chadchad of the day 2.3

grey toggle coat reformed into vest / vintage
denim jacket / vintage
white polo / UNIQLO
pink trousers / San Francisco Market
white woven leather loafers / vintage
blue check bow tie / no brand



Today is the Bling Night Flea Market at Platoon Kunsthalle and I have been busy reformed a lot of vintage clothing and creating necklaces to sell in a booth with my friend Cory. I found this vintage toggle coat at Dongmyo market for only W3,000 ($3US). I used a seam ripper to detach the arms then used a blanket stitch to reattach the lining. Quite easy work and I was really happy with the outcome. I made a black one & a brown herringbone one just like it to sell tonight.  I layered it over a denim jacket for today's look, but when spring comes it will be just as wearable over a t-shirt.


These woven loafers were also thrifted at Dongmyo for only W10,000 ($10US). Amazing for summer but when worn correctly can be used almost all year long. I matched them with these pink trousers I picked up in Seoul at a shop in Apgujeong called San Francisco Market. I have a sky blue pair exactly the same.


If you are planning on stopping by the Night Flea Market tonight, here are a few of the things I will be selling:


black toggle vest / brown herringbone toggle vest / leather bomber jacket with feather collar


embroidered necklaces / 'Go-Stop' necklace


dinosaur necklaces of all shapes & sizes


pearl gloves


pompom gloves / studded gloves


studded plaid peacoat / studded denim vest with tassels 


acid wash denim biker jacket with pompoms / floral shirt with pompoms


carpet shirts / denim vest with studs & feather collar


tassel sweater / tassel navaho print shirt / denim jacket with pearl shoulders


kelly green denim biker jacket with tassel / houndstooth shirt with pompoms


xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 2.2

brown leather jacket / vintage Memebers Only
brown rabbit fur vest / vintage
leopard tee / vintage from Aprogod
grey shorts / Raf Simons
black cracked leggings / American Apparel
studded black shoes / reformed Giordano Concepts
black frame glasses / Tom Ford
black hat / reformed H&M

I've been finding a lot of inspiration for outfits lately while riding the bus & browsing through my favorite iPhone app: STYLE.COM. It's an up to date look at every ready-to-wear, couture & menswear collection from New York, Paris, London & Milan right at your fingertips. Today's 'chadchad of the day' was inspired by the in-your-face Givenchy Fall 2011 Menswear collection by Riccardo Tisci which featured a lot of wide shorts & leggings (if you browse my lookbook you'll see I'm a HUGE fan of this look), graphics of snarling Rottweilers, black framed nerd glasses, heavy brown fur & some bad-ass thigh high lace-up boots with white soles.


My interpretation of this collection is more thrift store chic than brand name - an old roommates Members Only jacket, a rabbit fur vest I thrifted last year (which also looks great worn over the jacket) & a leopard staring intensely out of a vintage tee with ice-blue eyes. The shorts aren't nearly as baggy as I'd like them to be - I'll have to add a pair of those to my ever expanding wishlist.


The little gold crown pin on my jacket is from an online shopping mall I used to model for called JBros. They also have a magazine in Korea called JBOOK that features both men's & women's clothing, mostly made in Dongdaemun - think Korean version of Men's Non-No from Japan.

xoxochadchad

'Today's Blog' by Arirang TV: Korean Model Line

I finally got my hands on the segment I shot for Arirang TV called Today's Blog.   The show highlights foreigners living in Seoul who write blogs about life in Korea - showcasing anything from drinking soju to the cherry blossom festival to Seoul's nightlife.  We filmed in December on the day Korean designer Kim Seoryong / 김서룡 was debuting his SS11 collection:


It's so awkward hearing your own voice on television - I'm soooo not cut out to be any sort of TV host that's for sure and I really wish I would have gotten that mop of hair trimmed before filming.  But I was happy with the editing (other than the opening scene where they filmed me from below, that's never a good angle!) and I liked that they included a lot of the backstage shots I had taken during filming.  All in all it was a great experience and since Arirang is broadcast around the world in over 188 countries, I hope this segment helps boost the global awareness of Korean men's fashion.

xoxochadchad

boys 3.9

Hyung Jun Choi / 최형준

20 / student

brown paisley jacket / vintage
green & red plaid jacket / vintage
black tee / no brand
black denim / brand unknown
black shoes / Dr. Martens


Seyoung Kim /김세영

20 / student

green jacket with fur hood / no brand
blue sweater / Gap
red gingham shirt / Gap
acid wash denim / Cheap Monday
black & red hightops / Converse


Chang Hyun Kim / 김창현


20 / student

grey cardigan / no brand
blue cardigan / no brand
white striped shirt / no brand
kitten brooches / no brand
denim / Nudie Jeans
black shoes / Dr. Martens
black bag / A-Land

xoxochadchad

girls 3.2

Songee Han / 한송이

22 / student

green jacket / no brand
colorful leggings / no brand
black scarf / no brand
black shoes / Dr. Marten's


Na Young Park / 박나영

23 / student

khaki jacket with fur hood / no brand
red sweater with black braided belt / no brand
navy polka dot skirt / vintage
brown fur lined boots / no brand
black tote bag / American Apparel


Gyoung Ha Oh / 오경하

20 / student

brown fur jacket / vintage
blue denim / no brand
brown boots / no brand


Eunji Bang / 방은지

22 / student

electric pink & purple puffy jacket / vintage
purple fanny pack / brand unknown
black leggings / no brand
grey sneakers / New Balance

xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 2.1

navaho print jacket / vintage
sky blue braided belt / no brand
raw denim / PLAC
mustard yellow socks / UNIQLO
black leather shoes / Trippen

I had some free time yesterday afternoon and was tired of taking 'chadchad of the day' pictures around my apartment so I decided to wonder along the Cheonggye Stream / 청계천 in central Seoul for some inspiration. I love the parks that run along this 8.4km stretch of stream as there isn't much nature to be found in Seoul, especially during the grey winters. I applaud the engineers who redesigned this area once used as a highway in the middle of the city. In many places they let nature run wild and didn't try to tame it or sculpt it into something more manageable. It is also one of the only places to view what little wildlife can be found in Seoul other than garbage rats & nasty pidgeons. You can easily spot a pair of mallard ducks or the many kinds of fish swimming in stream all year round.


I recently rediscovered this lovely pair of Trippen leather shoes I purchased over 4 years ago from Gravity Pope in Edmonton, an amazing shoe store where a few of my Canadian friends have worked. Trippen shoes are all hand-cut & hand-stitched and remind me of adorable little elf shoes. Check out their website for a more detailed description of the manufacturing process.




While wandering along the Cheonggye Stream I came across a staircase that led to the Seoul Folk Flea Market / 서울 풍물 시장 and went in for a bit of exploring. Any junk lover or thrift enthusiast would love this spot. It's an amazing place to find everything from vintage leather jackets, hiking boots, old Korean toys & games, records of Korean trot music & pretty much anything else you can imagine that was ever bought or sold in Korea. I even found quite a few Navaho printed jackets like the one I am wearing.  The prices are a little steeper than the outdoor Dongmyo Flea Market, but the booths & merchandise are more organized & being indoors it's a lot more comfortable to shop in the winter.











xoxochadchad

LIARS in Seoul this Friday!

for more info / www.supercolorsuper.com



xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 2.0

blue motorcycle jacket / UNIQLO
white shirt / no brand
red & white plaid necktie / Fahrenheit Homme
grey monk pants / no brand
hightop sneakers / vintage Adidas



새해 복 많이 받으세요!  (Saehae bok mani baduseyo!)

Today is Lunar New Year in most of the eastern world.  In South Korea it is known as Seolal (설날) and is a time to meet your relatives, wear traditional Hanbok (한복) clothing, bow to your ancestors and eat a lot of traditional home cooked food.  But for the 22% or so of the Korean population who practice Buddhism, this day may also involve stopping by a temple for some spiritual reflection & meditation.  I'm not much of a spiritual person myself, but I can appreciate the calm that a holy place such as the Jogyesa temple (above) or a cathedral can bring to one's mind.  And with all the changes that will be happening in my life in the next couple of months as I prepare myself for the big move to London, a moment's calm can really do wonders.




Yesterday I came to Anguk station with some friends to go to a protest demonstration (more on that later) when I happened upon a store selling monk's clothing. They had beautiful knit hats & socks, long warm vests & baggy pants in monk grey & black. I bought this pair of trousers for only W30,000 (~$30US) and was very happy with the fit & the tight pleated ankle. The front waist band is also pleated & formal and the backside is an elastic waist band creating a one size fits all kind of deal.


The necktie was a freebie given to the audience when I watched the Fahrenheit Homme S/S 2010 show by Korean designer Duyoung Jung (정두영) during Seoul Collection last March. I wanted to offset the loose trousers with a more fitted upper body so I chose this faux leather UNIQLO motorcycle jacket, which brings out the hints of sky blue in the plaid tie.  Then I wore the vintage Adidas hightops to make the look a little more casual.  Also check out the Fahrenheit Homme F/W 2011 collection that I walked in last fall.


The protest I went to yesterday was organized by The House of Sharing which is both a museum and home to former "Comfort Women" - survivors of sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese military during the Asia-Pacific War (1932-1945). My friend Fielding is a volunteer for this organization and about 100 people showed up in support. Yesterday marked the 955th Wednesday protest held across from the Japanese embassy where the former comfort women, now referred to as "Halmoni" (Korean word for grandmother), & their supporters have been demanding an apology from the Japanese government since 1992. Their's is a sad and horrific story of violence, but one that needs to be heard. For more information go to www.thehouseofsharing.org or visit their facebook page.

xoxochadchad

xoxo wallpaper

I've been working on my portfolio and decided to make wallpaper highlighting some of the best cover pics from parties & runways over the past two years on thexoxokids. I love how it turned out - so many memories! Maybe I'll even make it into a sticker or a poster or something...

xoxochadchad