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Rich and Famous

May 19, 2013
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Rich and Famous

Near Itaewon which is widely known as the most multicultural, expat-friendly area of Seoul, there is a (extremely) wealthy, quiet neighborhood up on the hill looking down at Han River called UN Village. It is so private that only permitted visitors get to enter the area- actually not many locals even get to discover/explore it in first place. Only cars you will see are luxury European ones, and even so are tinted with the darkest film possible. This is where the Korea’s rich and famous reside, and we are talking about an apartment that cost 5 million US dollars- note that I said an apartment, not a house. ;O As the name suggests, this town once was reserved for UN employees and diplomats who get their housing paid by the organization they belong to. But things have changed these days, and it’s now being invaded by movie stars and...

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Gastronomic Adventure Korea: Songdo

May 18, 2013
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Gastronomic Adventure Korea: Songdo

If I had to choose one of my favorite go-to dishes ever, it would undoubtedly be rolls. Yes, rolls, as in California rolls, and all of its variations. I’m not a big fast food lover and have a hard time digesting anything fried and/or dipped in MSG but anything and everything Asian (not the Oriental Chicken Salad type though) is welcome, and if it’s easy to eat (as in bite-size) and it’s got avocado in it, it’s a definite go. Strangely enough, I’ve been finding it hard to come across my favorite food here in Seoul, though it’s probably more “Asian” than McDonald’s… I’ve seen more than enough Micky D’s here than I ever had back in the States but rolls are amazingly hard to come by. So I had to ask the chef at Crazy Rolls by Askos why that is. And the answer was both surprising and...

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SFW: Street Style version 2

May 15, 2013
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SFW: Street Style version 2

In contrast to surprisingly subdued hues that were rampant during the colder days, brights seem to be a necessity in Seoul these days, with all kinds of print and patterns in every possible color variation popping up all over the city, everyday. While color is always an effective way to add fun to any outfit, color matching along with print mixing is one of those things that requires mastery, which often can be done through trial and error… Practice makes anything and everything perfect indeed… Perhaps that’s why most of the highly “fashionable” people we run into happen to be either working in fashion industry, or are preparing/training to enter it. Many of them are “seasoned veterans”, which for me personally takes away a little bit of fascination.. Perhaps it’s our humble hope in which we wish to see extremely stylish folks who are natural-born fashionistas (rather than “trained”...

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Seoul Fashion Week: Kwak Hyun Joo Backstage

May 11, 2013
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Seoul Fashion Week: Kwak Hyun Joo Backstage

Park Seul Gi from Korea’s Next Top Model. Always been obsessed with her androgynous look. This fresh blue eyeliner has to be cutest eye makeup I’ve seen so far, a must try. Oh, and can’t forget those platinum blond wigs. Model Lee Ho Jung. Honestly, I thought she was 13 when I first saw her on the runway. Too cute. but don’t let her baby face fool you, she’s got some serious skills when it comes to modeling, managing herself to look completely different at every show as needed: sometimes mature and elegant, sometimes young and vibrant, sometimes nice and cute, sometimes just plain badass. Model Joo Sun Young who was kind enough to accept me as a friend in the cyberspace. Now I’m totally biased and I know I tend to post lots of photos of her because of that. It also helps that she’s super cute. Go Sun Young!...

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Seoul Fashion Week: Yang’s Backstage

May 9, 2013
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Seoul Fashion Week: Yang’s Backstage

What goes on in the backstage shows up on TOMI:MITO. Designer Yang giving a direction to the crew. I love it when the designer is equally stylish as the collection itself, or sometimes even more so. Getting hair did  

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It’s Not Easy being a Rock Star.

May 9, 2013
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It’s Not Easy being a Rock Star.

I mean a K-Pop Star. Fortunately or unfortunately, many of the rehearsals go on in full force until there is a few minutes left to the start of the show at Seoul Fashion Week. It is usual for security to forbid access at the designer or the producer’s request, but Big Park was gracious enough to let some of us in, which I personally see as a great marketing opportunity for the designer house as it’s another chance to be “exposed” to public (through a media coverage such as what you are reading right now, but it is acknowledged other perspectives exist as well in which the concern is they prefer to keep the collection and production secret and unreleased until the official start of the show). While I always enjoy watching the rehearsals as observing group dynamics is my natural inclination and a forte, Big Park‘s show carried...

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Seoul Fashion Week Outfits

May 8, 2013
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Seoul Fashion Week Outfits

What I wore throughout the week, not necessarily in a chronological order: I’m one of those that have a love-hate relationship with hair. This was on one of the better days. Tan leather jacket by Muubaa also worn here, here, here, here, and here (lol can you tell that it’s my fave?!), paneled mini skirt by Elizabeth & James worn here, Hermes scarf worn here, and Pucci fringed clutch shown here in the past. Yes, the shoes. I know. They are EVERYTHING. Who else but Jeffrey Campbell? This was the first day. No outfit shots, actually photos of me are almost nonexistent. Kind of sad because I went all out with long gloves, striped wool sweater, sparkly mini dress, carrot orange beanie (also worn here and here), bright blue super high heels paired with Justin’s coat and all. In reality, I was just trying to find my way around the...

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Seoul Fashion Week: Celeb Sighting Part 3

May 7, 2013
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Seoul Fashion Week: Celeb Sighting Part 3

 Spotted Uee at the rehearsal for Big Park. She’s really pretty and tall in person, tall enough to pass as one of the models. You’d be surprised to see how relatively short many of the Korean celebrities are. She definitely sticks out. I will be sharing my experience at the rehearsal in another set of posts dedicated to Back Stage & Rehearsals. Pretty Uee of After School Cha Ye Ryun, actress at Mag & Logan which I didn’t get to go… it was basically impossible to attend every show when the events were being held at two separate venues that were miles apart especially considering traffic. Sort of pooped that I missed this show, as I’ve heard good things about it. Next time for sure. Oh yeah, back to the actress. I didn’t get to see her this time but actually I saw her at a fashion event a few years back...

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Seoul Fashion Week F/W 2013: Jardin de Chouette

May 2, 2013
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Seoul Fashion Week F/W 2013: Jardin de Chouette

As the last show of the week at the main venue (IFC), Jardin de Chouette surely did not disappoint, especially with all the celebrities that stole the front row along with all that strict security and entrance policy (saw at least a bunch get rejected at the door because they lacked proper document). Justin (the photographer) did not hesitate let me know that the setup looked quite good, and I knew what he really meant was that the unfinished cement floor had been miraculously disappeared somehow over night and they had successfully planted “stars” as a backdrop that actually kind of looked like the real thing. Now, the most controversial discussion topic prior to the show (which began exactly 35 minutes past the scheduled time) was both how to correctly pronounce the brand name and what it meant. As someone who’s been to Paris twice, of course I knew...

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