Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil
The new “it” neighbourhood in town, Sinsa-dong is a beautiful promenade in the middle of the city that is adorned with golden ginko trees (hence “garosu-gil” meaning “tree-lined street ‘) and is a quaint collection of art galleries, interior design boutiques, and fashion-forward labels in a unique bohemian atmosphere. An amazing juxtaposition of old world and new school sensibilities, its chic Soho-like façade is home to a dazzling array of avant-garde international designers, such as Ann Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Margiela, and the Andre Kim Design Atelier. Go hipster spotting as you sip a cup of cold brew at any of the kitschy alfresco cafes that dot the streets.
Dongdaemun
Termed the mecca of domestic Korean fashion, the Dongdaemun area (located slightly northeast of the City Centre) consists of over 40 different commercial and traditional markets, each offering a wide variety of fashion and accessories at amazing wholesale prices. One of these is the famed Dongdaemun Market, the retail attraction that never sleeps; many stores and food vendors usually start operation around 9pm to cater to the night market crowd, and the famous Mukja Golmok food alley is essential to anyone looking for a taste of the latest trends in Korean cuisine. If you’re in the mood for a hit of alternative shopping, Yangnyeong Market is one of the most famous oriental medicine markets in the country, and is worth a quick jaunt for its curious curation of medicinal wares.
Several large fashion complexes in Dongdaemun, like Doota and Migilore, are dedicated to Korean-made apparel, and together constitute a shopper’s paradise of shoes, toys, leather goods, pet products, and other lifestyle accessories. Doota even has a huge outdoor concert stage, and regularly hosts events such as fashion shows, concerts, modelling contests, and classical Korean music performances. The newest kid of the block is Dongdaemun Design Plaza, also called the DDF, a major urban landmark with its distinctively neo-futuristic facade of exhibition spaces, rooftop parks, and a housing of restored parts of the Seoul fortress.
