As with all things, it started with Prada. In 2008, Miuccia commissioned a shape-shifting tetrahedron to be built on Seoul’s north side by architect Rem Koolhaas. Dubbed the Prada Transformer, the pop-up pavilion exhibited contemporary art, film, and fashion for six months, drawing fashion insiders new to Seoul’s urban sprawl.
Suddenly, the rest of the industry was scrambling to get there. Karl Lagerfeld chose the city to reprise his Chanel resort collectsion in 2011, and Calvin Klein Collection’s Francisco Costa followed him not six months later. This fall, an exclusive exhibit on Coco Chanel’s legacy opened at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, attended by Caroline de Maigret and Soo Joo Park, while J.Mendel opened two Seoul stores—its first in Asia. But despite all the buzz, the curated shops, and quirky cafés, the city remains a bit of a mystery, even among the most seasoned travelers. Never fear: From the Shibuya-style lights of Myeong-dong to the galleries of Samcheong-dong, here is Vogue’s guide to nine Seoul neighborhoods.
Photo: Courtesy of Ellen Hong / @ellensyummylife1/9Apgujeong
Feels like: Beverly Hills, Los AngelesGrab runway Louis Vuitton at Galleria, a sleek department store with a glass disc façade, or cruise down “Rodeo Street,” the winding road to Cheongdam-dong lined with Ferragamo and Herrera. Boon the Shop, a Dover Street Market–like concept store, has enticing displays of Proenza Schouler and Givenchy. Just south of Galleria are more avant-garde local design shops like MIK 24/7, with Machambre by Juyeon pale pink trenches and graphic fox-print fitteds.
Photo: Courtesy of 9OWLS / @9owls_1stshop2/9Sinsa-dong
Feels like: Le Marais, ParisGinkgo-tree-lined Garosu-gil is street style central, where Seoul’s fashion addicts spend hours exploring boutiques like MagnMag for vegan leather overalls, or vintage shops like 9 Owls for racks of distressed denim jackets and tables of vintage Chanel. Competitively twee cafés, like garden party–themed Café Oui, have Belgian waffles with preserves and purple sweet potato lattes.
Photo: Courtesy of Lu Xu / @lululululuxu3/9Insa-dong
Feels like: Gion, KyotoSouvenir shops on Insa-dong Art Street have porcelain vases and antique Buddhist sculptures, and street stands sell classic snacks like hotteok—hot sweet pancakes filled with red bean. Search for one of Insa-dong’s traditional tea houses: Bordering Gwanhun-dong, 47 Tea House has honey cookies with almonds and pink quince tea, inside a wooden hanok, while Suyoil Tea serves its drinks with ice cubes and edible violets swimming in a bowl. Take a brisk walk to Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon-era palace that was destroyed and later restored, to see the stone pavilion, floating in the center of a clear pond.
Photo: Courtesy of Heeyoung Cho / @yeh_rang4/9Hongdae
Feels like: Canal Saint-Martin, ParisColorful murals of fawns, flowers, and Einstein are all over Hongdae, as are eccentric themed cafés like Thanks Nature Café, which has a pair of sheep roaming the grounds. The honeychip ice cream trend—a scoop of organic soft serve topped with a hunk of real honeycombs—started here at Softree, as did the green tea ice cream macaron sandwich craze at Antique. For an enduring snack food, drop by Dango Jip and order four skewers of sweet sticky rice cakes topped with green tea and strawberry paste. Yonsei and Ewha students come here from Sinchon to go clubbings.
Photo: Courtesy of Lazydays / @lazydays_k5/9Hapjeong
Feels like: Bushwick, New YorkInside a former shoe factory, Anthracite Coffee serves hand-drip brews with beans roasted in the dark, industrial space. Meat, cheese, and fruit croquettes at Chilli Cha Cha, a Hapjeong hole-in-the-wall, go well with Fell + Cole, the country’s first artisanal, gastronomic, small-batch ice cream shop. Scoops of honey lavender, perilla leaf, and blueberry makgeolli were inspired by owner Ho-June Choi’s time in (where else?) San Francisco. Mecenatpolis, an open-air shopping and luxury high-rise village that opened last year, smells of gentrification.
Photo: Courtesy of NW / @namwanwan6/9Samcheong-dong
Feels like: Chelsea, New YorkOpened last year, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is showing “Matrix,” an artistic reflection on “the mathematization of today’s world.” Visit one of the many independent galleries, like Haroocats for cat-themed art in a converted hanok—whittled cat sculptures, hand-sewn dolls, and screen-printed tees (all cats welcome). Coffee Drinking Cat Café has waffles with ice cream and animal latte art in a cozy attic space, and Retrona Pie’s flaky banana crunch slice is for the dog people.
Photo: Courtesy of Tin / @cristina_037/9Myeong-dong
Feels like: Shibuya, TokyoMore than one million shoppers pass through each day for Zara and Uniqlo, and Korean beauty brands like Tony Moly. Like Times Square and Shibuya, it’s worth a one-time visit at night to see the lights. Tired, angry businessmen find their urban oasis at Lily Cat Café, where they sip on strawberry bubble tea and nuzzle a Scottish Fold. N Seoul Tower is the city’s highest point, and the cable car ride to the top is an iconic—if over-done—Seoul date spot.
Photo: Courtesy of @battcau8/9Dongdaemun
Feels like: Newton, SingaporeThis summer, the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Park & Plaza opened and will host the Seoul Fashion Week shows twice a year. The new JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square has a rooftop bar with a perfect view of Dongdaemun Gate, a fourteenth-century stone structure that’s lit up at night. Walk along Cheonggyecheon, an elevated freeway turned popular strolling park much like the High Line, then visit the infamous Dongdaemun Market to barter for flatforms and snag steaming mandu and ice cold beer at the food stalls for cheap.
Photo: Courtesy of @siney_jwy9/9Itaewon
Feels like: The Mission, San FranciscoThe Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art celebrated its tenth anniversary this year with an exhibition of pear-shaped celadon bottles and other historic Korean art, and Coreanos Kitchen brought its Pork Kimcheese Fries here from Austin. Bulldogs British Bangers has peach tea cocktails in tiny glass teapots, and hot dogs on mini pretzel buns, topped with a fried quail’s egg. Eat them before walking to Hannam-dong to pay homage to the Comme des Garçons flagship and titular street.
