The GQ Guide to Shopping Uniqlo

Whether you like it or not, much of getting dressed nowadays has been defined by once-sputtering big-box brands getting back into a groove, primarily by mining their own catalogs in creative ways. Uniqlo, we’d argue, isn’t part of that comeback, mostly because Uniqlo never fell off. By now, the clothes are so consistently good that the brand is practically in a flow state, delivering a price-to-quality ratio seemingly without equal.

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. That doesn’t mean they’re overly trend-driven. 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 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.

The Uniqlo Shopping Hit List

Any-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.

This season, Uniqlo is running crews, cardigans, turtlenecks, long-sleeve polos, quarter-zips, and even a washable Milano-knit that’s negative fuss. All will look as good dressed up as they with a pair of jeans or beat-up cords.

Pants Primed for Primetime

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. And for those into some more voluminous options, they’ve rounded out the selection this year. Some highlights? The Wide Parachute Cargos, which have a cinch at the bottom and will look great with anything you’d otherwise wear some baggy jeans with, and the Pleated Wide Pants, which look like they cost far more than $50. Also, the Corduroy Easy Pants are basically office-approved sweats.

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’s got you in literally 21 ways, each of which is eminently wearable. Want to wade back into the Oxford waters? They’ve never stopped selling the classics. Need a fresh business shirt for a job interview? Look no further. Whatever your button-up hunt—be it for stripes, denim, or camp collars—the Qlo has a solution.  Though for our money, and if you’re looking to capture the Big Shirt-indebted insouciance of the 90s, their new Broadcloth Oversized Shirt—available in both solid and striped iterations—is one of the better ways to do it.

Fall-Ready Outerwear

The autumnal section of the Uniqlo outerwear spectrum might not garner the same kind of attention as their winter-ready down-filled classics, but it should. For those into testimonials, 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. They’re also doing a Utility Blouson (aka: a jacket) that goes berserk, an awesome denim trucker, and a 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 a down jacket. 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.

Obsession-Worthy Socks

Uniqlo’s next-level basics need little introduction, but the socks are simply 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.

The Warmest (And Coolest) Techwear

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.