SHOPPING: FROM STREET LUXE TO BARGAIN BUYS

Shopping in Korea is no joke. Korea is notoriously known to be a fashion forward and fast-fashion city. From the toddlers to the elderly, every Korean I’ve seen so far has a sense of style that is truly appealing. Luckily, I am a very picky shopper because I prefer quality over price; but for my friends, they found themselves walking into random retailers and walking out with heaps of clothing not only because they were trendy and stylish, but also mainly because they were cheap and inexpensive. However, if you're like me who basically has a shopping preference that really depends on my mood (haha), here's a breakdown of the different districts relative to their price ranges. For the stores that were a little on the pricier side, their merchandising strategy and overall use of interior design were very attractive, so I couldn't help myself but go in just to walk around and take photos to serve as inspo.

1. Gangnam (Garosugil), Apgujeong, and Sinsa: $$-$$$. The NYC SoHo of Seoul. I love SoHo.. so I love Gangnam. These three areas are right next to each other and carry many internationally known brands such as Under Armour, MCM, etc. However, this area is known to be more of an expensive one. There is a wide amount of cafes available here as well, so if you don't find any store worth shopping at, you can easily find a cafe to pop-in and relax at.

Off-White by Virigil Abloh in the Hyundai Department Store (3F). I've been familiar with Off-White for a while and have been wanting one of their products for over a year, so it was so cool to see the store in-person!

Ilmo Outlet, Garosugil. Ilmo acts as the outlet for 10 Corso Como Seoul and I was able to find brands ranging from Supreme to Raf Rimons for really good prices. When I went, I got things from Acne Studios & Bianca Chandon for a steal. I was not disappointed.

2. Hongdae & Myeongdong: $-$$. These districts can cater to any kind of budget you may have. There is a great menswear store, Playground, that pretty much serves as a H&M (mens) for Koreans. The prices are so cheap and there are always sales going on. I don't have a photo of the store, but you can easily find it from just walking around Hongdae. In Hongdae are vintage shops as well and I pretty much spent most of my time in these shops. I also have a weakness for reclaimed vintage/recycled clothing because I believe the items have a lot more character in contrast to things that are new and fresh out of the box. Meanwhile, Myeongdong also has a great variety of stores. These areas get very crowded on weekends, so I highly recommend visiting during the weekdays if you have time.

A-Land, Hongdae. I personally love this store because it's like the Urban Outfitters of Korea, but better. I love to support local designers, and A Land basically acts as one large showroom for local Korean designers. There is a new product assortment every season, so this is definitely a store you have to visit more than once.

Vintage store, Hongdae

Playground Place, Myeongdong.

A-Land, Myeongdong

Vintage Store, Hongdae. I'm not too sure what this store was exactly called, but this is where I found my Seoul Fashion Week outfit! I've been digging the whole motorsport trend (very prevalent in this recent & upcoming season), and this store had such a wide variety of race jackets for such good prices. Here's one of the options I had. I went through trying about 8 different jackets before deciding on the one I got.

Hantage, Hongdae

Vintage Store, Hongdae. Found in the smaller streets. If you're into streetwear such as Supreme, Bape, Palace, etc, this is the place to go. I'm not too sure what the name was, but it was across of a dessert place and next to a pub (so helpful!). It was near a store called A-market and A-land Hongdae.

3. Itaewon & Hannam: $-$$$. There are also a lot of cafes and local boutiques here. There are so many different places to visit and shop at. It reminds me of a combination of all of the places mentioned above because you can find really cheap boutiques but also come across pretty expensive ones. If you just want to walk around after dining at a nice cafe or restaurant, I highly recommend coming here. Do come here in the day time though since Itaewon gets crazy at night due to it's popular nightlife both among foreigners and locals.

Comme Des Garcons Seoul, Hannam

Theory, Hannam

4. Dongdaemun: $. Bargain heaven. They have the best basics in Dongdaemun and you can bargain your way through anything. Coming from a heavy retail background & recently helping out with buying at my job, I am very familiar with ordering merchandise at wholesale prices then doing markups to generate a wider profit margin.. so I used that to my advantage. (P.S. saying you're from Hawaii earns you extra brownie points, therefore, better price reductions!)

Six story (bargain) mall, Dongdaemun