Vogue Korea September Issue

I'm a bit dissapointed in Vogue Korea's cover for the September Issue. Don't get me wrong, I do love me some Freja but the month's cover is surprisingly a bit boring? I'm used to the cover of Vogue Korea being more interesting but this one is a bit bland. Though I must say I do love how Vogue Korea uses actual models on their covers.


Hopefully their October Issue, which should come out anyday, will be more eye catching.

Rain Rain Go Away!

It's been pouring cats and dogs on average every single day for the past month here. I do understand it's Monsoon season (rainy season)but I feel this summer's rain has so far lasted MUCH longer than last summer's.

Regardless, It has given me an excuse to wear my awesome rain boots! Before coming here I never even gave them a thought and frankly thought they were a bit childish, but they've clearly grown on me. Apart from being very practical they can also look uber chic (with the right outfit of course.)The most popular ones here are the "Hunter" rainbow boots.




Though these are great and all...I would do many bad things to get my hands on these Jimmy Choo/Hunter beauties...



MANY bad things...

Tootles!

Dr.Fish

I don't know if many of you have heard of Dr.Fish. So here it is in a nutshell: Dr. Fish is a place you go to get a foot pedicure done by fish. Yes, fish. Basically what you do is you put your feet in a tank full of fish and they eat the dead skin off your feet.



Regardless, I had heard a lot of good things about it and I decided to check it out.

Let's just say it was a "different" experience. The feeling is quite indescribable. Once you put your feet in the water, the fish immediately devour you. It's a rather unsettling feeling: it doesn't tickle and there is no pain whatsoever. It feels exactly how you would imagine fish munching on your feet would feel like. There's no other way to describe it.


After about 5 minutes of hysterical laughter and failed "calm, cool and collected" video attempts, I HAD to take my feet out...I know I'm a wuss. :) BUT my feet did feel FANTASTIC after!

There are a few "Dr.Fish" places all over South Korea but the one I went to was the one in Gangnam, cute place. If you are in Seoul, you definitely need to check it out.

Casual Cool

I stumbled upon this street style shot and immediately fell in love. This Tokyo girl is the definition of casual cool.



I love the fact that she looks so casual wearing the white "boyfriend" shirt, yet her socks and "See" By Chloe Bangles give her outfit a bit of an edge.

This shot was taken in the Omotesando neighborhood of Tokyo, which has been dubbed as Tokyo's "Champs-Élysées." I didn't have time to go visit this neighborhood on my last trip to Tokyo. But i definitely MUST check it out next time as it's also close to the trendy "Laforet" shopping building, which I had NO time to visit.

Speaking of trips, I'll be making a short trip to Beijing in about a month. While the trip will consist mostly of sightseeing (since it's my first time there) you bet I'll definitely make a detour and hit some of Beijing's shopping hot spots. Silk Street Market anyone? Silver Street? Can't wait!

Check out more Tokyo Street Style shots at Japan Syle Arena.

I loves me some KPOP!

My secret indulgence in Korea so far... KPop!

Not proud of it. But damn those tunes are catchy. Here's the latest craze here: "Lucifer" by Shinee. I hear this song EVERYWHERE. At the super market, in the subway, cell phone ring tones...EVERYWHERE. I'm kind of digging their dancing though.



Check out this vid of them practicing the super in sync choreographed moves. They're good no?



On a different note. I spent this weekend being a "tourist" in Seoul. We decided to check out "Dr.Fish" (a place where fish give you a pedicure...literally), we did some shopping in Gangnam and then decided to have dinner at the famous Seoul Tower. I'll be posting vids of the Dr.Fish place soon...let's just say it was VERY interesting.

I love things that light up.

Last month Japanese Cell phone brand IIda released their new cell phone:

The IIda Light Pool.




I'm not particularly a fan of flip phones but everyone in Japan and South Korea seems to really like them and there is a huge demand for them.

I will forever LOVE my Blackberry...(sorry iPhone) But this one definitely caught my eye. Isn't it gorgeous? It was designed by Japanese contemporary designer Tsuboi Hironao.

Check out this vid of the phone in all of its lighting glory:



Well at least I know it would be easy to find in my purse!

Cowboys boots :)

I swore after grade 5 I would never, EVER wear cowboy boots. They just aren't really my style. But after seeing them EVERYWHERE in Tokyo...I just may give them a second chance. Now I'm not talking your typical "Yeeeehaaaaw" cowboy boots, I'm talking ankle length, summer to winter, transitional type boots.

The picture of this girl's outfit totally inspired me to go on the hunt for some.





Her outfit will be perfect for September weather here in Seoul. And if it gets too chilly, a pair of black leggings tucked into those boots will look super.

The weather here so far has been SO SO hot and sticky and the last thing I would do is put some boots on. But it just reminds me that fall is JUST around the corner. Sort of... Summer here in Seoul is pretty long, I remember it being October, almost November last year, and i was still rocking shorts and skirts.

Regardless, I LOVE fall, it's my favorite season and the colors in this girl's outfit I feel are great transitional colors. And the layers are key for those cooler nights in the fall (well...here in Seoul...I don't think this outfit would work well in Ontario's "fall" season haha). Needless to say I'm loving this outfit.

For more Tokyo street style shots visit Tokyo Style Arena

Sun Hats!

Packing for my previously mentioned roadtrip was a bit of a hassle…but I think I managed to find a common ground and brought only the necessities. And surprisingly, the one thing that I found EXTREMELY useful was my sun hat.

In South Korea, protecting your skin from the damaging UV rays is EXTREMELY important. Koreans take EXTREMELY good care of their skin and use all types of sunscreens and protective covers to keep their skin healthy, and...white. Most Koreans have very sensitive skin and it is VERY easy for them to get sunburned or tanned, which most particularly don't like. Here's a few candids of Koreans doing exactly that in one of the islands we stopped at on our trip. You'll notice all the big sunhats women wear and the "sun umbrellas."




People who have white, porcelain like skin are considered ideal and beautiful here. Whereas in most other parts of the world, porcelain, TAN skin is considered more attractive. Regardless, I guess Koreans are extremely smart for taking care of their skin like that...Korean women and men have the most BEAUTIFUL skin ever and they seem to be ageless. Baking under the sun is becoming less and less attractive to me.

I've been avoiding the sun in the hopes of not getting a sunburn and apart from wearing my daily sunscreen (which EVERYONE should use), I found hats to be a great way of protecting myself from the sun all while looking stylish at the same time.

My collections of hats has been steadily growing ever since I've been here (I don't quite know how I'm going to bring all my items back to Canada...) and there's two specific styles that stand out the most for me:

The Classic Sun Hat(I'm not a huge fan of these hats but they did come in handy quite alot during this trip. And when you put one on you instantly feel uber chic :)

Here's a cute one from Juicy Couture:


And here's a classic one from American Apparel:

and

The Classic Fedora (Yes, I know that the fedora has been "in" for a few seasons and what not and many people [mostly New Yorkers… I’m kidding :) ... kind of] think that they are overplayed but i think they look extremely chic [on some people], are great for bad hair days and protect your skin from the sun.)

Here's a "straw" fedora hat from Roxy that is great for summer:

I tried to rock the cute boater hats that were all the rage in Japan last season but the shape just doesn't suit my head? :( It didn't look as good on me as it did on the cool Japanese girls.

Boourns.

I'm Back!!!

I am back from my epic road trip all down the south of South Korea. The weather was RIDICULOUSLY HOT and it was rainy half the time but it didn't matter. It was a once in a life time experience and i saw the most beautiful islands, mountains,temples, waterfalls, caves, beaches and landscapes ever!

Here are a few pictures I took from the trip:













If the pictures seem to be out of place, it's because that's exactly what this trip was. Everyday was an adventure, we definitely didn't have a set plan and we stopped where ever we felt there was something interesting to see. We were in Busan, spent many days in Geoje Island, Danyan, and Uljin. I thought Busan and Goeje Island were the most beautiful though :)

All we had were maps in hands and our Korean GPS system, which was beyond helpful. But I suggest learning how to read Korean before jumping on the Korean GPS bandwagon. The cool thing I noticed about the GPS system here is that it lets you know in advance where the cameras are so you can stop speeding and the cameras don't catch you. It also let's you know when you are going over the speed limit. (I'm pretty sure the GPS systems in Canada don't do that right?)

This trip was so much fun and I encourage anyone who is in Korea to do something like this. :)

RoadTrip!

I FINALLY have some days off from work for summer vacation and me and a couple of friends have decided to get on the road! I'm going on an epic road trip across South Korea, concentrating on the southern part and I'm extremely excited to see the beautiful beaches and breathtaking sceneries down the coast.



There's still a couple of days left but I have to start doing one very important thing....packing...how i loathe thee. What's a girl to bring?! If there is one thing that I can NOT do is pack lightly. It's just impossible for me.

Regardless, I'll be putting up other posts before I leave but I can't wait to start documenting this trip!

OK...back to packing...or not.

Pretty is Back!

It's around that fabulous time when we finally get a glimpse of the Fall 2010 Ad Campaigns. Fall is my favorite season(as far as clothing is concerned) and I'm UBER excited to see these new ads!

There have been quite a few campaigns that have popped out already, but the one that has caught my attention the most, so far, is the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 campaign featuring Natalia, Christy and Karen.



It's absolutely stunning, from the angles, to lighting, to clothing. Perfection. And I LOVE the cinematic feel to it.

PS. On a side note, I've been taking some great street style photos of people in the Seoul area and I'm working on a summer wrap-up piece...LOVING some of the shots so far. They will be posted up soon :)

You're Welcome.

I present to you Francisco Lachowski(Ford Modeling Agency)...This beautiful specimen hails from Brazil (where else?) He's been making the rounds for about a year or so, gracing the catwalks of pretty much every important designer and working with the best photographers in the industry.

Vanity Teen recently did a shoot featuring the stud and made this amazing vid to go with it.



I'm not really one for ogling over male models. Yes some are extremely attractive but for some reason this one really caught my eye.

There's something about him and i can't quite put my finger on what exactly that "something" is...

Regardless, I'm asking Santa for him as my early Christmas Present.

Calling All OnlineShoppingAddicts !

Some say online shopping can be quite addictive, and it can. There are multiple reasons as to why online shopping has been so successful.

For one, it’s convenient: there’s no need to go out and purchase something when that item can be directly delivered to you.

Second, bargains: some online shopping sites offer hefty discounts, most notably Ebay.

Third, you can shop in your underwear.

I hadn’t done much online shopping in back home in Canada…but now it’s a different story. Online shopping in South Korea is beyond popular. Everyone and their grandma shops online for simple reasons: It’s easy, you can buy pretty much ANYTHING, and delivery is usually free and EXTREMELY quick (especially in the Seoul area).

There’s a specific site that everyone knows about and shops at: GMarket. Think of it as EBay but on crack. You can buy ANYTHING from clothing to groceries. Check it out at: http://www.gmarket.co.kr/ (It’s in Korean but you can get a basic English translated web site by clicking on the top right hand corner)

Cute Jumpsuits (which I LOVE right now) for 10 bucks?! These are some cute ones I found on GMarket.





Apart from GMarket, Online Shopping Malls (as they call it), are extremely popular and successful. The best thing about these web sites are the prices. (1,000 Korean Won is equivalent to .86 cents…you do the math on the web sites)

Check some of these out:

Yubsshop(Not as cheap as GMarket but def. more on the trendy side and you can find a lot of unique items)

Chicgirl2 (I just bought this cute crop top for about $5.00!)



T-aradot.com (They carry a lot of “pretty” and cute things, but they often have a lot of trendier individual items) I’m loving this vest at the moment…for around 20 bucks Canadian Why not?



Modne (More Casual and Cute but you can still find some trendy items)

Some of the items these "stores" carry are super trendy and often difficult to find over in Canada/America etc. So I'm taking FULL advantage of these deals while I'm here :)

American Vogue: You bore me.

I walked by a newsstand the other day and instantly noticed this cover of the July 2010 issue of Korean Vogue:



Eye catching isn't it?

This January Cover was STUNNING as well:



I've been an avid Vogue reader of American Vogue for years but as many of you readers know, American Vogue really doesn't push the boundaries as far as their covers are concerned. I especially LOATHE the fact that they use mostly celebrities on the cover.

The beautiful French Marion Cotillard was on July's 2010 US Vogue issue... the cover itself is absolutely BORING, but I will US Vogue credit for taking a "risk" by putting a French actor on the cover.



Here is Blake Lively on the June 2010 US Vogue Cover. Boring! She is a gorgeous girl but I should mention that she was also on a previous February Cover...honestly use someone else and stop recycling your celebrities and use an actual model!



American Vogue should learn something from Paris, Korean and Russian Vogue. Their covers are AMAZING, unique and EYE CATCHING and don't always involved celebrities posing on the cover. I say Bring Back the Models!! No wonder American Vogue is struggling to sell magazines.

*Cough* Anna Wintour...are you listening? *Cough*

Did you know...

that in Korea (and most Asian countries such as China, Singapore, Philippines and Japan)you can get MC Donald's food delivered to your house...with free delivery? :) I know it's totally unhealthy but once in a while it doesn't hurt to get some McD's fatty goodness ; )



On the same note, I do want to add that food delivery here is absolutely AMAZING. It's super quick, you can get pretty much ANYTHING delivered to your house, which is nothing new per say BUT here's the cool part: you get your food delivered super quick, you get free little "side dishes", and you would think that the food is delivered with plastic or boxed cutlery and paper plates etc...BUT it is delivered with actual breakable dishes and cutlery...NO plastic.

Once you are done with your food you simply put the dishes and cutlery in a bag outside your house and in about 2-3 hours...they will pick it up.

Pretty ingenious right? They are saving on paper plates and plastic utensils, which is great for the environment AND it is delivered and picked up for free + NO TAXES and if you tip them, it is considered rude...HA!

On a side note: I'm seriously BAFFLED at how Korean women can stay SO skinny with food and eating out being so inexpensive. It's cheaper here to eat OUT instead of grocery shopping and staying in.

Bunnies Everywhere!

Alright, so we've seen the Bow trend that has been in stores everywhere and on the catwalks for a couple of seasons now. The ones Diane Von Furstenberg added on her Resort 2010 collection I think look particularily fresh and fun.



I really like seeing the bow trend mixed with a more "edgier" look, think along the lines of a more boyish outfit and then adding the bow to give it a more feminine look. But I loathe when a bow is added on to a cute dress, or cute outfit in general, it just SCREAMS childish and it looks like you're trying to look like you're 5 years old when your mom used to dress you up for Sunday morning church.

Sure, almost anyone can rock a cute big bow headband every now and then but can anyone rock a bunny ear head band? They are similar to the big bow trend in the sense that they definitely catch your attention. We've seen the bunny ear head band on the runways,I first saw them on the Louis Vuitton Fall 2009 Collection and soon enough I noticed the famous Maison Michel bunny ears that everyone from the Olsen Twins to Lady Gaga famously sported.





Well, the bunny ear trend has hit Korea, Seoul in particular, HARD. You see all the hipster girls sporting them with their vintage jean vests and their 80's inspired printed tees. Though the head bands definitely are a more toned down version of Marc Jacob's ears for LV, but they definitely make a statement don't you think?







P.S On a side note, You all know I've been m.i.a for a couple of weeks, just took a small break and I'm back!HARD. :)

Japan does Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga was in Tokyo last month for two sold out concerts and the Japanese Lady Gaga "Monsters" (as she likes to call them), were out in full force. Sure, when Lady Gaga has concerts in America, many people feel inspired and dress up to resemble her, but no one can beat the Japanese fans. The thought process and work that goes into creating some of these outfits is amazing! Here's a few pictures of the concertgoers.






The great thing about many Japanese people, most particularly people from Tokyo, is the fact that most don't have any boundaries when it comes to dressing up. And It's exactly what they do: "dress up". I don't mean dress up in a nice fancy dress for a night out on the town, I mean people go out in full out costumes. They use any occasion as an opportunity to dress up. I adore their boldness and creativity.

Check out more pictures from the Concert:



















Incredible right!!

Pics are from TokyoFashion