[Haul] The Beauty of Gangnam Station's Underground Shopping Centre

Gangnam is to Seoul what Oxford Street is to London, the height of money and style. Gangnam is know for being an area where all the people are always good looking and well (read as: expensively) dressed; even a number of idols and celebrities where originally scouted out in Gangnam for their pretty faces. Whether you've been there once or a million times you can feel the difference in atmosphere and the slight pressure to look the part. Well, fortunately, Gangnam Underground Station gives you the opportunity to get the look at much less than extortionate prices before you even step outside! 

Wine Skater Skirt: ₩5,000

Once you get off your train on Line 2 and step through the barriers you'll be greeted by a bunch of stores, ranging from popular chains like Etude House and N.Cat to unique boutiques that you can't find anywhere else. The prices range a bit too, for example boutiques usually sell one-of-a-kind handmade items so they can be a bit more pricey, there are also shops that sell imports too, but likewise there are many shops that sell clothes from ₩30,000 ($30) and under. The only real downside to shopping in Gangnam Underground Station is if you're male. I'm pretty sure the whole time I was there, I only saw one or two male clothing stores and no men's shoes being sold at all. 

Anyhow, my friend and I went there on a budget, wanting to get the most for our Won and I can honestly say that we did manage to do just that. After getting my hair done, the first thing I wanted to do was getting something sultry and mature to match my new Son Gain-esque look. We stepped into the first store we saw with an enticing '5,000 Won' rack in the front (hey, you would have walked in too, don't judge us!) That's when we came across three lovely cheap items, all ₩5,000 each! 

Grey Turtle Neck: ₩5,000 | Elastic Pin-Striped Pencil Skirt (+free badge): ₩5,000

Rather than antagonizing over what to buy, instead I was antagonizing over which colour to get. One thing I love about shops in stations in Korea is that, despite their super cheap prices, the quality of the clothes is just as good as anything you'd find in H&M or Forever 21, and while they only sell one-size, they do have a range of colours, designs and patterns for you to pick from. 

Star Print Denim Shirt: ₩10,000

There where a whole range of skirts in the shop, some the same style but different patterns, some the same colour but different styles, it was painful to have to pick. In the end I went for the wine skater skirts because I have a lot of wine/red accessories but not enough clothes to match. Likewise, I have black and grey skirts already, so I went for the navy pencil skirt too; this one was actually a step out of my comfort zone since I don't have the shape to pull off a pencil skirt. As for the top, I've been in desperate need for some long sleeves recently so that was a no-brain-er, (though it's been a while since I've found a turtle neck I actually like.) 

Plaid Shirt Dress: ₩10,000

From that same shop, I also got these two shirts, just ₩10,000 ($10) each! Actually, not too long ago I'd been internet shopping on YesStyle and I'd seen a shirt-dress just like this one that I really wanted but for over double the price. Fortunately I decided not to purchase it, so it was a great turn of luck when I found something exactly the same for cheaper (and no waiting for shipping ;P) As for the star-printed denim shirt, well, you guys should know how much I love stars by now! And denim was actually going to be my theme for this season but I changed last minute. That said, this looks more like a spring piece to me anyway so I brought it in advance~ 

₩35,000 down, and I'd already gotten a good 2/3 oufits, I think it's fair to say I was on a roll already! Happy with my clothes, I then headed off to the next shop to get some accessories to match my new pieces. When I go shopping I always shop 'in outfits' because there's nothing I hate more than going shopping, getting home wanting to wear your new clothes and realizing you've got nothing else that matches! 

Grey Beanie: ₩10,000

Since its winter now and the wind is out to destroy any hair setting I do, recently I've been into buying hats and beanies so that was the first thing on my list of things to buy. If there's one thing I've learnt living in Korea, it's that no matter your style, there is a beanie out there for you, so I've made it my mission in life to colour all different styles and colours to match any outfit I can drag out of my wardrobe. Since I already have quite a few dark coloured ones this time round I decided to get a light coloured one instead. 

Faux Leather Bag: ₩9,500

After that, the next thing I was after was a bag, just like hats, bags can be pretty diverse but I tend to find that most of my bags are the same kind (backpacks or over-the-shoulder) so I wanted to get something a little different and something a big more 'high class' feeling too. In the end, I ended up with this stylish leather bag, and for less than 10 bucks! What's more, it's perfect for both men and women so I can easily share this with Hanzel too. Not only that, but it gives you the options of holding it by the handles or by a concealed shoulder strap, so if I get lazy then I can still just throw it over my shoulder hehe ;P 

Clothes and accessories down, there was only really one thing left for me to buy: shoes! Actually, I don't really have that many shoes if you're counting styles; I have quite a few converses but they're all a bit old and then 3/4 pairs of heels, but they're more for parties and aren't really practical for everyday living so I really, REALLY needed some new shoes. That said, my feet are quite big (EU 41/42) and most Asian-originated brands actually don't sell girls shoes in my size ;; Unfortunately, I still didn't manage to find my size, but I came across these boots just a size smaller and well... I couldn't help myself. 

Leather Ankle Boots: ₩65,000

While they are a little tight, they'll definitely stretch out if I wear them enough so I decided to splash out on my last purchase for the day because I really, really wanted these boots! I like them because they're super easy and comfortable to walk around in because of the thick heel, and the soles are really sturdy so they're perfect for walking around in the snow and rain as it is still mid-winter here. Style-wise, they're not overly feminine either, as I already have enough feminine heels, but at the same time, they're not overly masculine either, they're a nice balanced boyish/androgynous medium. 

Seeing as they were the last thing I was planning to buy that day, they were a quite expensive compared to everything else I brought that day, but even then I was more than happy to hand over that cash and walk away with some gorgeous new shoes! 

Anyhow, that was the end of my haul at Gangnam Station's Underground Shopping Centre, I brought a bunch of cosmetics just the week before (expect that video soon!) and I also did some online shopping just the day before for my upcoming winter lookbook, so I didn't want to get too much this time around. Regardless, I hope I managed to show you one of the hidden shopping treasures that you can find in Korea and that you decide to stop by if you ever visit and get your own Gangnam Style!