I tend to avoid shift dresses because my large bum usually turns it into something else - a loose, ill-fitting bodycon dress, if you will. But once in a blue moon, a darling dress like this comes along, waiting for me to snatch it up. I found it in the sale section of Forever 21. No more than $10, if I remember correctly. It's an old dress but it's held up well over the years. I was drawn to the floral crochet lace overlay pattern that allowed a bit of the soft blue lining to show through. I can only ever see myself wearing it in the summer time, but we'll see. I thought I'd mix it up with this mustard polka dot print blouse. It's another one of my purchases from Japan. The boutiques there sell the cutest things. If I had room in my luggage, I would have come home with so much more.

Now that I'm older (and wiser), I am able to discern the quality of product. I learned a lot about the quality of fabrics and the construction of clothes when I was working in the Fashion District. I wish I had that knowledge when I was younger. I would have carefully examined the fabric and stitching before buying. If it met my standards and the price was reasonable, I would allow myself to buy it. Of course, this also applies when I go thrift shopping. These days, I've developed such a critical eye that it makes shopping almost impossible. What have I done...!

In this week's throwback post, I will be writing a three-part series of our trip to South Korea. In November, we received an entire week from our studies to do whatever we wish. Of course, many of us decided to travel. My group consisted of three other girls. I don't recall any of us being familiar with the Korean language so I was bit nervous. We stayed at a really cheap hostel. I had never stayed in one before and the only hostel I ever heard of was the movie, which I don't recommend anyone ever watching. We were lost for a little while trying to find it. It was very clean and simple inside. I wasn't expecting much but we did find a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter inside the mini fridge!

We discovered this beautiful river beneath the bridge. We did not explore the entire length. It extends for quite some distance! I would have loved to have something like this where I live. With the drought we're having, the only riverbed near my house is dry as a well. I wouldn't really call it a river either.

Oh, delicious bibimbap! It's such a riot of color that it made it really fun to eat. It looked so pretty that I felt a little guilty destroying its loveliness by mixing it all up.

Oh, gosh. The journey to N Seoul Tower was quite a trip. We had no idea if our taxi driver understood where we wanted to go. We were taken and round and round for such a long time that we wondered if he was just taking advantage of us. Or that he might take us somewhere and do the unimaginable! Eventually, much to our relief, we reached our destination. I don't remember how much we paid. I was just glad we finally got off. The walk up to the tower was breathtaking - literally and figuratively. It was all uphill for at least a mile, but the autumnal leaves of the maple trees were so beautiful it made the walk more bearable.

N Seoul Tower had more features inside of it than Tokyo Tower. And like Tokyo Tower, it looked to be a popular date spot for couples. I thought the wall of what seemed like love notes was pretty cute. There were even trees of hearts and padlocks outside that reminded me of the famous Love Lock bridge in Paris that no longer exists. It's too bad. I had wanted to see it. Understandably, the strain of so many padlocks put the bridge at risk of breaking and causing harm.

 "Not keep a journal! ...How are your various dresses to be remembered, and the particular state of your complexion, and curl of your hair to be described in all their diversities?"

-Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (1817)

 Yes, how are they to be remembered? I suppose the modern day equivalent to that quote would be the blogger's photo-stream of collected outfits. Whether or not the clothing is worn for a specific purpose, it is photographed - an instance of a living memory captured forever on camera. And always, a story is written in memorabilia. A snippet of one's life unlocked and shared with eyes other than one's own. There is a vulnerability and strength in that kind of exposure. That is what I think, anyway.

 This dress has been with me for quite a long time now. I bought it off eBay for a fairly good price. At the time, I was not familiar with the brand Free People. I knew only that it was vintage. I was smitten with the blue plaid pattern and the fact that it was a button-up. I eagerly awaited its arrival and when I put it on, it was instant love. It's a fairly simple dress but it has the most amazing cut. Nicely flattering, I must say.

Though the temperature has dropped to a more tolerable 80-something degrees, the difference is barely discernible. I feel like a brick wall that has absorbed all the sun's rays, still hot long after it has already set. Because we didn't feel like paying $6 for an ice cream cone, we went to Rite-Aid. A lively employee zoomed by us and kindly shouted that they were having a "buy one, get one free" deal, to which we excitedly screamed back, "Which ones?" But he was nowhere to be seen. Suffice to say, we eventually figured it out. And now, I have a tub of pistachio ice cream with hardly enough pistachios. Perhaps I should buy a bag of pistachios and stick some in. Would that work? By the way, look at the cute little turtles gathering around!

When I first spotted this top at a small boutique in Japan, I knew I had to have it. It had the most adorable cartoon drawings of things one might find in England. I've always dreamed of traveling to Europe and exploring the countries there. Hopefully soon! I'm reluctant to wash it often as I fear it it fading. I love it so much!