Uniqlo - A Visit to New York

The New York trip is finally done and I am finally posting again.  You'll just have to get over the little break I had (I am sorry).  But I am back with a vengence.

The store is 3 stories - the main floor is men and women, the upstairs is for men and cellar is for women.  Every wall was lined with colorful and folded clothing from floor to ceiling.  It is almost a daunting amount of clothing, quite impressive.

In the front of the store Uniqlo is pushing their Heat Tech clothing.  The water wicking under clothing that is also meant to keep you warm.  Very similar to the same stuff that Nike & Under Armor promote.

Past that display the store opened up to a main show room showing off the cashmere sweaters, wool peacoats and outerwear.  The cashmere sweaters were ultra soft available in every color imaginable and only $99 for the V-neck and $129 for the cardigan.  The Peacoats, which came in gray, black, navy and light gray glen check were only $99 and a great way to supplement a winter coat collection.  I wouldn't use Unqilo coats for the coldest weather, but they certain will keep you warm on cold and snowy days.

Upstairs I went to the plethora of clothing upstairs.  More cashmere sweaters, more Peacoats as well as plenty of essentials and non-essentials a like.  The essentials collection was great and something I would utilize more if I lived in NYC.  They were selling a great collection of socks, 4 for $9.  The socks were in the best colors: gray, navy & khaki.  The boxer briefs were 2 for $9 and a nice selection of patterns and colors.  They also were not covered in half naked men staring at you, which was a very pleasant change when shopping for under garments.  The under shirts were in every color and were $4 a shirt.  I went with light heather gray shirts, as they are less visible under plain white dress shirts.

They also had a jeans in various colors, washes, fits and prices.  The jeans ranged from skinny to relaxed and ranged in price from $39 to $79.  The selvedge denim was the more expensive jeans while the normal denim was only $39.  I would have opted for the regular denim in slim straight cut.  I would buy my selvedge from a top manufacturer like APC or Stronghold.

I was very impressed by the Lambswool sweaters in V-Neck, Crew neck & Cardigan at $19.99 to $29.99 for the latter.  They had the basic selection of colors for the sweaters and they were good weight, not too bulky or too fine.  I would highly recommend the sweaters as a way to supplement your closet with colors that you might not otherwise purchase, like purple & yellow.

I also highly enjoyed the collection of oxford shirts.  They had white, light blue, dark blue, light red and a gray all for only $19.99 a shirt.  A great deal.

The flannels were also nice.  They came in either heavy weight or light weight and in a bunch of nice color combinations including red and black buffalo check.  The off white with window pane navy blue check was very appealing and reminded me of my favorite shirt from high school.

As for pants, they had a nice collection of chinos, both washed and dressier versions; $29 and $39, respectively.  All of the pants in the entire store came in either 32 or 34 inch inseam.  The good news Uniqlo would tailor them free of charge, the bad news it would take a minimum of a week for them to complete the job.  I do like the idea and would encourage the practice for more stores.

The selection of wool pants was slim pickings but I found a pair I loved in light gray brushed wool for only $49.  They are slim straight and will have to be hemmed.

Uniqlo also had an encouragingly large selection of non-iron dress shirts and a disappointingly small selection of suit coats.  When I was there, the only coats were tuxedo trimmed velvet jackets in burgundy, black, olive and navy.  I am still deciding if they are cool for a night out or just plain cheesy.

The store also offered a bag to carry all of the goodies, which means that more people than just make a large purchase of clothing at the store.  Next time you are in NYC check out Uniqlo and let me know if you have the same experience or not. 

Shopping with Megan Fox

This weekend I wandered over to American Rag.  A vintage store in Los Angeles, on La Brea just south of Beverly.  The store is a big vintage store, with a nice variety of styles and pieces.  As well as a furniture store, a cafe and a denim bar.  American Rag also had a section of over-priced clothes sold at luxury retail prices.  This combination of offerings along with the friendly staff and good music make it quite popular, for good reason.

The store had some fantastic finds, especially in the denim bar and vintage shop.  The denim bar had a wide variety of jeans, but my favorites were the raw denim.  They carried at least 7 different brands of raw denim jeans including, APC, RRL, Nudie, Stronghold and others.  Each company making the denim in their own weight and cut, my favorite after trying them on were Naked & Famous.  Well cut jeans, pure raw Japanese Selvedge Denim and no embroidering or stitching or washes or gimmicks to take away from the jeans.  These jeans are just that, jeans.

I also enjoyed the collection of clothing at the vintage shop.  A nice selection of jackets, suits, oxford shirts and flannels.  The variety and size of the hat collection was stunning and belts were very cool, all naturally distressed.  Some of the shoes, especially the boots were quite memorable.  The jackets were the items that stole the show.  They had a great collection of velvet jackets and tuxedo jackets.  They also had some beautiful peacoats and overcoats.

My favorite was a wool peacoat in a black and white herringbone, just my size for $300.  It was magnificent and a show stopper for sure.  It was lined with dark fur had leather covered buttons and fit like a tailored coat.  Quite a special piece and something that would be worn maybe twice a year, if your lucky, living in LA.  But for traveling, the coat would be immensely useful.

As for the title of this blog, I saw said Megan Fox while I was shopping their.  She seemed hurried and frustrated, but conspicuously alone.  I am sure she was with someone, but when I saw her headed to the changing rooms, she did not seem to be with anyone.  I gave her an unrequited smile and hello and left it at that.  I think my ego is better off for it.

Raw Denim - A.P.C. Jeans

A.P.C. is a french company that actually sells something worth talking about, raw denim jeans. Raw denim jeans are completely unwashed and untreated denim. The denim is like a blank canvas awaiting your masterpiece of style. The more you wear the jeans the more they get broken in, distressed, faded and become a secondary skin. A.P.C. by all regards make the best raw denim around. You can certainly find other companies, like Nudie & G-Star, that make good raw denim jeans, but judging by the pictures above I will stick with A.P.C.

Even though you aren't supposed to wash A.P.C. Jeans for a year (minimum of 6 months). During that time you are supposed to just wear them. Letting the denim breathe, distress and mold to your body. Raw Denim jeans are supposed to be bought a size too small and then as you wear them they will gain an inch in the waist. At first they are very stiff and uncomfortable, but over time they will break-in and easier to wear. Eventually they will be the softest, most comfortable pair of jeans, but you have to have patience to get there and ignore the fact that they need to be washed. I only wish that I had found these jeans in college, then I would have had an excuse not to wash them and a pair of jeans that were so uniquely broken in. I also want to hire someone with exact body type to break them in for me (but I guess that would take away part of the fun).

In the picture above you can see the brand new pair of A.P.C. jeans next to a pair that has been broken in for a year. I think the look is very cool and natural looking, unlike so many pair of "distressed" or "destroyed" jeans that are sold today.