Post: #1

Anyone hip to the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo?

From what I understand they only have a few flagship stores, the two of which in the U.S. are in SF and NYC. I hit the SF store and was pretty impressed with the store and the clothes, they have some very good deals on high quality clothes. For guys in the SF bay, or the NYC metro area looking to upgrade their wardrobe on the cheap, this should be one of your first stops.

They are especially known for their denim and chinos, and offer in-house tailoring done for free within a couple hours of purchase. Unfortunately when I was there it was still mobbed from post-Xmas sale shoppers, and the tailoring was to take 4-5 hours which I didn't feel like dealing with.

But, I got a dope pair of jeans for $50 that are just as nice as the 7 for Mankind and Joes jeans that were selling for $160-180 at Nordstrom. I bought a $180 pair of Diesal jeans from Nordstrom that are mad fly, but I could have bought 3 pairs of these Uniqlo jeans for less than that.

Fortunately, I saved some money and skipped the Lacoste store, I was planning on getting a couple polo shirts, but ended up getting them from Uniqlo for $20 a piece instead of the $60 they would have been on sale at Lacoste. The quality is extremely high, especially considering the price, those Uniqlo polos are just as nice or nicer than the Lacoste, only difference is they don't have the little alligator on them.

Roosh would have a field day in there, they have some really nice v-neck tees, in a multitude of different colors for only 5 bucks a piece! For guys outside of the SF and NYC area you can order their stuff online, from what I tried on their jean sizes run a little smaller than normal US brands, but their shirts and outerwear are the same.

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/mens-clothing

Post: #2

Massive shame you can't order online.

Post: #3

(12-30-2012 07:48 PM)_GQ_ Wrote:  Massive shame you can't order online.

That's what I thought, it looked like you could order online when I browsed the site, but I guess you can't. I'm thinking that they want to create an air of exclusivity since they are a foreign brand and only sell out of two US stores.

Post: #4

I heard rumors about being able to do orders over the phone, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

Post: #5

They have nice stuff. I honestly try to make a trip there yearly to stock up in basics. The only thing is the quality can be suspect. Their Denim for instance is paper thin and I have ripped 2 pairs of the 4 I have purchased from them ( all being rowdy and drunk of course do understand my usage in jeans is chaotic ). Aside from the quality issues with some shit, their are atop notch in service and selection plus they will alter your shit you purchase from then for free.

Post: #6

They do tons of advertising, especially on subways in NYC. Flagship store on 5th ave.

Post: #7

I've only visited their stores in Japan. They are kind of like the Gap in style but cheaper. I had problems with sizes. I'm thin but found a lot of the clothes to be skin tight. Maybe the sizes in the foreign stores are more Westerner friendly.

Post: #8

Uniqlo is awesome. I just got a couple of henley shirts there today. Their jeans are cheap and super high quality.

Definitely recommend

Post: #9

(12-30-2012 09:38 PM)Lemmo Wrote:  I've only visited their stores in Japan. They are kind of like the Gap in style but cheaper. I had problems with sizes. I'm thin but found a lot of the clothes to be skin tight. Maybe the sizes in the foreign stores are more Westerner friendly.

Yeah I'm not trying to hype this place too hard, I think their clothes are quality, but mostly due to the low price. I agree that they are kind of like a better version of the Gap, and I'm not a big fan of the Gap, but Uniqlo is way more legit. For the price though, you can get about 3X as much stuff as you could buy from a higher end brand, so it's kind of like a quality vs. quantity thing I guess.

Post: #10

Here's a tip for the dudes who are in NYC - go to Topshop. It's in Soho on Broadway (5 minutes walking distance from Uniqlo). Topshop doesn't have the best quality stuff and it's not exactly cheap, but they carry some stylish clothes. If you buy the right things you'll look good.

Post: #11

Top Shop is alright. Have to sift through a lot of homo/metro sexual oriented ware to find good threads though.

Uniqlo is ok for basics pieces, as was mentioned.

For NYC, there's a guy named Loren Cronk in Greenpointe that makes quality custom denim for under $100.

Post: #12

(12-30-2012 09:48 PM)OGNorCal707 Wrote:  

(12-30-2012 09:38 PM)Lemmo Wrote:  I've only visited their stores in Japan. They are kind of like the Gap in style but cheaper. I had problems with sizes. I'm thin but found a lot of the clothes to be skin tight. Maybe the sizes in the foreign stores are more Westerner friendly.

Yeah I'm not trying to hype this place too hard, I think their clothes are quality, but mostly due to the low price. I agree that they are kind of like a better version of the Gap, and I'm not a big fan of the Gap, but Uniqlo is way more legit. For the price though, you can get about 3X as much stuff as you could buy from a higher end brand, so it's kind of like a quality vs. quantity thing I guess.

Uniqlo is definitely cheaper but the Gap is much more accessible and I think the quality is comparable. Since things are so much more expensive in Japan, I'd just buy a few casual basics from the Gap when I was in the US (Uniqlo in Japan is about 20% more expensive and Gap in Japan is 40-50% more expensive).

Post: #13

(12-30-2012 09:38 PM)Lemmo Wrote:  I've only visited their stores in Japan. They are kind of like the Gap in style but cheaper. I had problems with sizes. I'm thin but found a lot of the clothes to be skin tight. Maybe the sizes in the foreign stores are more Westerner friendly.

Japan sizing is waaayoff. Supposedly nothing above a Large exists there, and most Men fit into USA Small & Mediums, I have no idea if this is a just a urban myth though.

But then one question you can ask if its Japanese Men that are crazy small or if its Just American men whom are crazy large?

(12-30-2012 09:55 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  Top Shop is alright. Have to sift through a lot of homo/metro sexual oriented ware to find good threads though.

Uniqlo is ok for basics pieces, as was mentioned.

For NYC, there's a guy named Loren Cronk in Greenpointe that makes quality custom denim for under $100.

Yo I hear you on TOPSHOP. I was wondering why the fuck shit was so Gay when I walked into the Toronto store. They purposely hire Homos up in there and half the people shopping had limp wrists I got some socks and boxers and bounced quick.

Good-Tip on Loren Cronk I'm going to check that out next time I'm there.

Post: #14

(12-30-2012 10:13 PM)kosko Wrote:  

(12-30-2012 09:38 PM)Lemmo Wrote:  I've only visited their stores in Japan. They are kind of like the Gap in style but cheaper. I had problems with sizes. I'm thin but found a lot of the clothes to be skin tight. Maybe the sizes in the foreign stores are more Westerner friendly.

Japan sizing is waaayoff. Supposedly nothing above a Large exists there, and most Men fit into USA Small & Mediums, I have no idea if this is a just a urban myth though.

But then one question you can ask if its Japanese Men that are crazy small or if its Just American men whom are crazy large?

I think it is both. Many/most Americans are fat slobs so our stores are full of XL and XXL. But the average Japanese guy must be small even compared to an average American guy. I was thin back then but could barely even fit in their classic fit jeans (and they were selling skinny jeans that were even smaller). I was surprised since many Japanese guys don't look particularly scrawny. The main problem in Japan is buying shoes - hard to find anything over 10.

Post: #15

The sweaters are cheap and thin, I wear them out in the elbows. Rather spend a few dollars/pounds more and get better quality.

Post: #16

you can shop online as far as i know, but maybe the user interface recognizes i'm in-state

Post: #17

(12-30-2012 09:55 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  Top Shop is alright. Have to sift through a lot of homo/metro sexual oriented ware to find good threads though.

Uniqlo is ok for basics pieces, as was mentioned.

For NYC, there's a guy named Loren Cronk in Greenpointe that makes quality custom denim for under $100.

coincidentally he looks kinda like neil

Post: #18

redacted

Post: #19

(12-30-2012 07:48 PM)_GQ_ Wrote:  Massive shame you can't order online.

???

I just ordered online and received my clothes in 5 days?

This place is helping me re-invent myself!

Post: #20

Uniqlo is boring for Japanese people. They're everywhere and are as innovative as Gap in styling.

However, they do sell good-quality basics for good prices in cuts that are slimmer than American brands. These three reasons are why it's popular and doing well in the US (yes online ordering works!) - they fill a niche in the intersection of those categories.

Post: #21

Also their uniqlo clock (UNIQLOCK) is freaking amazing.

http://www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock/

Post: #22

(12-31-2012 12:30 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(12-30-2012 07:48 PM)_GQ_ Wrote:  Massive shame you can't order online.

???

I just ordered online and received my clothes in 5 days?

This place is helping me re-invent myself!

What did you buy?

Post: #23

(12-31-2012 12:30 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(12-30-2012 07:48 PM)_GQ_ Wrote:  Massive shame you can't order online.

???

I just ordered online and received my clothes in 5 days?

This place is helping me re-invent myself!

I can be a bit daft at times. I first heard about Uniqlo a couple years ago and back then you couldn't order online. Guess the demand finally pushed them to do it. HM still doesn't have online purchases.

Post: #24

For those who say that Uniqlo isn't that great, I'd agree, but the thing is not every guy has the money to drop $300 on a sweater from Burberry, a shirt from Ermengildo Zegna, or John Varvatos. Sure if you're balling and can afford that I'd say go top of the line all the way, but your typical middle class guy can walk into Uniqlo and buy an entire new wardrobe full of clothes for the same price as one sweater or shirt from a really high end brand.

Post: #25

Not to hijack the thread, but if guys are looking for affordable,high quality stuff check out Frank and Oak, a Montreal based clothing company. It creates and manufactures the clothes and changes the collections monthly with nothing running over 50 bucks. Clothes with great designs that also happen to be staples that should be included in every mans wardrobe are featured on this site. Since everything is done in-house they can offer great quality for lower prices and I've been really impressed with the shirts that I have ordered. Below are a few reviews and some samples of what they offer.http://www.frankandoak.com

           

Quote:Spotlight On: Favorite picks from Frank & Oak

Hey gents,

I wanted to shine a little light on Frank & Oak (aff link), a Montreal-based clothing upstart selling basics and more around the $25 – $50 range.

A few of you guys mentioned F & O to me in previous articles’ comments, and although I’ve heard of them, haven’t really had the opportunity to evaluate them up close.

I finally had a chance to see exactly what the deal is, and bottom line (if you haven’t already), I suggest you add them to your short list of places to shop.

http://www.effortlessgent.com/spotlight-...frank-oak/

Quote:Style Professor: Frank & Oak Blazer Review

After a month of raving about the launch of Frank & Oak this past February, the online retailer is already in its second month of sales. If you’ve been a loyal or even semi-casual reader on Men’s Style Pro then you already know I make it my duty to only promote brands or companies that I believe in and wear. Frank & Oak is a brand that I truly believe and is unique because they produce quality garments priced at $50 or less.

http://mensstylepro.com/2012/03/07/style...er-review/