Update 4/10/2012: Finally! Uniqlo will open its first West Coast store in San Francisco!! YAYYYY!!!
Update 9/14/2011: After all this time, Uniqlo still hasn’t arrived in the SF Bay Area. Come on!!!!
Original post is below.
I just recently visited Uniqlo website, and I could only take a heavy sigh….. they still don’t have any store in West Coast area. I wonder if they’re employing similar strategy to H&M; take over East Coast first, then expand gradually to West Coast (anybody know about this?)
The thing is, I first encountered Uniqlo during my brief visit to Japan five years ago, and I ABSOLUTELY love their stuff. Simple, chic, without being too crazy like many of Japanese fashion (still, I adore Japanese think-outside-of-the-box take on fashion. I love it. The fact that I was in Ginza, Tokyo during their summer sale season (end of July) only adds up the attraction of the store. My steal there was checkered deep blue and white summer yukata with light purple obi. A very darling piece, I must say. Therefore, I was very excited to know Uniqlo is now available at US. Check out their website for their Spring 2007 looks, and I immediately regretted not having them here.
Lovely black trench coat, chick long cardigan (which I think is one of the key pieces this season), easy tunic with baloon sleeves, new take on pencil skirt with baloon flair,…. I can go on and on with this, and I just have to do another deep sigh. Oh well….
For those of you who want and can afford to go to Japan, I highly recommend going to Japan during their summer sale season. I went to Tokyo and Nagoya, and I suggest not only checking out the obvious stores above the ground, but those inside the subway terminals (such as Nagoya) and underground malls as well. They always have styles by no means less cute than those “on the above”, and I managed to find some stores with great clothes and deep, deep discount. I am talking about Forever 21 price with BCBG Max Azria or upper-priced H&M clothes quality. Really worth it. I passionately swear by my three clothing pieces I got from Japan.
In addition, don’t be discouraged to see only size L and above. Japanese women are quite small, and Large size is actually the perfect size for me (I’m 5’10” and approximately 134 lbs.).
So…oh dear Uniqlo…please be here soon!!!
Musank