The Brow has been bad. The Brow has been busy. The Brow promises to try to do better. Do, or do not. There is no try. There is no brow. Only I.
It’s been a fashion-filled few days. I finally made it to Uniqlo in SoHo to check out Jil Sander’s diffusion line, +J. I love Jil Sander’s classic, minimalist designs but am galaxies away from being able to buy her ready-to-wear pieces. I’ve never had much of an impression of Uniqlo, except that it seemed like the Japanese Old Navy. I looked at the +J range online and liked what a I saw: a simple blazer, classic wool coats, a yummy aubergine trench. When I made it to the SoHo store, I wasn’t sure if most of the line would have sold out already, as happened with Comme des Garcons at H&M or Anna Sui for Target. But with the exception of the blazer, there was plenty of everything I was looking for, and more. The coats looked great on the hanger, and the wool felt better than I expected for the price ($149), but I found the sizing weird. Sizes run from extra small to large (no extra large in either women’s or men’s). The small was on the big side on me, which is always mildly pleasing but really didn’t seem right as I’m tall and have broad shoulders. I wonder if teeny women are finding that even the extra small is too big?
The wool overcoats didn’t sit well on me — too high in the waist — maybe because of the imprecise sizing. The one that worked was a belted wool trench, which I quickly snaffled in charcoal. The aubergine trench called my name, but it was so light, I wondered whether it would really be that useful and decided against buying it. Having said that, a season of warm, wet days is sure to follow wherever I am. I also picked up a basic but cozy cashmere cardie with a touch of elastane for stretchability.
I’m pleased with my purchases (not least because it is suddenly cold enough here for brass monkeys to fear for their balls), but I did speak to one designer who wishes to remain nameless who said he found the collection disappointing. In his view, one of the essential features of Jil Sander’s clothes is the use of the highest-quality fabrics, and it just wasn’t possible to translate that to Uniqlo prices. He quoted a fashion luminary (unfortunately he couldn’t remember who, and Google failed to put out. If anyone else has the answer, please let me know!) who said that there are three key qualities in clothes: fit, fabric, and fashion. A garment needs to have two out of three to be good, and anything that scores three out of three will be a runaway (and runway) success. Sander’s style eschews trends, but what she misses in fashion she more than compensates for in fit and fabric. But is it fair to expect the finest wool for $149? It is not.
In more shopping news: The Brow’s friend and partner-in-shopping, The Corporate Fashionista, was in town. Here is a brief inventory of the damage:
Shops visited: too many to count
Boots bought: four
Rude Bobbi Brown sales assistants encountered: one
Bloggers dissuaded from buying unnecessary lip gloss: one
Caipirinhas consumed: two
Pao de queijo consumed: see under shops visited
Blocks walked to counteract above: 200 +
We are now in recovery. Stay tuned for pics.