Seoul: Dongdaemun Market

Ottie and I attempted to cover the famed Dongdaemun Market one day. I’ve vague recollections about the last time I came here more than a decade ago, but those memories were mostly centered around the inside of a stationary shop in which I bought my first ever 0.38mm gel pen in olive green (my favourite colour then). Being an avid patron of stationary shops as a kid, the thinner diameter was extremely fascinating; Singapore stocked 0.38mm pens only much later.

That aside, our trip to Dongdaemun this time consisted of aimless walks down interesting streets and generally getting lost. These were some of the sights we encountered:

We were pretty lucky to have been in the country for the Korea Grand Sale. The pink booth behind Ottie gave out freebies which included a coupon book, discount brochure to Everland, a small cloth bag, and even a small Korean phrase card for tourists. Here’s a disgruntled Ottie gamely posing in front of all its pink glory. Unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of the sale, as we wound up not having enough luggage space after accounting for Ottie’s accumulated possessions during his two years here. I’m preparing for an imminent move of my own as well, and will need to pare my belongings down to something more manageable, so shopping was not a priority for the both of us at that moment.

This was a card pasted on an ad space at a bus stop. I just really liked the lines and colours of it.

Historic architecture in the middle of a busy street intersection, which I believe may be Namdaemun…?

I forget how much more walking I’m capable of than Ottie, and it’s only during times when I’d go out of the way to take a photo does it show. Here he was resting his sore feet while I backtracked to take the picture above.

Cute painted kettles!

This ugly yellow larvae is everywhere I swear.

Konglish quote at a cafe.

We chanced upon Cheonggyecheon! It’s a really cool 10.9km walking path along a stream that cuts through Seoul. This pretty stretch was where we took my outfit photos. :)

Ottie has always been supportive of my need to take outfit photos, so I try to make things easier for him when he’s tired.

Still, the photos that he takes sometimes turn out like this. ^^;

My pink and white outfit! I recently got contacted by Viparo for a collaboration, and naturally chose this cute Pink Leather Destination Jacket from the Australian brand’s summer collection. The lightweight jacket is made out of lambskin, and actually did its job keeping me warm indoors. Winter in February is harsh in Korea though, what with the precipitation and strong winds, so extreme layering was key to keeping warm outdoors.

Fortunately, my vanity knows no such thing as cold. This was my actual outfit… I spent the entire trip braving the elements of winter just to show off my awesome leather jacket for photos. This is certainly not something new. :P

I wore my jacket open in this outfit. My favourite part of this piece was the versatility in the way the jacket could be worn by switching up the gold zippers.

We found a wall lining Cheonggyecheon to set off this pink addition to my wardrobe.

OUTFIT
Lambskin leather jacket c/o Viparo
Sheer shirt from M)phosis
Cardigan from Zara
Jacket from Dollhouse
Shorts from Lowrys Farm
Heattech tights from Uniqlo

Outfit photos by Ottie.