When the news came that Topshop’s parent company, Arcadia, would be going into administration, the entire team couldn’t help but reminisce on the good old days: The memories of our first shopping trips to Topshop as teenagers still feel fresh, and we could all remember what we bought. (Me? A very businessy pinstripe pencil skirt.) But it also made me take stock of what’s in my current wardrobe from the high street. I found myself asking, Which items do I wear the most, and which stores do I go back to time and again for decent, affordable clothes? And the answer even threw me: Uniqlo. Upon inspection, it’s the high-street label that I actually own the most of. I love Zara as much as the next fashion fiend, I often find interesting pieces at Mango, and of course, there are some Topshop gems in the mix, but it’s the Japanese basics purveyor that appears to cover the most acreage within my closet. There are some pieces that date back to 2009 (from the Jil Sander collaboration), and I still have them all hanging up on my rails today, ready to be worn at any given moment.
So I set myself a challenge: to centre every outfit for a week around my Uniqlo buys, past and present. And it was, may I say, a breeze. They’re all pretty classic and are definitely well made considering the price tags. (Uniqlo does invest a great deal in fabric technology.) And for some reason, unlike many other brands, they fit my petite frame well. Keep scrolling to see my seven days in Uniqlo and the shopping tips I always use when buying from the brand.
