Earlier this month I was honoured to be singled out to accompany Mr Dolce and Mr Gabbana on their tour to Seoul as their official translator. The design due headed to the Far East for an event packed trip, culminating with the grand opening of their boutique in Seoul. Here is second part of my diary of the trip with Designers.
6th November- I arrive at the in Seoul, my home away from home for the next few days. The hotel is located at the centre of the city, with a view of the famed mega highways that run thorugh Seoul. My room is on the 17th floor and is typically modern/minimalist.
The key of the room symbolises the marriage between old and new in Korea: an electronic card with an evocative image of an ancient pagoda.
Here is my masterfully planned wardrobe for my days in Seoul. Well. Almost masterful, i forgot to pack my sneakers- OMG!I had to wear heels non stop for 3 days.. and what heels!
After dinner with my colleagues I couldn’t resist to take a picture of the city by night. I love Seoul at night; lights shining like man made stars, a city than never sleeps.
7th November- my first day with the designers! We first visited the Dolce&Gabbana boutiques in Seoul, then we took to the sights. We stopped at a traditional Korean market, Namdea mon Market. Here is a typical Korean sweet- puffed rice with caramelised nuts.
Traditional Korean costumes (for kids). They’re very colourful ,and still today, they’re worn for New Years. Domenico loved the fabric.
One of the most touristy yet fascinating places we visited in the Gyeongbok Palace- It was first constructed in 1394 and later reconstructed in 1867. Its the largest of the Five Grand Palaces and literally, in English it means “Palace of Shining Happiness”.
After an afternoon of sightseeing we enjoyed a well deserved glass ofn wine all together before dinner. Whilst having drinks Domenico quizzed me about what I thought of fashion bloggers. Being one myself, I could only speak positively, and he agreed with me.
After the drinks we headed to dinner to a luxurious restaurant called Bamboo where they serve Korean BBQ. Korean BBQ is an interesting variation where you cook your own meat at the table. The meat is then served with a variety of vegetables.
During dinner, Domenico told us about a TV series he loved, Mildred Pierce, which he watched before starting on his trip to Seoul. The way he told us about it made us dream.
8thNovember- In the morning the designers had a shoot with Vogue Korea, but after I accompanied them to lunch at bistrot Seoul. The menu was scrumptious and it consiseted of Korean burger with soy seasoned ground beef and served with grilled rice gnocchi.
We also had a typical Korean dish of crab cackes and ce kimchi, vegetables seasoned with chilli, typically Korean.
The décor of the restaurant was traditional, including antique tea tables. As you can see, these tables are low, almost like stoods, as traditionally in Korea, as in most oc Asia tea is taken sitting on the floor.
And finally the piece de resistance of the whole trip arrived! The part at the Dolce&Gabbana boutique. Here is a quick snap of the designers in their party gear in the elevator at the hotel. I was nominated to enter with them at the party- I was so nervouw yet honoured. It was nervewraking to spend the evening alone with them, but it all went well, they were surprisingly easy going.
I was so happy to show my city for Mr.Domenico and Mr. Stefano<3