There are a lot of street vendors in Taipei (and I’m sure in Asia in general, but what would I know) that sell a variety of clothes, accessories and shoes. At first sight, it’s super exciting! There are stores with rows and rows and rows of shoes, and racks and racks of clothes with nothing costing more than $30.

After a bit of shopping, I noticed that although prices are really attractive (and exciting, so exciting it ignites a fire in your eyes), the quality is usually lacking… quite a bit. But what do you expect from a skirt for $6? You should expect it to be transparent. Which is what I’ve noticed with a lot of bottom garments and dresses. They. Are. Completely. Sheer. Woo hoo!

Inexpensive, but poorly made maxi skirt, as beautiful as it is. See the gap between the elastic and the actual skirt?

This is okay. Although the material is pretty thin. If it was toilet paper, it would be 1 ply.

The sewing of the trim is a bit off, but for $6 or so, it’s good to go.

I had to get this because of the peplum style and cotton candy colors. (Reminds me of last year’s Halloween costume.) With some ironing, I’m hoping that it won’t look too tacky.

This babydoll dress cost me $100NT which is about $3.35CAD. One of the straps broke off, but…. that’s okay I guess.

I really like this pink dress with navy accents and trim. Except that it’s sheer. I kind of knew that. So I wore black shorts underneath. But you could totally see my black shorts. And my black bra. I need a slip.

I didn’t buy this from the street. I got it from Accessorize. Being that it’s similar to Claires in my eyes, this store is expensive!

Other than street shopping, I wouldn’t say that shopping in general is cheap. Boutique shopping is similar to shopping in Vancouver — some inexpensive items, but mostly regular retail prices. Not completely unreasonable, but not the type of shopping I was hoping to splurge on.

One thing I’m super jealous of are the malls and department stores. They. Are. Amazing. And beautifully merchandised. There are so many luxury stores… (for me to window shop, boo) and designer brands wherever you go. They have Zara, where prices are generally the same. But Aldo.. Aldo is expensive. It’s about 50-100% more expensive (did that make sense?) than Vancouver. And it seems to be marketed more as a “higher-end” brand than it is back in North America. Department stores also carry it. Good job Aldo.

I’m leaving to Hong Kong in a few hours. I’ll continue my shopping expedition there. Wish me luck. I can barely contain myself! Ah, and Cantonese-English speaking people!

XO,

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia

We visited Kenting the other weekend which is far, far down South in Taiwan. It’s known to have beautiful beaches, and is a nice resort for a weekend getaway. I’ve heard people making references to it being like Cancun. Well, it was alright. I wouldn’t say it’s as beautiful as Cancun — the water isn’t as blue, the sand isn’t as light (despite the fact that the beach was called “white sand beach”), and it’s definitely not as tropical — but it was an awesome weekend full of sun and food.

I call them the Kenting Beach Boys. There were 3 of them. And they took pictures of each other. All. Day. Long. It was cute. I took a video. See below.

There are a lot of wild dogs. I think they want you to be careful of wild dogs. They may hunt you. Or in this case, haunt.

Fresh coconut!

The ceiling of my room in Kenting, glowing fluorescently.

And… the best part of the trip:
 

Don’t you just love them??
 
XO,

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia

Top c/o Fake LA | Zara cardigan (similar) | DIY Studded Shorts | Seychelles Wildlife Booties | Hello Kitty Swarovski necklace | ASOS spike bracelet | Accessorize Bow Ring (similar) | Michael Kors watch (similar) | Gucci Bag

Sorry for the not so good quality of photos, but I had to improvise with the little resources I had… as in no photographer, no tripod, no mirror and poor lighting. But I did okay right?

I finally had a chance to do an outfit post with this awesomely cool tee that was sent to me by Fake LA. It’s one of the most luxurious and soft casual tee’s I’ve ever worn and I love the unique cowl back it has. Since their launch, Fake LA has gained a large following by celebrities and trendsetters and can be found in one of my favorite boutiques in LA — Kitson! If you have a moment, check out the rest of their tees for men and women on their site.

On another note, do you guys remember the store Accessorize? It was kind of like a Claire’s and Icing, but I don’t think it’s anywhere in Vancouver anymore. Anyway, the store is everywhere in Taipei and I find it pretty pricey. But I had to get that pink bow ring in my photo. I don’t know why. It’s so childish… and Asian. But I love!

I hope everybunny’s been enjoying their weeks and weekends! I’ve been in Taipei for just over 2 weeks now and I’m going to HK on Thursday. This trip is going by so quickly, I don’t want it to end!

XO,

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia

I visited Juifen for a day. The view from the mountain was gorgeous and definitely different than looking down on beautiful Vancouver. Juifen has narrow alleys and pathways filled with shops, tea houses, food stands and restaurants. A lot to look at, but extremely crowded. And… It. Was. @#$%ing. Hot. My tshirt was literally soaked in bunnie perspiration. Not to mention, I was wearing faux leather shorts. Seriously gross. I can’t imagine being climatized to the weather. People were wearing pants and sweaters!

Lunch @ Taipei Main Train Station prior to Juifen | Drinking from my sippy cup to cool down

I was invited to dinner at the Five Dime Driftwood Restaurant, which is one of the craziest and most unique restaurants I’ve ever been to! It was designed by Hsieh Li-Hsiang who is one of Taiwan’s most creative and eccentric artists. There are 2 females on the exterior of the restaurant with curly hair and long dresses. The restaurant is purple, but it’s hard to tell because it was night time… or I just have bad camera skills. The inside is like an intricate museum with 4 floors and lots to see.

Snuggly bunnies at SOGO mall

“Excruciating” Foot massages with @DennisPang and @Em_Pang (according to Dennis).

XO,

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia

Orange Shabu: popular hot pot restaurant where celebrities apparently go. I ended up spending $1400 NT / ~$45 CAD. Not cheap.

Wraps with caramelized peanut shavings (from the block), ice cream and CILANTRO. Weirdly delicious.

KFC egg tarts. So good.

7-11. Cheap, delicious, and everywhere.

Ximen Ding during the day. Looks like Japan, but a bit grungier.

Ximen Ding at night

Underground shaved ice cafe

XO,

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia

Good morning, bunnies! I’ve officially been in Taipei for a week now and I’d say for about 5/7 days, it’s rained sporadically throughout the day. This morning, it’s pouring puppies and bunnies so I’m hanging out in front of the TV while I write this post.

I put together a short tour of my home here so you have a peek at where I’m at for the next month. Hope you like it!

twitter | facebook | love bunnie | pinterest | bloglovin’ | chictopia