy cafes and jazz bars, it’s definitely an ‘inspired Europe experience’ and of course a place were you can expect to find the Gangnam stylish crowd at (Oppa gangnam style!).

Home of too many cute cafes and galleries. My kind of place <3
I didn’t take many pictures of shops since I wasn’t in “blogger” mode so here’s a teddy bear instead :)
Chicken heaven Mmmm

I swear, Koreans can make chicken taste like heaven on a stick.

Probs one of the best korean chicken experiences of my life, if you know who Se7en is, his chicken restaurant is near the beginning of the street. Se7en’s music was probably my first introduction to Kpop other than BoA and Rain(Bi) when I was in high school. Besides the fact that I didn’t continue to listen to his music after Crazy… because I went on being Rain bias… I never thought celebrity chicken could taste sooo freakin good! Definitely give it a try and watch out for the chilli. It burns at level 1!!

Se7en’s Chicken Restaurant
Other famous people who have visited his restaurant

After some walking around we went to Ginkgo Avenue (very appropriately name), a café that had a view of the street below. It was freezing cold, so natural we sat inside but close enough to the window to watch the street while sipping a chamomile teapot for two for ₩6,000.

Ginkgo Avenue Cafe

Like my artsy shots?

Lights out for now!

Need a Map?

Wanna get to Garosugil?

Take the train on Line 3 to Sinsa Station and exit at Exit 8, then walk 15 minutes. There’ll be a sign that reads “Garosu-gil” in English.

Spending Time:

If you are just browsing through, I would say 3 hours to eat, look and light shopping. Add more if you are going into galleries and nightlife activities.

Tips:

  • Garosugil also is home to some second hand vintage stores like 9 Owls that are located off the main road. Check them out if you’re into unique vintage goods.
  • Keep in mind that since Garosugil is in the Sinsadong area, things can be either of average to expensive prices for clothing and activities.
Korea, Travel

Myeongdong – Shopping, fur trends and skinship groping Ajuuma

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Before this trip started, whenever I chat about South Korea with the girls everyone would say Seoul has some of the best shopping experiences for fashion that was affordable and stylish. After my experience, I would even argue that the fashion you would find in Seoul would definitely suit the style tastes of Sydney. Especially the winter trends. Bulky coats paired with blouses and leggings even when it’s sub-zero degrees of cold painful winter wind, Seoul’s winter fashion combines that causal element with sleek and polish.

So to get our first taste of what South Korea A/W 2012 fashion had to offer on our first day we went to Myeongdong, definitely one of THE go-to-place to shop in Seoul for the young stylish crowd.

Day vs Night

Comparing my first day shopping bags with Talyssa’s haul, I was definitely spending more money on cosmetic and beauty products than clothing. Oops~

But the one thing I wanted the most during this shopping trip was a fur item like a vest or collar. Mainly after seeing this picture of Okarie for Ank Rouge.
Okarie modelling clothes for her brand Ank Rouge (images from tumblr).

Ain’t the outfit kyute?? The fur collar definitely gives the outfit an interesting texture and lucky for me, Myeondong had a lot of fur shops selling solely fur pieces. I knew fur was a big trend for Japan’s winter season but for some reason I didn’t find a lot (if not any) young Seoulites wearing it… but all the older ladies! Omai!

Speaking of older ladies and fur, while we were shopping in one of the many side streets, we came across this store that had a lot of fur clothes.  There were two sales people but the person I took notice of was the ajuuma who was very err “enthusiastic” to show me the fur collars that I was looking at, telling me to try it on and helping me… by shoving the ends into my top in very close contact with my chest. I don’t know if Talyssa was laughing her ass off at this point but all I could think of was “…did she just touch my boobs??” But rather than knuckling down to the hard sale, I was pretty solid in my mind that if it didn’t look good, I won’t buy it. So, after 5 minutes of close contact shoulder hugging while bumping into my conversations with Talyssa all buddy-buddy style, I decided to leave the store feeling a bit uncomfortable, at which the lady scoffed and went back to her counter. I felt quiet proud of myself, especially after Talyssa told me she was giving the other salesman a look of “I’m gonna make these girls buy something.” The store wasn’t cheap as well! Around $100 – $300 since she said it was either made from real fox or rabbit fur. Bonus: Pride went up 10 points.

But, but, butttt!! Just like to say, not every shopping experiences are like this in Seoul. These are just “skinship” tactics sales people use to make you come into their store which we don’t see in Western consumer culture. Actually, I had a friend who also went to Seoul during the same time and she took a photo of a salesman at the balcony of a store with a fishing rod with a present at the end of the line to get customers to come in during Christmas. Haha such a cute idea!

What gorgeous stores! Make up heaven: Etude House, Holika Holika, TheFaceShop and Tony Moly (right next door to Burger King hehe). Myeongdong was a great starting place since it mixes the big name stores like F21, Zara and Uniqlo with a good number of small boutiques and cart stores. But what I noticed was the cool concept stores. Especially the beauty and makeup brands who definitely had the best exteriors.

Sydney, why you no give free samples yo?! Best thing about shopping in Korea is the free samples for just entering the store! No guilt over not buying anything. Just enjoy your free sample of the latest beauty cream, facial mask or just some makeup pads for visiting their store. Of course, actually buying something in the store means better and more samples added to your bag but you’ll still get something good with the at-the-door kinds. Talyssa and I regretted not trying some of these new samples before we got back home since some of them were really good. Gah, noted for next time.

Example of outdoor cart stores selling everything from clothing to food.
Though it’s easy to be tempted by the street level stores don’t forget to look up!

 We found some really good restaurants and cafes on the upper levels of buildings while the bottom ground was reserved for more obvious stores like Starbucks. But not just in Myeongdong, a lot of the cute cafes we enjoyed and the yummy dinners we had on our trip have been from places on the upper levels in buildings. And, because we loved these places so much we’re gonna post up a entry just for eating shortly so keep an eye out!

Ohhh look at all those banchan!
My sweet tooth was also satisfied :)
Talyssa’s shopping Day 1. I think she did pretty well :)

Compared to other shopping districts, because of it’s popularity with tourists Myeongdong is certainly a bit more expensive than the others. For example…

My $10 strawberries!

Yes, $10 strawberries. So sweet, so good!! Little did I realize they are around $4 at local grocery stores… sigh the things I do for nomnoms.

Ok enough from me, so…

How can you get to Myeongdong?

Myeongdong Station is on Subway Line 4, Exit 7.

Map

Tips:

  • Favorite shopping places are Migliore, Etude House and SSFW. Many of the small shops without the big name labels attached to them are great for some discount buys.
  • Myeongdong can be quite confusing with it’s many side streets, so following the map will help a lot for first timers. At the end of the long street you can also find Lotte Young Plaza and Lotte Department Store which are more expensive with some international brands like the Make Up Forever counter as well as designs and prices that you would expect from a department store.
  • Make sure you look around before deciding on buying something. Myeongdong, besides being more expensive, like Dongdaemun also has more than one store selling the same product and sometimes cheaper.
Until the next post, have a rad one! :)

 

FML - Fashion Monthly Look

FML – Fashion Monthly Look: IU

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It’s our first fashion post. Huzzah!  Oh, but this is not your ordinary OOTD type of entry…Let us introduce our new project: “Fashion Monthly Look”, or better known as FML.

FML will be a monthly feature where all dedicated posts will explore a fashion look from head to toe.  These monthly looks will vary from everyday clothing styles, to themes in movies and TV shows, to high couture inspired looks.  Our posts will revolve around teaching you the different ways to explore, recreate and achieve the style of the month, and overtime will hopefully provide you with an extensive database of bright ideas for style, nail, hair, make up and even DIY tutorials.

So, if you like eye candy here’s a sweet treat, our first FML inspired by IU’s “YOU+I.”

If we could describe the overall theme of IU’s look, it would be a mix of ‘modern vintage’, with ‘preppy cute’ creating a highly feminine look.

1. Romwe ripple knit Jumper 2. Romwe navy cardigan 3. Marc Jacobs cotton poplin shirt
4. Asos lace socks 5.Yesstyle mary jane pumps 6. Top Shop beaded collar 7. Yesstyle A-line skirt

Notable items include:

  • Collared blouse: Peter Pan collars, two-tone double collared blouses, lace and so on.
  • Cardigans: Cute buttons add extra detail for this look.
  • Baggy/loose jumpers.
  • Skirts, Skorts, shorts:  Short length and pleated are great for this look.
  • Mary Janes or other buckled shoes.
  • Colours:  For a more winter and traditional IU look think: mustards, emerald greens, navy blues, burnt orange, creams and reds.  For a more spring/summer look think: salmon pinks, navys, mint greens, creams, summer pastels and so on.

Please note this is not a “How to look exactly like IU look,” this is a guide to create an IU inspired look.

For this IU inspired look I have paired a loose mustard jumper over a Peter Pan collared blouse, with a silk pleated mini skort. The little details in this outfit make all the difference in achieving that preppy feminine vintage look.

Tips:

  • When wearing jumper on top of a collared blouse, wear the collar over the top, for extra contrast and added texture to your outfit.
  • Colour matching also gives a very vintage preppy vibe and always reminds me of that 60s matching “coat dress” fashion.  Here I have matched my mustard jumper with my Mary Jane mustard platform shoes.
  • When wearing a short skirt and high shoes, I think it always looks super cute to dress up your legs with some socks.  I am absolutely obsessed with wearing frill socks with my shoes and I think this looks suits IU’s style perfectly!  REMEMBER: Always keep the socks pulled up, not folded!!
I bought this jumper because I loved the knitted detailing on it! It makes the piece so much more unique.
This jumper also has lace detailing along the rim, adding extra femininity and a vintage flare.
Isn’t the collar of my Peter Pan blouse completely unique?? I love the lace overlaid on the main collar part and the netted lace trim. It’s so simple but subtly adds something unique and special to the outfit.
To complete this look, I wore my hair in wavy pigtails and tried an IU inspired makeup look. IU is known for her large droopy puppy eyes so I tried to achieve this by extending my lash line…I personally think this looks a bit weird on me…What do you think?
Argh! I hate how my hands look so derpy here!! What happened?!
But this was the best shot of my Peter Pan collared nails and cute vintage bag ($10 from Insadong, South Korea! Hell yeah!) The nail tutorial will be coming later this month! Although you can’t see it here, the white nail design looks awesome, I wish I did them all that way!
For my coordinate, I paired this double collared blouse with these navy waist high shorts to repeat the navy undertone of the collar. I finished off with a pair of dark grey thigh high socks and suede brown wedges to neutralize the collar palette. It has that kind of school girl meets sailor vibe which I thought was cute.
Tips:
  • The subtle detailing in blouses can make the shirt turn from something that is a basic item to a delicate piece in your vintage wardrobe. Things like the buttons or cut of the collar can change up the look in a subtle and the silhouette is timeless, so investing in interesting blouse styles can live up a look if you’re feeling you need a bit more eye candy in your outfit.
  • Using belts to cinch in your waistline is a great way to give shape to your silhouette. As some vintage styles can hide the waistline to be more dainty than sexy for the body, you might feel somewhat shapeless. Here, I used my belt from my waist shorts to tie it into a bow to add more texture to the bottom as well as making the bottom “puff” more to give a slight bell shape at the ruffles.
These cute small gold buttons are adorable!
Unfortunately my makeup didn’t show enough. Boo~ I recently got a blunt fringe cut which I have always wanted to do but was afraid to ever try. I’ve seen pictures of celebrities who pull off this lolita look and it suits them so well, and at last I took the chance. I really liked it!
I love this bag! Just as Talyssa’s we both bought it at the same shop. This one was the last of it’s kind so I nabbed it. Teehee. The briefcase look was so adorable it definitely finishes the look of that old school, school prep.