Saturday, August 14, 2010

Internet Shopping in Korea

Since I was fifteen, I have adored the British high street, I would save my pocket money for those flared jeans (it was 1999, remember) from Topshop. Then, as I grew older, I discovered online shopping and began a very expensive relationship with Asos. I have spent many hours captivated and enthralled by its delights. In retrospect, this was indicative of the shopping habit I now have. Admiringly, the British high street makes high fashion from the catwalks affordable by replicating the trends. And then, makes this easily accessible online.

And yet, my love had waned slightly over the last few months. Topshop is now ridiculously expensive. Exhibit number 1:


Aviator jackets are one of the key winter trends and I realise they are going to be expensive considering the detailing, leather and sheepskin. At 325 pounds though, this is very pricey for Topshop. Sorry I digress.


More importantly, I now live in Korea and so far, I have only referenced British online stores. Very silly since this first and foremost is a Korean fashion blog. Korea does not have a high street per se, instead it has malls, department stores and boutiques. It does have very popular brands only available online though. Two of the most prominent are Sechnua and Rowky. Sechnua has some stylish tees whilst Rowky can be characterised as skater girl meets 80s punk princess. Not for the sophisticated or old. Unfortunately, these stores to do not ship abroad. However, the other Korean brands below are available at http://www.yesstyle.com/ and do ship to the UK and the US, quite cheaply. This website stocks affordable to designer fashion from Korea, Japan and other Asian countries.









Pink Diamond








You are a Girl




Paul Anne


Dodo





Sechnua



Rowky



These stores may not be to every ones liking. Korean fashion is very feminine and romantic but often, quite frankly, very strange. Koreans are slightly infatuated by bows, frills, unnecessary sequins and very short hemlines. Not good for tall people like me. Furthermore, they do not seem to follow trends like the British High street. I have not spotted any aviator jackets or capes on yesstyle.com so far.



Conversely, if you have the patience to search, you can find some well cut, eye catching pieces, particularly from the designer collections. The fashion is also distinctly Korean which I now find quite charming. I'm not sure if yesstyle.com will ever fully replace my love for the British High Street, even now while I'm living here. With my shopping habits though, I will spend hours perusing the online Korean stores.








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