Fifth Avenue Uniqlo: +J is Finally Mine!

Still waiting for them to open a Uniqlo in LA. The new Uniqlo on 5th Avenue is awesome. It's huge, bigger than the Soho location, but a really nice shopping experience, especially because it's not nearly as crazy crowded as Soho. I didn't even have to wait in line to pay. I was so excited to pick up a piece from +J F/W 2011 collection, Jil Sanders final collaboration with Uniqlo. I've always liked Jil Sander, since the days of her eponymous label; I like the clean, minimalist, androgynous looks, and I've really like her work with Uniqlo, especially at the prices for such great quality and design. It's more expensive than regular Uniqlo, but I think it's worth it for the amazing design. Not living in New York anymore, I've never been able to purchase anything from the collection. Especially after seeing the beautifully shot ad campaign with Arizona Muse, I really wanted a piece from this final collection for my collection. I had pretty much given up all hope; in Taipei, they were pretty much sold out of all the pieces, and I expected the same in New York, so I was surprised to see most of the pieces from the collection still available at the 5th Avenue store. Better yet, I was able to find my favorite piece, the wool short down parka in navy in my size, which I fell in love with immediately. I thought it was the most unique piece of the collection, and very Jil Sander. I like how even though the jacket is filled with down, so it's nice and warm, the exterior is wool, so it feels a little dressier than the typical shiny puffy down jacket. They also had same coat in black, but the navy was more interesting, plus I have no navy coats. I can see how the cropped silhouette, particularly the 3/4 length sleeves might be impractical for New York winters, but it's perfect for LA. To top it all off, the collection was on second markdown, over 50% off the original price. This is one of the few times that I probably would have even paid full price since it's the final collection and I have such limited time in New York, but I was more than happy to save the money. It's going to take a bit of work styling the parka, since it has such an interesting proportions, with the cropped length and sleeves, bell sleeves, huge hood, and voluminous almost cape-like shape, but it's a really great piece. It definitely has to be worn with something quite fitted on the bottom. Can't wait to wear it, modeling pictures to come hopefully. Images below from Uniqlo.

The wool short down parka that I bought, but in Navy

+J down jacket. I really like the shape of this one too, although I already have 2 puffy down jackets, including 1 from Uniqlo, which is more than enough for Southern California