Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mineybhoy]

Wondering what your favourite places/malls are guys? I need to buy a few jackets for this cold weather for going out at the weekend in Seoul and a few smart sweaters wouldnt hurt either. As a newbie I got hopelessly lost in Dongdaemum and ended up with only a pair of gloves last week

[matthagwon]

[waynehead]

If you're a normal size, you can find everything you need in the shops in Myeongdong (line 4) or at one of the bigger malls (the one at Coex, Yeouido, and Youngdeungpo should all work for you). If you're what people here euphemistically refer to as "western size" (ie obese) then Itaewon's the place for you.

[saram_]

Lots of Places in Myeong Dong to find what you need.
There is Lotte Department store (A bit pricey..) and Lotte Young Plaza with tonnes of shops inside..

Zara (the one near Myeong Dong Station is good) and H&M are nearby too.. AGAIN a bit expensive.

I'd recommend SPAO.. It is close enough to Myeong Dong station. Take a left in of the first couple of side streets as you walk down the main street away from the station..
It has a good enough range for men and the prices are better.
They have big enough sizes too.

[mineybhoy]

Great information guys, thanks!

[dairyairy]

[atwood]

I haven't been there yet, but I'd try the Lotte premium outlet in Seoul Station. The one in Paju is great.

If you go to a department store try their "event hall." They'll have lots of seasonal attire at big discounts.

[peacemaker]

A couple of stores I like are Giordano and Who A.U. They have locations in most popular shopping areas, i.e. Myeong-dong, Gangnam, COEX, Jongno, etc. Their sizes run up to probably the equivalent of a US Men's Large, so as others have said, if you are "Western-size" they may not work for you.

[Los Angeloser]

[BackRow]

I like myeongdong because of the convenience (choices and location) and because you usually dont have to deal with salespeople who latch on due to the crowds

You can find reasonably priced stuff everywhere, or go to the big department stores for more upscale brands

[EZE]

At Dongdaemun and also at E*Mart last weekend, I bought five long-sleeved shirts for 9900-10000 each. One is a fleece and I really like it. It's so warm. At Dongdaemun, the tables set up outside are where the deals are.

One thing I'm having a hard time finding is a cheap pair of decent tennis shoes. I bought a pair of waterproof hiking boots at Payless at Myeongdong for around 50000, which wasn't too bad. But it seems like the cheapest tennis shoes I can find are priced at 60000 won or more. I'm thinking about ordering some online for 20000 and having my parents ship them with some other items they'll be shipping soon.

[atwood]

[Steelrails]

Where to buy clothes? Uhm...at a clothing store?

How did you buy clothes back home?

Uniqlo if you're cheap. Giordano if you want something Koreaney. Zara or H&M for a slightly upscale look. Hyundai or Lotte department store if you want to drop some coin. Nike store or some mountain climbing store for more outdoorsey stuff.

[mayorhaggar]

Best place I've seen for general winter gear is the BigTen store at the Express Bus Terminal E-Mart in Yeonjong-dong in Daejeon. Looks like there are some BigTens in Seoul but I dunno if they have the same range of stuff. The Daejeon one has a good selection of imported Western stuff at pretty fair prices. Lots of great warm gloves, wool hats, long underwear, and a small but decent selection of hiking boots. Also a good selection of imported wool socks.

I checked out a ski shop in Daejeon and they didn't have much that was useful for anything but skiing, and it was all very expensive.

Uniqlo in general is alright for winter stuff, they have a good lineup of fleeces and wool sweaters. Their down jackets are pretty thin and light, but relatively cheap. For shirts and pants their sizes tend to be focused on emaciated Koreans with long arms and legs and tiny torsos, the waists are often too high and narrow and their sleeves are too long.

H&M is alright but I think they're better for summer clothes, they don't have much warm winter gear, it's more geared for early fall which is long over by now. They never have any pants big enough for me but their other stuff is sized for normal Western people with normal-length arms and normal waists.

Definitely I'd say get a down coat if you don't have one, but they are expensive here, like 200,000 to 300,000 and up. You can get a cheap one at Uniqlo which should be ok but I wouldn't expect it to last like a North Face one would, and it probably wouldn't be good for if it gets under -15C.

As for shoes, ABC can have pretty good prices, like 40k to 60k for sneakers. But they never have anything in my size. I got some New Balances that actually fit me from that Daejeon BigTen for I think 75,000.

[IamBabo]

Macy's will ship here now too..They even show the amount in Korean Won..