Market & Bistro

On my way to the Coffee Prince cafe last year, I couldn't pass up entering this cute interior deco store that was in the little street full of romantic coffee/wine cafes. A little bit of search on the net reveals that 'Market & Bistro' is what I visited and it stocks natural, rustic & antique home deco, furniture, clothing, storage goods- furniture straight from the factory in Europe and fabric and kitchen-based goods from Korea itself. The store offers lots of wood-based materials adding to the European-style, vintage, recycling, urban feeling you get when you collide them with natural-feeling products. I love anything that is oozing out a natural, vintage vibe. It even felt better than visiting IKEA when I was a kid. I only took pictures of the budgerigars (being animal crazy as I am) because I didn't think that they sold these birds in Korea, lots of lovely budgies in Aussie-land of course. What I liked most; the vinatge tables and chair sets, wooden storage crate boxes and the red and white checked bag. I even contemplated buying that fabric laundry basket.

Oh dear...oh dear

Sandra Oh at the 2008 SAG Awards. Many people are probably thinking 'what on earth was she thinking wearing that gown?? She looks like a present!'. Let me explain. She was wearing a modern-day couture version of the 'hanbok' which is the Korean traditional constume. I have a bit of a soft spot for bows but even I have to say that her bow is way too overdone (and long!) and awkwardly placed. I applaud Sandra for going back to her Korean roots but I am cringing at the overall effect because I don't think she meant it to turn out that way (does anyone know who her stylist is?) but if she wanted to do a modern take on the hanbok I would probably have advised a different design and colour (of all the colours, why neon pink and black?!) made from a more delicate, sheer fabric to give a more romantic yet luxurious feel (it is the red carpet after all!). Take Korean singer BoA for example, she's wearing a modern version of the hanbok in a lovely organza-ish material and I think she looks gorgeous. This is definitely the look that Sandra should have gone for!

Florals for Spring

Oh my gawd! Who new??? When Luella showcased their Spring 2008 ready-to-wear collection with an abundance of ruffles, florals and 'geek-chic', I thought at least the flower business would be a passing trend but now with all the fashion mags out there reassuring me that florals are totally 'IT' for this year (quite amusing how it HAS to be on print for it to be OFFICIAL) and with colourful prints from Balenciaga, lovely dresses via Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren plus Dolce & Gabbana's arty ad campaign has me totally convinced.The ruffle-tiered mini skirt has been an ongoing trend in Seoul but a shopping trip to DongDaeMun (동대문) has shown me that those exact same Luella skirts (in the first pic) have totally made their way down mainstream.

Lovin' Longchamp

Spring/Summer '08 ads featuring the epic Ms. Moss. I literally squealed in delight when I saw the purple bag in print while flipping through February magazine issues. I've always liked the simplicity of a Longchamp handbag.
I know there's nothing particularly 'new' about the advertisements but I love the city settings, the clothing and lights. If they were trying to exemplify 'city-chic' in any way- it definitely worked (for me). The cross-over bag is another fave.

Brunch time

I love to brunch. Perhaps it's the fact that I've half starved myself in the morning to stuff myself later on or the unusually large portions brunch meals offer; but it is very satisfying to sit at a table with a galfriend friend and gab away for a good two hours while eating delicious food. Yesterday I went to Suji's restaurant which is apparently a lovely way to experience a good bit of New York dining (but since I've never been to NY I can't say if that's true). They have another chain in Itaewon but I went to the one tucked in the Hyundai department store at COEX mall.I would normally write down the directions but since they have a map on the website I reckon a pictorial representation is much more useful. So if you're ever in Seoul make sure to check it out for those days when you're craving Western food.
After a good tucking in of blueberry pancakes and Philly cheese steak sandwich, I checked out Uniqlo and bought a much needed black leather belt. I also purchased a letter set which has some interesting yet random street pictures of Barcelona on the paper. And yes, I still enjoy writing a good snail-mail letter to friends now and then...