I'm a Key bias, as most of you already know, so it's probably no surprise that I really like shopping and fashion. I also really like interesting foods so that's mostly what I'll show off. Me and a friend hit Garusogil for the day and walked all the way up to Apgujeong Rodeo. Quite a lot of walking as you can see:
So this is what our daytrip looked like on a map. Pretty intense right?
(Warning: picture heavy post ahead)
(Warning: picture heavy post ahead)
We started off by coming out of exit 8 at Sinsa Station on line 3. Sinsa leads practically straight out onto Apgujeong's iconic Garusogil known for it's fashion and food. It's a really awesome place to hang if you like fashion not only for the shopping but because everyone's dressed really beautifully on this street.
So first stop for me is always a neat little shop right on exit 8 called Under N Over.
The first floor is women's fashion and the accessories are completely awesome and generally fairly affordable. Not cheap, but quality is descent and generally you can find some pretty unique items in this area.
The first floor is women's fashion and the accessories are completely awesome and generally fairly affordable. Not cheap, but quality is descent and generally you can find some pretty unique items in this area.
Spotted! - Key's needle in my eye sunglasses. They were about 50,000 won which is equal to roughly $50 USD.
So here comes my dark secret: I actually love shopping for men's clothing in Korea. I have a pretty boyish style at times and Korean clothing is kind of androgynous in general. Also Korean guys get some of the coolest accessories so I would definitely recommend if you're really into hats and jewelry and pins and you're a lady don't shy away from men's clothing stores! Under N Over sports an awesome men's floor if you head on down the stairs.
It actually kills me coming to Apgujeong because I'm trying really hard to save money lately but this place is so full of beautiful things that I want to buy. Window shopping has become my hobby because of SHINee.
Anyway, me and Ronnie headed to Twosome Place next. Anyone who's visited Korea might wonder why I would include Twosome Place in my list of awesome places. It's a chain that you can find just about anywhere in Korea.
Endorsed by the gorgeous Lee Minho currently.
This is why I recommend Twosome Place. In summer this Yogo Berry Bingsu is my reason for living. Summer's get really sticky and humid in Korea and there is nothing better than an air conditioned cafe and a big mug of double shot coffee. Interestingly I was trying to be all suave while ordering my double shot coffee and the girl behind the counter at this particular location of Twosome Place confused me completely by asking what kind of bean I wanted o.O I have never been asked what kind of bean I want in Korea except for this one time so I was left just staring at the girl suspiciously. Kind of how Key was with the one baker girl in London. (Double Decker what?)
I guess it's not as unhealthy as a lot of desserts. It's made of shaved ice with a sweet berry sauce, frozen yoghurt and berries~
Our next stop was Mag n Mag which can get on the pricey side but has lots of interesting accessories and bits and pieces on the affordable end of the scale. These guys also stock Trenta hats which Onew and Taemin were frequently spotted in around late 2013-early 2014. I couldn't take any photos inside this time but when I visited back in December I took a photo on my phone of this gorgeous jacket that Key wore during The Wizard concert in red.
A few stores down from Mag n Mag is Coffee Smith which is an open space cafe that's pretty popular. Some days it's completely packed if you arrive too late in the day but me and my mum spent a really nice snowy day snuggled up inside here watching the snow fall. The cakes aren't great but from memory the coffee is pretty good. I mainly mention it because it's an awesome place to sit and people watch. And, like I mentioned earlier, people watching on Garusogil is a lot of fun if you're into fashion.
Further down the same side of the road if you take a left you'll find the Seoul flagship store for JoyRich. I had originally intended to take photos of A-land, which is before Joyrich and like fashion heaven and boasts a lot of fashionista celebrity sightings, but it's currently closed and being rebuilt and revamped in a larger building further down the road. Luckily there are other branches of A-land located in Hongdae, Sincheon and Myeong Dong among other places. It's a really really amazing place to shop.
Anyway, regarding Joyrich, I realize it's an American company but I'm from Australia where we don't have access to this quirky little brand. Key went through a phase where he was wearing this brand a lot. I think he still does show up in a piece or two and he met up with one of the Joyrich top dogs recently in LA. For anyone not familiar with the brand, Joyrich does a lot of really loud, quirky stuff.
Their backpacks are totally to die for as is the price. They're pretty expensive but really amazing quality and a lot of fun. I'm assuming Joyrich is really popular in Japan because I see Japanese fangirls of SHINee with Joyrich backpacks ALL THE TIME. My friend saved up and bought this beauty and it really is so gorgeous.
You can't see in the picture but I can't gush enough about how quality these bags are. Keep in mind, if you fall in love with a Joyrich design they're not cheap. Not as ridiculously expensive as high end brands, but certainly not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
After Joyrich I usually head across the street and check out this gorgeous little vintage shop. They sell some new things in vintage styles, but also have a lot of old tacky 80s glamour items and some gorgeous gorgeous vintage pins and broaches. I really rarely actually buy anything in here if I'm honest but it's so much fun looking through the mixture of new things and old.
Anyone on my blog probably knows I'm a huge SHINee fan but I really adore Mr Zhoumi from Super Junior as well so I was really excited to find this back in December after returning to the shop after a long time!
Zhoumi and his stylist have popped in here once or twice while shopping ^.^
Incidentally 9 Owls is also where I found my favourite broach ever. It's a vintage pin and really beat up. I bought it when I was super low on funds (when am I not?), but it was so cute I had to have it! (The cat came from A-land btw)
I suck as a travel blogger because I don't actually know what this next place is called OTL. I found it in summer last year while hanging with friends and they do some amazing milkshakes and cakes, but actually the fruit ades are the best. Just take a look at these cakes though, they look divine.
Anyway at this point my amateur revealed itself because my dslr battery died. Photos after here were all taken on my smart phone so forgive me if they're not that great. Not that I've exactly mastered my dslr either ^.^;;;
Ronnie got a Caramel Milkshake~
And I got this pretty berry ade~
And we found Kibum in the magazine rack!
So after refreshments we headed up the street again and went into this awesome Men's fashion story called Under and Over - Man Style. I do believe it's an extension of the first place we visited but it seems there are a lot of different items.
The clothes in this place seem to be right up Jonghyun's alley so if you like his style and want to incorporate it into your own daily look you could check this place out. Whether it be for accessories or a boyish shirt or pants I don't think there's anything weird about girl's wearing a more guyish style if that's what they feel awesome in~!
I also picked up a really cute pin for my jacket here~
At the opposite end of Garusogil to where we started there's this cute little boutique called Pop. Lots of really interesting items in here if you wanted to check it out! I couldn't take photos but the style is really eccentric and bright, but almost punkish.
So the day we happened to wander through here Kibum was actually performing Bonnie and Clyde. Unfortunately neither of us had tickets so we just walked past the theater on the way to our next destination. There are lots and lots of musical posters in this area.
Swinging past the theater we then moved up going past O'Sulloc which is a famous tea company here in Korea. They have locations in Insadong and Myeong Dong as well and specialize in blended teas unique to Korea. At the moment they're boasting a wicked Green Tea Latte with Canola Honey which is more similar to a traditional matcha taste than the sweet version you can get at chains now. My only complaint about O'Sulloc is there's nothing for the coffee drinkers. But then again if you're a tea drinker in Korea you'll generally have a hard time finding a good cup. O'Sulloc is both a sit down cafe and a store for their tea range.
We walked past O'Sulloc because we'd already had lots of sweets and drinks for the day. It was also beginning to get quite hot and we'd walked quite a distance and so didn't stop in many of the stores I really like more towards Apgujeong Rodeo Station. We were on a mission for lunch. But not before stopping by and saying hello to Teamin.
I kid you not, it says: "Teamin a Member of SHINee"
We all know that Etude House is endorsed by SHINee and so that's reason number 1 I choose to shop there over other places. They have a gorgeous range of cheap nail polishes which have descent wear considering they're only going to cost about 2,000 won or $2 USD. I think the best thing to keep in mind when shopping at Etude House is it's a budget range make up shop. You're not going to get Mac quality but you'll get a product that's pretty descent for what you're paying. (Why did I start writing an Etude product review all of a sudden? o.O)
I think I'll need to do a separate post about shopping and food in Apgujeong Rodeo because I didn't really take any photos of my favourite spots and there's already so many pictures in this post.
I'll finish off with a shot of our lunch~ We swung by Grill 5 which is a Mexican fusion chain restaurant. This particular branch is owned by Donghae of Super Junior. Now by no means do I send you there because the food is an amazing example of Mexican food, because it's not. It's decently priced, lots of cheese and fresh tasting meat and a good atmosphere. And the opportunity to say you've been to Super Junior Donghae's restaurant I guess? ^.^
Sorry these photos are totally rubbish but I think I must have been too hungry to take a photo properly ^.^;;; My bad. If I do more posts like this I'll be more diligent I promise.
Got any suggestions for topics? SHINee or Korea related~ Leave a comment or shoot over to my ask.fm: ask.fm/locketmin0923
Similarly if you have any questions about anything I've written here don't hesitate to ask ^.^
I loved all the photos! ^^
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