The prevailing narrative surrounding big-box brands tends to be one of a comeback or decline—hot, then not, then hot again, always out of the blue. Uniqlo, though, doesn’t belong in that conversation because Uniqlo never had anything to come back from. Every season it pushes out some of the easiest to wear, thoughtfully designed, impossibly inexpensive clothing you can find, and then when the next season rolls around, it ups the ante to a degree that feels impossible to top—only it always is, because lurking around the corner of that peak is yet another one still to be conquered.
What’s more, unlike other big names whose game is nostalgia, Uniqlo’s designs feel as tethered to the present day as they do to the styles that inspired them. And that doesn’t mean they’re overly trend-driven, either. Informed by trends, sure, but unlike some of their peers, a good Uniqlo piece won’t look tired, well, ever. In fact, you’ll find plenty of us here at Recommends returning to our favorite Uniqlo pieces year after year.
So whether you’re looking to pad out the rest of your wardrobe with some easy-to-integrate pieces or stock up on the true building blocks of a killer contemporary wardrobe, the Japanese retailer has you covered. And because their universe is a vast landscape—and that website isn’t the easiest to navigate—we thought we’d offer a roadmap to aid your travels, pointing you in the direction of what Uniqlo truly does best.
5 Categories Uniqlo Always Crushes
Uniqlo HEATTECH Soft Pile Heather Socks
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Uniqlo Straight Jeans
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Uniqlo 3D Souffle Yarn V-Neck Sweater
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Uniqlo Pleated Wide Pants
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All-Weather Sweaters
There are a thousand good sweaters that cost a lot of money, but only a handful of great ones that come without the splurge. This is where Uniqlo comes in. They make some of the most affordable, well-made, easy-to-care-for sweaters you can find, and for those with discerning tastes (or sensitive skin) they make them in basically all the fibers: cashmere, merino wool, lambswool, blends, cotton, linen. You name it, they’re spinning it. And for fall, the entire silhouette spectrum is covered: v-necks, crews, cardigans, turtlenecks, long-sleeve polos, quarter-zips, and even a washable Milano-knit that’s negative fuss. And that’s before we even get into the special collections. And the best part? All of ‘em will look as good dressed up as they with a pair of jeans or beat-up cords.
Primetime Pants
While the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “Uniqlo” might not be “PANTS”—it’s probably socks, we’ll get to those—real heads know just how top the brand’s bottoms are. Over the past few seasons, they’ve also widened the silhouette selection (and the silhouettes in general) to a delightful degree. Take the big ol’ Corduroy Utility Pants, for instance, which are more comfortable than 95% of all sweatpants but aren’t confined to the couch. Or the Pleated Wide Pants, which are refined enough for just about any office dress code but also don’t take themselves too seriously either because there’s a cheeky bit of elastic hidden at the waist. And fear not: if you’re looking for something slimmer or just a classic straight, those are aplenty as well.
Deceptively-Priced Denim
There’s a wide price range when it comes to selvedge denim, but it’s not exactly a range anyone would describe as “inexpensive.” If you’re looking for some slow-woven, super-slubby, overdyed jeans made from 21oz. Japanese denim, you’ll have some trouble finding them on the cheap. Uniqlo’s selvedge offering still clocks in at $50 and remains our pick for the best budget selvedge denim. If selvedge isn’t your thing, they do regular jeans well, too. The stretch denim is both comfortable and amenable to fades, there are some great washes on the looser pairs, and even a few (non-egregious) colors peppered throughout their Wide, Regular, Slim and Skinny cuts, with some other silhouettes sprinkled in.
Surefire Shirting
Need a flannel? Uniqlo has 26 of them (hand counted for voracity) available this season, each of which is eminently wearable. Got a hankering for a new oxford? You’ve got options. Need a fresh dress shirt for a job interview? Look no further. Whatever your button-up hunt—be it for stripes, denim, or camp collars—Uniqlo has a solution. And for our money, if you’re looking to capture the Big Shirt-indebted insouciance of the 90s, the collection of oversized options is as good as any available, regardless of pricepoint.
Outstanding Outerwear
The autumnal section of the Uniqlo outerwear spectrum might not garner the same kind of attention as their winter-willing down-filled classics, but it should. For instance, I’ve worn the same two Uniqlo fleeces for seven and five years, respectively, and don’t have any intentions of phasing them out this fall—even though their new fleeces look even better. But it doesn’t stop with the fleece selection: this season they’ve got multiple Balmacaans, a killer wind-stopping parka, a cropped workwear-y joint that goes berserk, and a whole smorgasbord of shirt jackets that are all worth, at the very least, your attention.
Perennially Popping Puffers
If you don’t own some sort of down jacket and you live in a place that experiences seasons (or you simply take a lot of overly air-conditioned flights), you should consider getting yourself one. And if you don’t feel like getting spendy—there is a theme here—Uniqlo should be the place your search begins. The brand won over the American public with its Ultra Light Down collection, and the loving relationship endures to this day: For those looking for a lightweight puffer that can be used as a mid-layer in cold months and as a jacket during the shoulder seasons, almost nothing compares. And for the real walkers among us, the recently introduced PUFFTECH line can turn any forecast, no matter how foreboding, into walking weather.
Superlative Socks
Uniqlo’s next-level basics need little introduction, but the socks are so well-loved they deserve their own little section. Does that love have something to do with semi-frequent, mind-melting sales? Maybe a bit, but they’re also just preposterously good socks at disarmingly low prices even when there is no active sale. While the ribbed socks are the standard-bearers, don’t sleep on the trampoline-cushy quarters, retro athletic joints, or hard-working no-shows either. And don’t for two seconds think that all that tech the Qlo has at their disposal isn’t getting piped into the socks, because the HEATTECH-laced options are as warm as any on the market but about a third of the price of the next cheapest competitor.
Best-in-Class Base Layers
Now about those basics… A lot of brands incorporate climate-controlling elements into their clothing, but none do it more efficiently or cost-effectively than Uniqlo. Their HEATTECH shirts, for instance, just feel like a soft tee when you put them on, but then somehow hold onto your body’s heat and warm you back up with it, even while adding essentially no bulk to your silhouette. On the other end of the temperature spectrum, their AIRism knits feel as breezy to wear as an open-knit mesh tank, but are very much opaque. Plus, the AIRism boxers and ribbed tanks feel as luxe as those five times their price (literally), but require none of the precious care, and in our experience often outlast those supposedly premium picks.