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I’m not a stylish or fashionable. Not a fashionista or a model. I don’t work in the Fashion industry. I’m not a starving artist. I’m not a hipster or a prepster. I don’t follow the latest trends or read WWD, Nylon or Vogue magazines. I’m not even an average consumer….but here’s what I AM………….someone who enjoys wearing comfortable, functional, clean clothes.
Here are my Top 5 Wardrobe Favorites (let’s see if you have similar ideas):
- 1) skinny jeans – For an Asian person like myself, with a smaller stature, skinny jeans are the most ideal. They feel comfortable, are very functional, & most important of all…many denim brands now make skinny jeans with shorter inseams for a shorter pant leg. This is perfect for a person who has petite legs like myself. All other jeans cuts, to me, make my legs look stumpy & widens my hip frame visually. So I’ll just stick to my skinny’s…as long as they’re not skin tight like cling-wrap.
- 2) sweatshirts – I love wearing sweatshirts, especially ones with a cool graphic on the front. Sweatshirts are perfect for lounging around the house, going to a sports game, or just hanging out with friends. I really like crew neck sweatshirts. They give off a casual yet stylish vibe. I’m not particularly fond of pullover hoodies, especially ones with the mono pouch pocket, which I like to call the belly warmer or the cargo-pocket of hoodies…’cause you know at one point in time you also liked to stuff your keys and wallet in there when making that quick trip to the supermarket. Also, I know I like the casual look, but sometimes even the zip-up hoodie looks a little too sloppy & too casual. I just like sweatshirts.
- 3)socks – I love socks & I can wear them in every type of weather, even when it’s totally hot & humid outside. But nothing beats the feeling of warm, dry socks on a cold and/or wet Winter’s day. I especially like to wear thick crew socks with a pair of worn-in sneakers. Mmmm.
- 4) graphic t-shirts – Two of my favorite places to get my graphic tee fix: Design T-Shirts Graniph & UT Uniqlo. I absolutely love wearing t-shirts. I even took one of my W)Taps pocket tees and turned it into my everyday pajama top…Sooooo comfortable I say!!! Seriously though, graphic tees are awesome & can often tell people about you & your interests all thru the picture printed rightfully on your chest (or back?). Graphic tees are also a great way to express yourself & throw a little color into your life. I just like them ’cause they often hide my lil’ stomach pouch after eating…Easy to wash & to wear while your cleaning house, or washing your car, or making pit stops at the local coffee shop.
- 5) shoulder bags – Perfect for throwing all of your miscellaneous junk inside, great for traveling, & they can also look stylish. I love messenger-style shoulder bags because I carry a ton of things around with me (ie. band-aids, Tide detergent pen, gum, mini nail clipper, datebook planner with a pen, a fully stocked pill case…) my friends all call me the human Doraemon ’cause I’ve got nearly everything imaginable shoved neatly & compactly in my bag. I’ve tried to cut down the contents of my bag to the bare minimum, but I still end up with a crap load of stuff. Trust me, I may look like a bag lady, but everything I have in my purse has been used in an emergency or tight situation before, so I’m grateful to my chunky bag.
Guys who use man bags (a.k.a. “murse”) are hot. Well, I don’t like to use the word “hot”, but they are VERY attractive. I find guys who use man bags to be very intriguing. I can’t exactly explain this attraction. It is what it is.
However, not all guys who use bags are attractive. For example: no generic PC bags from the mall, no backpacks, no book bags, no bike-messenger bags, & no pretentious metal briefcases. I like guys who use small bags, or technical waist pouches (which are NOT to be confused with a fanny pack). These are also bag types that men use which I find attractive: leather tote bag, small postal bag or satchel, a business-casual or slim laptop bag, a soft leather briefcase, or anything else that looks technical. I like it when a guy uses his bag naturally, with comfort & ease. I don’t like guys who use bags as a fashion accessory just because it’s the trend of the moment. It just has to be natural, simple & functional.
I know there are many guys who think using any type of bag, other than for school/work or grocery shopping, is not cool or acceptable in any way. To those men, using a bag to carry your non-business/non-school related items is just such an overly feminine gesture, & it’s rather demeaning for males to do such a thing. But those guys are just too chicken to explore & to dare themselves to do something out of the ordinary. Plus, that just makes you so blind to our modern society….where everything is pretty much UNI-SEX, & the Uni-Sex style is a hot trend right now. Besides, it’s not like you’re being asked to wear skirts (no offense to Scottish kilts) and/or makeup (no offense to Goths & Emo kids). Guys who use man bags are AWE-SOME…& it’s not cool when your pants pockets are puffing out & bulging with your personal effects (i.e. junk).
Not very many guys carry a lot of stuff in our Western society. Most guys only carry their slim smart-phone, slim wallet, and a basic set of keys. However, there are more & more guys popping up who like to carry: a notebook (for random notes or doodling), a book (to read on a bus or train), or an mp3 player…something more than just your average phone/wallet/keys. It’s not cool when you try to stuff everything in your pockets (even if you are wearing cargo pants). Nowadays, more & more guys are carrying laptops, tablets and/or eReaders. Hey, practically every guy in Asia uses a man bag…even kids as young as 10 years old use them. It’s just so common. To me, when I see a guy carrying a man bag, I find it very normal (& pretty damn sexy). It’s no different than lugging around your book bag when you were in college. It also goes along with the whole “Metrosexual” trend that’s extremely popular these days.
So to all you men out there…go get yourself a bag, baby!
Some examples:
source: TokyoFashion.com
source: TokyoFashion.com
source: TokyoFashion.com
source: TokyoFashion.com
Uniqlo Coming To San Francisco via Refinery29
Ok, I am not a religious person, but I must say “Hallelujah!” Yes, yes, yes! My wishes have been fulfilled! My absolute, most favorite clothing brand of all time, UNIQLO, will be opening several new store locations throughout the world within the near future, & guess what?! My local city San Francisco is on this list of locations!!! Yes, that means that my all-time favorite clothing brand from Japan will be opening a new store near me, sometime in the future.
For those of you who have never heard of this brand, UNIQLO is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer & retailer with affordable prices. UNIQLO’s fashion style has been compared to GAP clothing, but with the retail price tag equivalent of H&M. What started as an affordable unique clothing brand only sold in Japan (as are most Japanese clothing brands), UNIQLO has expanded its International branches & now have retail stores all around the world including: Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand, Russia, Taiwan, etc. with it’s only U.S. retail store residing in New York.
Right now the very famous Japanese clothing brand UNIQLO is conducting a major expansion project & is expecting to open more flagship stores & smaller shops in various cities around the world including: New York (Manhattan), Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Connecticut, New Jersey & London. Some, or most of these stores will most likely not open any time in the near future, as UNIQLO is also geared to create a new clothing collection with Lady Gaga’s stylist: Nicola Formichetti (which will probably debut first).
Here are some of my quick thoughts on UNIQLO’s expansion project:
- More retail stores are scheduled to open in New York, especially in the Manhattan district. I personally, don’t understand why this should or needs to be done, since Manhattan already has a 5-level flagship store that is more than capable of meeting consumer demand.
- I’m not quite sure how the New Jersey store will come to be, since most New Jersey-ites schlep themselves across the Hudson river all the way to New York to do most of their major retail shopping.
- Connecticut? Really?! Well, I guess if that’s what you want, but I don’t really see the point. (Please refer back to my New Jersey comment.)
- I don’t have much to say about the “windy city” Chicago, since I don’t know much about that city itself…but I’ve heard it’s a growing fashion hotspot, so I can kind of see how a UNIQLO retail store might work out there. We will have to see after its first year’s sales stats.
Last but not least…
- I heard about the rumor of UNIQLO planning on opening a California retail location since last year, & my immediate (instant) thought was that Los Angeles would be the first California city to have a retail store. I think I am on track with the correct prediction. I just have a gut feeling about this. Los Angeles has a larger Japanese population compared to any Bay Area city near San Francisco, including S.F. (not that ethnicity should matter). Also, Los Angeles is considered to be one of the largest fashion capitals in the world. So, I really wouldn’t be surprised if Los Angeles opened up a retail store first. It would make more sense. In fact, I would be more surprised if San Francisco opened up a retail store before Los Angeles.
It doesn’t matter if it’s not anytime soon, just as long as they do actually open a store location in my local city. I just can’t believe that this rumor is now confirmed to be a fact. I have visited the New York Manhattan flagship location, & the various retail locations around Shanghai, China. Also, I often shop at the various retail stores scattered around Tokyo (in Japan), including their exclusive t-shirt shop in Harajuku called UT UNIQLO…& I can definitely say that…being one of UNIQLO’s biggest fans…I am so overjoyed to hear this exciting news!!
Rabbits & Foxes 
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