Brides take bouquet-making into their own hands

MINNEAPOLIS ― When Natasha Cronen got married last September, she knew exactly what her bridal bouquet would look like, down to the petal.That’s because she’d made it herself, two days earlier, along with all the other flowers for her wedding.Cronen, of Woodbury, Minn., and her bridesmaids gathered at Market Flowers near the Minneapolis Farmers Market to craft coral and white roses into bouquets, centerpieces, corsages for the bride and groom’s mothers and grandmothers as well as boutonnieres fo

Arts & DesignMay 7, 2014

Some women daring to explore shades of gray

AKRON, Ohio ― It was bound to happen ― you’ve found your first gray hair. It may remind you that the internal clock is ticking. You make a mental note to call the hairdresser for a dye job.Or do you?Silver or gray is trending now in fashion, accessories and home decor. And while some local stylists say going gray naturally may be a trend, others say it can make a woman look 10 years older.Before you squeeze that tube of Vidal Sassoon on your locks, examine your shade of gray.“I have one client w

Arts & DesignMay 7, 2014

Former photo editor of Herald dies

Kim In-su, a longtime photo editor of The Korea Herald and The Herald Business, died Monday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 58. He died of a heart attack in the Thai capital, where he was visiting family who live in the country. He had a chronic heart problem and had undergone heart surgery a few years ago. A native of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim joined Herald Corp., publisher of The Korea Herald and vernacular daily Herald Business, in 1989 as a photo journalist. For nearly a decade fro

PeopleMay 7, 2014

EXO’s Baekhyun receives forest as birthday present

(OSEN)Fans of Baekhyun, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, set up the “Baekhyun Forest” in celebration of his 23rd birthday on Tuesday.Baekhyun’s 12 fan clubs joined hands to organize “Baekhyun United” to proceed with the forest project. The group raised funds within the organization to create a small forest inside the Neulbut Park located at Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.According to representative of Tree Planet Inc., plants such as Jezo spruce, lilacs, Japanese maple and Bridal wreath were plan

May 7, 2014

Baek Ji-young and Hyun Bin to meet again in MV

In anticipation of her new single “Bulggot,” Baek Ji-young will release the music video featuring scenes from the film “The Fatal Encounter” starring Hyun Bin, at midnight Wednesday. The video will be the second time that the singer’s voice has been combined with Hyun Bin’s acting. She sang “That Woman,” from the original soundtrack of the SBS drama series “Secret Garden,” in which Hyun Bin starred in 2010.Gimm Baksa and Yang Kyung-ju teamed up to write Baek’s new single. The two are known for t

May 7, 2014

EXO beats preorders record with ‘Overdose’

Preorders for EXO’s second EP, “Overdose,” have exceeded 650,000 copies, a new record in K-pop, SM Entertainment said Tuesday.“Overdose” contains five songs: “Overdose,” “Moonlight,” “Thunder,” “Run” and “Love, Love, Love.”About 56.5 percent of the 658,710 pre-ordered copies, the agency said, were Korean editions and the rest Chinese. The count continued until the official release of “Overdose” on Tuesday, May 7.As soon as the EP was officially released, its title track, also entitled “Overdose,

May 7, 2014

Seoul music festival to kick off

When it comes to classical music festivals, Seoul has little to brag about. But efforts to better serve the city’s young and growing classical music fan base led to the launch of an international festival in 2009, and it is showing more promise year after year. Seoul International Music Festival, in its fifth year now, opens Wednesday with a nine-concert program highlighting Italian music and a contemporary composer from Russia. “This year’s festival, set for May 7-29, brings here some of the fi

PerformanceMay 6, 2014

Italy’s Costa Cruise offers round-trip Japan tour embarking from Korea

Italian cruise operator Costa Cruise has launched a round-trip cruise for tourists in South Korea.According to Lotte Tour in Seoul on Friday, the tour package will take tourists to Japanese sights. It is available twice this month.The Italian cruise ship, the Costa Victoria, can accommodate 2,349 passengers and 790 crew members. The vessel is as high as a 14-story building, and is 253 meters long and 32.5 meters wide and weighs 75,166 tons.The ship is equipped with a casino, restaurants, bars, d

TravelMay 6, 2014

Old world glamour in black and white at Met gala

NEW YORK (AP) ― Old-style glamour ― especially in black and white ― ruled the night air as stars of Hollywood and the fashion world converged on the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening for the annual Costume Institute gala, the biggest event on the New York fashion calendar.This year, the glamour quotient was raised a notch: Whereas last year’s theme was punk, this time women were focusing on flowing gowns, and men were asked to dress in white tie ― full evening dress, including tails,

Arts & DesignMay 6, 2014

[Band Uprising] Adding a dash of Delispice and a touch of time

As the Korean music market begins to receive more international recognition, the local band scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the 10th installment of a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed. Whether it is escaping the clutches of death during stage malfunctions to taking the risk of debuting modern rock styles in the Korean music scene 17 years ago, during the era of H.O.T. and the start of the K-pop gener

May 6, 2014

Jack Bauer is back: U.S. TV series ‘24’ opens new season

Los Angeles (AFP) ― Hit U.S. action show “24” returned to TV screens Monday, four years after its last season, with Kiefer Sutherland returning as fugitive counterterror agent Jack Bauer.The spy thriller moves to London for its first run-out since the end of season eight in May 2010. The new series, subtitled “Live Another Day,” runs for 12 episodes, rather than 24 as previously.Sutherland said he hopes viewers gripped by the show for nearly a decade will still be interested in the real-time act

TelevisionMay 6, 2014

Girls’ Generation’s Sunny to host MBC radio ‘FM Date’

(Sunny's Instagram)Girls’ Generation member Sunny has been chosen as the next DJ for “FM Date” on MBC Radio, broadcast officials said Monday.The singer expressed her affection for radio prior to hosting a radio program. “My sisters influenced me to listen to the radio a lot and I still listen to the radio whenever I am in the car,” she said“I am so glad and thrilled to be able to communicate with the public, as I have not had much chance to do so.” (OSEN)Sunny promised to make efforts to become

May 6, 2014

Discharged Ji Hyun-woo rumored to split with Yoo In-na

 Having completed his two-year mandatory military service, Korean actor Ji Hyun-woo was discharged from a military unit over the weekend while being greeted by hundreds of domestic and foreign fans.“Thanks to all my fellow soldiers, commanders and cadets, I was able to finish my military service without any problems. I will quickly get resituated and greet you with a good image soon,” Ji was quoted as saying.But asked about his romantic relationship with actress Yoo In-na who did not show up in

May 6, 2014

[Weekender] Menswear undergoes smart evolution

Spring has brought versatile items and light colors to menswear, allowing men to be free from formal dress and try new style combinations. Blazers and pants that are both adaptable to formal and casual looks are gaining popularity. Fresh, light color shades are lifting the mood for the warmer weather.“The casual vibe has been prevalent in menswear for the past couple of seasons, and the hybrid items that can either work in formal and casual situations have been popular,” said Lee Hyun-jung, dire

Arts & DesignMay 2, 2014

[Weekender] ‘Style is all about how you put things together’

Korea is one of the best markets in the world in terms of the number of fashion-conscious male customers, according to Filip Ekvall, the CEO of H&M Korea. The Swedish CEO talked about his personal fashion style, Korean men’s fashion taste in comparison to other countries and suggestions for spring items in a recent email interview with The Korea Herald. The following are excerpts from the interview.Korea Herald: What is your fashion style? Filip Ekvall: I love classic. Classic can be fun, not bo

Arts & DesignMay 2, 2014

[Weekender] Men’s love for accessories

More Korean men are becoming fashion-conscious. They’re willing to invest in their appearance, especially in accessories, said the CEO of an international fashion accessory brand. They are still conservative, but are rapidly opening up to new ideas and trends, which is promising for many fashion businesses, said Robert Tateossian, founder and CEO of Tateossian London. “I have noticed that Korean men are very fashionable, wearing skinny jeans and great hairdos on the street. The market is definit

Arts & DesignMay 2, 2014

[Weekender] A singular vision realized

JEJU, Jeju Province ― More than an hour’s drive from Seogwipo in the southwestern part of Jejudo Island, numerous gigantic stone piles that resemble abstract human figures rise out of nowhere. “That is Jeju Stone Park,” says the bus driver. The 500 stone piles, each topped with a large rock for the head, represent the 500 Generals of a popular Jeju myth, and are part of the sprawling, 327-hectare Jeju Stone Park.One is awestruck by the scale of the park ― which currently includes a garden based

CultureMay 2, 2014

Calendar

Pop Music“Hyundai Culture Project 14 John Mayer”: The multiple Grammy Award-winning American singer John Mayer will be putting on his first concert in Korea since his musical debut more than 10 years ago. Mayer made his official debut in 2001 with his first album “Room for Squares” that featured a number of hit singles including “No Such Thing,” “Why Georgia” and “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” which snagged Mayer his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2003. The upcoming conc

CultureMay 2, 2014

Eyelike: Damon Albarn looks back on 1st solo album

Damon Albarn looks back on 1st solo albumDamon Albarn“Everyday Robots” (Warner Bros.)Twenty years after he became a Brit-pop poster boy as lead singer of Blur, Damon Albarn has released his first solo album.He’s been busy in the meantime, fronting cartoon hip-hop band Gorillaz, forming the supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen and even writing a couple of operas. So “Everyday Robots” is hardly the work of a novice -- rather of a man in his 40s looking back with a mixture of wonder and regre

PerformanceMay 2, 2014