Dongdaemun, Seoul

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Vintage distressed tee

KIMEM blazer jacket

Stylestalker skirt

AGL patent leather boots // SHOP HERE

Marie Turnor backpack

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And here we go to Dongdaemun, the home of this year's Seoul Fashion Week, which was actually one of the most exciting fashion weeks that I ever had the pleasure of attending. Shout out to Showroom Romeo for hosting Ashley, Natalie and I during our fashion week experience! The futuristically designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza was magnificent and spacious, perfectly suited for Seoul Fashion Week's conceptual crowd and its many onlookers. Kids would come line up along its entrance ramp watching out for the celebrities and K-pop singers who would walk the blue carpet into the shows. Fashion week is such a big deal in Seoul, a spectacle that so many locals look forward to taking part in, and this involvement makes all the difference. Just a few steps outside of the design plaza was the hustle and bustle of the city of Dongdaemun, a mix of traditional markets and huge, multi-level shopping centers. So overwhelming, but still so easy to maneuver. In-between shows during the late morning and early afternoon, we'd run around looking for face masks to bring back home to friends and families, stop for a traditional bowl of bibimbap for an energy boost, or just people watch in the coffee shops and on the streets. Everyone in route and street food snacks for days that you could smell from a mile away. Dongdaemun felt like a real city. Back when this part of Seoul was created in 1905, it was called Yeji-dong which means "a neighborhood for learning politeness," which really tells you so much about the Korean culture. One that is based on just that . . . politeness, and a welcoming curiosity of outsiders. Definitely more smiles than glares in Korea.