We often see really well dressed Korean people on the streets, sometimes it feels like we are on a constant fashion walk! That is because Korea is one of the most fashionable countries in the world. With its own unique style,ย Korean fashion certainly has its differential when it comes to delivering good quality clothes. It’s not surprising, once Korea grew a lot because of textile industries. You can find dozens of shops and stores with clothes that have the “made in Korea” tag on it. These clothes tend to be very fashionable and have really good quality. If you are into Korean fashion and style of clothing, this post was made especially for you!
I’m going to talk about the Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping: often called “Goto Mall” it’s a huge underground shopping mall, located on the Express Bus Terminal Station (Seoul Subway Line 3, 7, 9), Exit 8-1. The Bus Terminal itself it’s already an attraction worth of getting to know. It’s a very large and fancy terminal, with a lot of nice spots to hang out, eat and go shopping. They have several areas where you can get information about whatever you need that is related to the Terminal and its facilities.ย Inside the Bus Terminal and on your way to what will be a very long day of shopping, you don’t need to worry about going back home to eat, once the bus terminal has its own food court, with various options of food: from deserts to whole markets – they have the amazing No Brand Market and No Brand Burger, which are really cheap and worth. Personally I’d recommend going to No Brand Burger for your lunch, you’re not gonna spend much and will be satisfied with their delicious sets of beef burgers. The price is really fair considering its not chicken burgers as what you usually find here in Korea.
But coming back to Goto Mall, as the name suggests, you have to go down on some stairs to get there – and on your wat there you will find several stores with a price a bit higher. Not only clothing stores but also shops like Art Box – where you can find all kinds of different items, from stationery to PC gadgets. You know you are in Goto Mall when you see the sign “Enter Fashion Mall”. That’s when you start seeing the difference between the stores of Goto Mall and other stores you can find on the Bus Terminal.
Most clothing items on Goto Mall are around 10,000 won, which converts to around $8,50. Very cheap, right? Goto mall has over 600 stores lined up on two very long corridors. You can find clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories items and several items for your house, such as souvenirs, blankets, mats, dining items, flowers, etc. But the coolest part is definitely the clothing stores! The true Korean fashion for a very fair price! But you better go prepared, with comfortable clothes and shoes, because the shopping will take you a few hours if you are the kind of person that likes to look carefully at all stores before buying.
Goto Mall has several stores with brand new clothes for between 10,000 won and 15,000 won. In some stores, you can find sets (usually a pair of short or pants and a shirt) for 15,000 won, which is around $12,50. Korean style of clothing for women consists basically in a lot of flower stamps and baggy clothes – especially the pants. Sizes in Korea tend to be smaller than what we are used to, so if you’re a size S on your country, you might be a size L in Korea when it comes to pants, shorts and skirts. For shirts and blouses, they usually have unique sizes. Be sure to bring a string so you can measure properly the pants, once you can’t try the clothes on – it’s kinda the price you pay for buying cheaper clothes.
Let me tell you a bit more about the style of clothes you will find! For shirts and blouses, Korean tend to go for soft and light colors or black, it’s kinda hard to find burgundy shirts for example. When it comes to patterns, it’s usually gonna be some random sentences in English, flowers or stripes. Also, blouses usually have a lot of ruffles. If this kind of clothing it’s not really your style, maybe you will lose time looking for something different.ย For pants, skirts, and shorts, Korean fashion likes to go for oversized pieces! So be very careful when choosing the size.
Inside Goto mall, you will also find shoe stores and mobile gadget stores with a price that’s way better compared to other places where we see the exact same products.
If you get too tired of walking, don’t worry! Goto Mall has some “islands” on each entrance for costumers to seat and real for a little while. So take your comfortable shoes and let’s go shopping!
