tarmark diva: SeoulSister!

myeong dong district, seoul on a sunday afternoon. everyone is busy shopping.

hi divas! i'm back! sorry for the long hiatus. its been a busy couple weeks. between spring break, seoul and a random typhoon im surprised i made it back at all! so let's get down to business. in this post i'll share a bit of my trip and what i picked up!

i didn't really plan on this being a shopping trip but i couldnt resist the shopping districts. so much variety. it was nice to shop in the real world for once (living in japan limits me to mostly online shopping). of course i hit up my usual favs, F21 and H&M, as well as a few local boutique stores in the art district. there was a zara, a bershka and a mango nearby as well but i live pretty close to them in japan so i didnt bother. all in all it was a fantastic trip. seoul is a great city, a lot like tokyo but much less congested. it was also much easier to get around. lets get to the purchases!

forever 21 and h&m are actually in the same building.. just on opposite sides. most of the foreign brands are in
this district. GAP and MANGO are around the corner.

the clothes:

i order from 21 pretty frequently so i didn't need much as i had already bought a few items from the spring collection, but if you've ever been in a 21 you'd know the store itself is a lot of fun. the myeongdong branch in seoul is 3 stories of shopping heaven!

so as i shook my booty to the amazing soundtrack, i picked up a few items for summer: a lavender plaid shirt (for coolbiz at work), a pair of magenta linen shorts (i have the same pair in black and they fit prefectly!) and a navy and white t-backed patterned blouse. though not pictured, i also got a pair of pyjama bottoms and 2 camisoles. altogether i think i spent abt $60. not too shabby right?

i stayed away from local clothing stores simply because asia is not known for having western sizes and i was not about to be upset on vacation when some clerk gonna tell me i'm size LL. steupesss. i figure i didnt miss anything cus it wasnt going to fit me anyways.

picked these up from a roadside vendor. such pretty colours!
they are very large square scarves and can be used as a sarong

accessories:

whenever i travel i try to seek out the little boutique stores, where you can find one of a kind items. sometimes it's good to find those great stores that are a bit off the beaten path. i also make it a point to check out the street vendors and practice my haggling skills. i usually find hagglers a bit aggressive and that's not my style, but in seoul, the haggling is much more nuanced. you plead with the seller to give you a better price and eventually they give in. i had a lot of fun. i picked up two scarves($15), a leather wallet/clutch ($50) and pair of red flats ($30) from the cutest boutique ever!

then i went in search of my splurge items. i really wanted an ostrich leather bag...sue me. people eat ostrich; at least they put the skin to good use because ostrich leather is beautiful. i was so excited. im ready to rock out with the trich (as my friend named it), and be fabulous! i also got a pair of lambskin peep-toe pumps in turquoise and mahogany. i lovee them! i feel so sophisticated in them, and they're comfortable!

other things i got were a few earrings from 21, a random shirt from h&m (nothing cute) and character socks- clearly i've lived in japan too long. the rest of my shopping was done at the mac counter as it's impossile to get my shade here. japan thinks that brown people dont wear make up...  i picked up some new lip colours but i'll share those in another post :) ...and yes, i did manage to do something other than shop. in fact i only shopped 3 out of the 9 days i spent in seoul. for the rest of my time i took in a lot of art and traditional seoul scenery and ate as much bulgogi as humanly possible. soo spicy.. yum! and you KNOW i brought back my own korean pepper paste. this diva loves spicy food! click the link to view more pictures on the tumblr.

so what abt you guys? what are your favourite shopping destinations? or vacation destinations for that matter? where do you go to find a bargain? lemme know. comment below!