Caped Crusaders

When it comes to weather, I am never content. In winter, with its freezing temperatures and consequently, my frostbitten feet, I longed for warmth, sunny days and floral dresses. Red noses and pale skin no more. Now, we are in the midst of summer and, unfortunately, it is not as I expected. Instead of having beautiful bronzed skin and wearing an array of pretty summer dresses, I am literally a mess. And, a sweaty one at that with a flushed face and hair that can can only be described as frizzy and chaotic. I am tired of wearing flimsy clothes, constantly worried I am showing too much flesh. I am a responsible teacher after all.

The seasons are so extreme here that I wish for Scottish weather. At home, summer constitutes one or two hot days, average temperatures, no humidity and drinking in the park until it starts raining. Although, my fond recollections are better than the reality in Scotland of no summer at all.

So, to distract myself from the 91% humidity outside, I have been looking forward to one of the major trends of winter, capes. Think military officers, Russian Czars or 1940s fur stoles as opposed to superheros. From short capelets to long 60s style ponchos, capes were awash on the catwalks in gothic leather, luxe velvet and camel tones. There are many styles to choose from- military, hooded, embroidered or preppy. Lets have a look.

Julien MacDonald

Sallavatore Ferragamo

Christian Dior

Chanel

The final picture is a beautiful embroidered cape from Alexander McQueen's last collection. So, capes are one of the definitive winter pieces. However, there are certain hazards to wearing capes, as Edna from The Incredibles shows.....perhaps avoid wearing on planes....

So, investing in a cape is not the best idea if you want to become a superhero. As for me, there is only three months until freezing temperatures, red noses and wishing for summer again.... but at least I can wear a cape.

When in Korea...

....buy nail varnish in pastel or fluorescent shades. I have noticed Korean women's penchant for colourful nail varnish- baby pink, mint green and bright orange. It reminds me of nail varnish I wore in my teenage years and now, I do feel younger wearing it. I'm rebelling against my mum all over again. Chanel nail varnish is excellent and luxurious, wrapped in its small gold, box but nail varnish can be bought very cheaply here, in Korean cosmetic stores such as Etude and Banila Co.

Korean designers: Doii Lee

Shimmer, sequins, vivid, fairytale and timeless.... these are a few words that can be used to describe Doii Lee's work. In a recent interview, the Korean designer defined her work as "sexy and fun with an innocent edge" and an "ultra feminine touch". Doii Lee graduated from Central St Martins with a BA in fashion design and knitwear in 2002. She was chosen as one of the top 10 most promising graduates of the year for the Victoria and Albert Museum 'fashion in motion' show. She began her career, working for John Galliano in Paris and was then headhunted by Antonio Marras, the art director for Kenzo. She established her first collection for her line Doii Paris in 2006, on the runways of Paris itself. Since then, she has appeared in fashion shows in Paris and Seoul. Now, Doii lives and designs in London, although her pieces are made in couture studios in Seoul.

Doii's Spring/summer 2010 collection was inspired by a painting by the Japanese artist Ikeda Mana, from his exhibition "Neoteny". Featuring a vivd colour palette of pink, turquoise and black, Doii's collection is exceptionally feminine, with busy, detailed geometric prints applied to simple, elegant shapes. The unique prints of hearts, flowers and plants are designed as if looking through a kaleidoscope. Doii suggests this as an inspiration "when the world dazzles and glitters as if ones looking through a kaleidoscope, it passes its infinite energy to me." In addition, embellishments and transparent sequins were added to create movement and shine. Small cute, bows and pleating were also featured quite prominently, emphasising the clothes appealing girlishness. In a collection mainly comprising of dresses, there are a few notable, distinctive pieces. The kimono sleeve trench coat is beautiful as is the black leather dress with cut out back, high collar and contrasting, embroidered belt.

Overall, Doii's designs are original, using a broad range of texture such as cotton, lace and silk, in vivid colours. Her illustrated, fairytale-esque prints give us an insight into her imagination and creativity. Doii designs highly feminine, luxury women's wear for those who "seek beautiful, novel designs that glisten with daring, Independence and glamour." And, they literally do glisten with sequins, sparkles and embellishments. Her designs are definitely not for the faint-hearted as Doii says herself "my designs are ageless but you have to be sure of yourself to wear sequins!" I think you definitely need a big amount of sass to wear her designs, subtle they are certainly not.

Doii's 2009 and 2010 collections and sketches can be viewed at http://www.doiiparis.com/.

Something interesting at the Seoul Arts Centre

The Seoul Arts Centre consistently exhibits unusual art and photography. Yesterday, I viewed photography from the World Press 2010 prize and winners of the Pulitzer prize. The photography was often harrowing and troubling, historical and memorable. Recent events covered included Israel's controversial offensive against Palestine, the world of drug cartels in Mexico and Obama's inauguration.

There was one story, relevant to the world of fashion, I particularly enjoyed. Photographed by an Italian, Francesco Giusti, the story of these gentleman is fascinating, inspiring and quite unexpected.

Below is a small explanation of these very dapper, well dressed Congolese men.

High fashion, usually associated with wealth, designers and the catwalks of London and Paris, is played out in a very unique way against the backdrop of extreme poverty. As the caption suggests, these men are admired for their interesting style and ability to choose accessories and outfits. Wearing suits and trilby hats in bright colours, they have become celebrities, larger than life characters with 'gestures' and 'amusing nicknames'. Perhaps, fashion and style can touch all societies in a way regardless of conditions.

On a completely different note and nothing to do with fashion, there was another exhibition called Neverland, where installations were childlike and made out of confectionery. Here are some amusing pieces.

All these exhibitions run for another month. Seoul Arts Centre, Line 3, Nambu Bus Terminal Station. All photographs taken by me.

The Rocktigers: Prom Dresses and Chuck Taylors

Last weekend, I attended the Seoul Ink Bomb tattoo exhibition, headlined by the rockabilly/punk band, The Rocktigers. According to their website, the Rocktigers "offer a trend-kill to all that's wrong with the Korean music industry. Spicing up the classic rockabilly sound, the RockTigers are giving you rockabilly that's vintage and modern from Seoul: Kimchibilly". On their third studio album, the band have a faithful, small following in Korea but are gaining new fans every day. After seeing them, I unashamedly become a fan on facebook. They are more widely known and liked in Japan where rockabilly itself is more popular. Nevertheless, they provide a refreshing, alternative to the dire, manufactured k-pop prevalent here. Their throwback 50s styling is also unlike anything I have seen so far in Korea.

Velvet Gena is the charming, feisty leading lady with short, peroxide blond hair. She energetically dances and jumps around the stage in her Doc Martins much to the crowds delight. She is pretty and grungy at once, combining tattoos and prom dresses in unusual patterns. The band, with their slicked back quiffs, Chuck Taylor all-stars and numerous US navy tattoos, look like a slightly punkier version of Danny Devito and the T-birds. Wearing lots of leather, tight jeans and bowling alley shirts, Tiger, Eddie, Roy and Jack are extremely talented musicians but it was apparent they weren't taking themselves too seriously. One spun the bass, decorated in flames and leopard print, with ease.

Their rock n roll music is reminiscent of Buddy Holly or Elvis but, with Korean lyrics, sounds new and modern. At this exhibition, the Rocktigers were joined on stage by young, professional swing dancers. The girls wore pastel, floral, prom dresses with yards of netting and white plimsolls. The boys wore navy, three piece suits, bow ties, Chuck Taylors and geeky specs. The clothes were traditional but fun. Altogether, the show was quite a spectacle.

In the future, the Rocktigers aim to take their music back to its origin, the States, with a tour and album in English. With their appealing, infectious lyrics, entertaining stage presence and throwback style, they might very well succeed in this ambition and conquer Europe and the States with kimchibilly. For Korean fans, they are headlining a rockabilly night as part of the Seoul Fringe Festival. Details are listed below.

The Rocktigers are definitely a band to see live. Geena's powerful voice and the boys persistent catchy riffs all point towards dancing. Their style is fun and different to other Koreans. This show promises lots of fifties and sixties fashion to enjoy again.

Fashion Crush - Diane Kruger

Karl Lagerfeld's muse, Calvin Klein model and actress, Diane Kruger is one of my celebrity fashion crushes. A former model, she is style conscious and fashion forward but is aware of what suits her. She dresses appropriately for every occasion, red carpet, off duty or otherwise. Kruger consistently chooses fashion forward silhouettes accentuated by unexpected accessories. Famous for not having a stylist, she is naturally gifted at putting together an outfit. Some photographs...

Big Foot gets Shoes

Before I came to Korea, I was vaguely aware that I have very large feet in comparison to Korean women. I shrugged off suggestions from my friends that I would not be able to buy shoes, assuming that in a city of this magnitude, there would be at least one shoe shop that would stock UK size eights. Huge, I know.

My friends were wrong. In a way. There are 'big size' shoe shops in Itaewon. However, the shoes have possibly been there since the 90s. They are not stylish or pretty. The shops are also tiny cupboards in basements. So, overall, it is not a great shopping experience. Now, I order online from Topshop, Office and Asos. Much to my excitement, I received these sandals this week.

And, I would like these boots for winter.

The only problem is the shipping. Three weeks is far too long to wait! Oh well, the problems of having big feet in Korea.