Love by Design Taiwan review

Drama name: Love by Design
Country: Taiwan
Year: July- Nov 2016

I came across this drama on the drama website as it was being uploaded. Checked out the synopsis and I thought it was pretty interesting, something that I could relate to being in my thirties. This drama is a remake of the Korean version, "Baby-faced beauty" which was aired back in 2011. I did not watch that version so I can't compare them fully. My colleague did show me a bit of it and I will do a small comparison snippet as you can read later on. 

So, what's this drama about?

Lee Shu Fen is a 34 year old lady who has been working as a head seamstress (something like that) in a clothing factory for the past 14 years. One day she gets fired to make way for a younger, prettier employee.  Devastated, Shu Fen tries very hard to get a new job but to no avail as she is over 30. :( (Yes, that is the sad reality which is very true) 

Meanwhile, her younger sister Lee Shu Zhen is 25 years old and aspires to be a model/ actress. She goes to auditions and does part-time modelling. Her agency gets her a placement as a model/ intern in a fashion house label named The Style. Shu Zhen didn't go and Shu Fen decided to take her sister's place in order to earn some money. 

Shu Fen gets thrown in the job once she arrived there. Although there were some doubts about her looks, she managed to fake her way through because she had a baby face. (Look young) She meets two guys, one is the CEO of The Style and the other is Song Chong Ji, an employee from the purchasing department. Shu Fen had a run-in with Song Chong Ji at a club earlier, where she was trying to get the dress from him which her sister stole from a potential job. (She didn't get that job thanks to her sister... -_-)

After that 1 week of internship was over, she was offered to work as a junior designer at The Style. Shu Fen grabbed the opportunity and used her sister's identity card for registration. 

The story goes on with Shu Fen trying to hide her real identity (and age) from everyone while pursuing her dreams of being a fashion designer. 

Overall thoughts?

It was rather strange watching a Taiwanese drama with the usual Korean storyline. I'm talking about the standard rom-coms with a rich, handsome and young chaebol, rich guy poor girl relationship, the second-lead syndrome, some talent show in-between with team building, hiking and etc. However, I think this version was a pretty good remake with a Taiwanese twist to it.

Best parts of the drama?

Being a fashion drama you can expect a lot of nice trendy stuff to look at in this drama. :D The introduction to the CEO of The Style was so stylish... haha! He looks so handsome, reminds me of a Hong Kong actor named Sammy Sum. (You can Google him up) 

The introduction of Song Chong Ji (They made a pun with his name that is supposed to sound like Song Joong Ki) was really cool too. I think both actors are handsome and cool with their respective swag... :D 

Now, the small comparison part I was talking about earlier: It happens in Episode one where Song Chong Ji is bringing the pearl that the design team left behind. They followed the Korean version closely but I think their version was way better and funnier! :D 

Korean version:

Taiwanese version:

Korean version:

Taiwanese version:

Okay, now back to the drama... :D The Style's building exterior and interior is really nice:

I especially love the design team's work area. There is a feature display wall that doubles up as a storage area. I think it's actually chicken coop and they used it so creatively there. Wow!

The CEO's house interior is a mix of classical and urban glamour which fits his style... ;D

Being a fashion design drama, there are quite a few nice pieces of clothing featured in it. I really like Song Chong Ji's temporary cape made by Shu Fen, the white jacket design and the red dress based on the movie star's character...

The cafe which Shu Fen worked after her secret was exposed. It's funny because the exterior reminds me of a club here back in the 2000s named The Emporium... I didn't like this part because I felt it could be totally omitted in the story, they just brought in the cafe boss to fill up the episodes I guess... 

Notable scenes:

The raining bus scene where Song Chong Ji writes on the glass that he loves Shu Fen... Oh so romantic! 

The piano session with the CEO... Ooh, yes I have a soft spot for handsome guys playing the piano! XD 

The CEO confesses his love to Shu Fen... You'll defo get the second lead syndrome here!! 

Shu Fen confesses her love to Song Chong Ji... I know right?! Everyone is confessing to everyone hahah!! It's a beautiful kiss with the backdrop of the Taipei 101 tower.. very nice!

Conclusion

Shu Fen and Song Chong Ji ended up together after battling the hurdles with their age gap, family problems and also the backstabbing at The Style. Shu Fen became design director of The Style and she married Song Chong Ji. Hurrah! The ending scene was quite ridiculous but it's all part of the comedy... Seriously how can the whole entourage be at your wedding hotel room??! 

I enjoyed this drama a lot. It is a light hearted story, something along the lines of She Was Pretty. One thing to note about Taiwanese dramas is that the cast have great chemistry and it makes the story flow really well. I really liked the rest of the design team, they were supporting characters but they made the story work. I look forward to more Taiwanese dramas in the future.