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What do you find so interesting and where do you shop? I like Uniqlo and Muji but now that Uniqlo is available (in-store) in Chicago theres no need to buy it in

What do you find so interesting and where do you shop? I like Uniqlo and Muji but now that Uniqlo is available (in-store) in Chicago theres no need to buy it in Japan. I’m not particularly into fashion but I like mainstream but trendy clothes. I think Japanese fashion is less about the clothes themselves than the acceptance to let people wear what they want and and not judging. I think it’s more acceptable to match different colors and styles. One strap shoulder Man-bags are all the rage. They are pretty practical, especially when you can’t fit your checkbook-sized wallet in tiny pockets. But in the US it looks like you’re wearing a fanny pack. If you saw someone wearing an all yellow track suit it would look OK, partly because someone wearing an all green version is 20 feet away. Or business slacks tapered and cropped above the ankle — in the US they’d ask, “is there a flood?” While the clothes themselves don’t seem much different, I prefer slimmer cuts. The US is too baggy and loose.

on_and_off 6y ago
not op but brands like visvim are way more affordable if you are in Japan. Less expensive brands like OrSlow or TCB are also more affordable in Japan (there is a wealth of fashion brands in that country). >I think Japanese fashion is less about the clothes themselves than the acceptance to let people wear what they want and and not judging. In my experience this mostly applies if you are young. At a certain age you are more or less expected to start fitting in the mold.
Larrikin 6y ago
I actually rarely shop at Uniqlo unless I'm getting something like underwear or socks. The style is better than Old Navy but I wouldn't say that much better. Usually I go through Harajuku (excluding Takeshita-dori), Shibuya, Omotesando, and Shinjuku and go through the various stores. Especially in Harajuku stores tend to close constantly and are replaced, but theres always something good to find.
wyclif 6y ago
One strap shoulder Man-bags are all the rage. They are pretty practical, especially when you can’t fit your checkbook-sized wallet in tiny pockets. But in the US it looks like you’re wearing a fanny pack. Especially true in SE Asia. I resisted the trend because it looks effeminate, like you're wearing a purse. Asian guys love them because they're super practical if you ride a motorbike or scooter tandem style. I think it works better for more masculine types to go for a bigger bag. I have a black Crumpler bicycle messenger bag (not super big, just a normal-sized bike messenger bag) and it works great for me down here.
- bgeeek 6y ago
  Not effeminate at all. Look up reporter bags, smaller than a messenger bag. Classy, not effeminate. Mostly older men wear them in the UK (I’m on my third) whereas the younger men wear cross-body sports-type bags. Most majors make them. I can completely under the rise because of the increase in phone size. Phone + wallet + headphones + tissues, sanitizers, and a mini Fulton umbrella. Then I’m set :)
  - wyclif 6y ago
    Well, I know what a reporter bag is but that's not what I'm talking about. I didn't describe it very well. Usually they're "fanny pack" size, but with a shoulder strap. Very popular in the Philippines, for instance. Not worn so much as a fashion statement, but more as an anti-theft contingency when travelling in crowded spaces or public transportation because they are small enough to swing around and wear the bag across your chest.
    - bgeeek 6y ago
      I think I know what you mean - the cross-body bags. Do they run diagonal with the bag somewhere across the chest? They're popular among teenage males in the UK these days.
- KLexpat 6y ago
  as an expat living in SE Asia (KL) I think it is because masculinity is not defined by ones clothing here. I mean, you are a masculine he-man if you have a good business, if you have big family, but the clothes you wear are no more about your masculinity than your phone wallpaper is. This is probably also because so many clothes are made here, its demystified.
  - angled 6y ago
    A bit late to the party and almost apropos a separate topic, but Hong Kong billionaire Jimmy Lai rocks Addidas trackies with a shirt and sports jacket: https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/12541694-3x2-xlarge.jpg https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/12541694-3x2-xlarge.jpg (via https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/why-chinas-arrest-of-hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-is-important/12541550 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/why-chinas-arrest-of-...)
neutronicus 6y ago
Highwaters are in in the US, too, at least judging by what basketball players wear to the NBA draft
paganel 6y ago
> One strap shoulder Man-bags are all the rage. Tote-bags also work, I've started using one for the last two summers. In Romania we used to call them "sacoșă" back in communist times, and almost everyone used to have one in hand while going around town, you never knew what store could you stumble upon which might have brought in fresh supplies, in which case of course that you needed a "sacoșă" to carry back home the stuff that you purchased from there. I think that was a common sight in other communist countries too, that's why the Tiananmen guy actually had not one but two "sacoșe" in his hands while confronting those tanks (I'm curious what the term for "sacoșă" is in Chinese). Unfortunately the late 1990s-early-2000s saw that phenomenon disappear, as the new middle classes used their newly purchased cars to bring stuff home from the super-market while "sacoșe" were "relegated" to old pensioners, but fortunately they made a comeback re-baptised as hipsterish and trendy tote-bags.

on_and_off 6y ago

not op but brands like visvim are way more affordable if you are in Japan. Less expensive brands like OrSlow or TCB are also more affordable in Japan (there is a wealth of fashion brands in that country). >I think Japanese fashion is less about the clothes themselves than the acceptance to let people wear what they want and and not judging. In my experience this mostly applies if you are young. At a certain age you are more or less expected to start fitting in the mold.

Larrikin 6y ago

I actually rarely shop at Uniqlo unless I'm getting something like underwear or socks. The style is better than Old Navy but I wouldn't say that much better. Usually I go through Harajuku (excluding Takeshita-dori), Shibuya, Omotesando, and Shinjuku and go through the various stores. Especially in Harajuku stores tend to close constantly and are replaced, but theres always something good to find.

wyclif 6y ago

One strap shoulder Man-bags are all the rage. They are pretty practical, especially when you can’t fit your checkbook-sized wallet in tiny pockets. But in the US it looks like you’re wearing a fanny pack. Especially true in SE Asia. I resisted the trend because it looks effeminate, like you're wearing a purse. Asian guys love them because they're super practical if you ride a motorbike or scooter tandem style. I think it works better for more masculine types to go for a bigger bag. I have a black Crumpler bicycle messenger bag (not super big, just a normal-sized bike messenger bag) and it works great for me down here.

bgeeek 6y ago
Not effeminate at all. Look up reporter bags, smaller than a messenger bag. Classy, not effeminate. Mostly older men wear them in the UK (I’m on my third) whereas the younger men wear cross-body sports-type bags. Most majors make them. I can completely under the rise because of the increase in phone size. Phone + wallet + headphones + tissues, sanitizers, and a mini Fulton umbrella. Then I’m set :)
- wyclif 6y ago
  Well, I know what a reporter bag is but that's not what I'm talking about. I didn't describe it very well. Usually they're "fanny pack" size, but with a shoulder strap. Very popular in the Philippines, for instance. Not worn so much as a fashion statement, but more as an anti-theft contingency when travelling in crowded spaces or public transportation because they are small enough to swing around and wear the bag across your chest.
  - bgeeek 6y ago
    I think I know what you mean - the cross-body bags. Do they run diagonal with the bag somewhere across the chest? They're popular among teenage males in the UK these days.
KLexpat 6y ago
as an expat living in SE Asia (KL) I think it is because masculinity is not defined by ones clothing here. I mean, you are a masculine he-man if you have a good business, if you have big family, but the clothes you wear are no more about your masculinity than your phone wallpaper is. This is probably also because so many clothes are made here, its demystified.
- angled 6y ago
  A bit late to the party and almost apropos a separate topic, but Hong Kong billionaire Jimmy Lai rocks Addidas trackies with a shirt and sports jacket: https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/12541694-3x2-xlarge.jpg https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/12541694-3x2-xlarge.jpg (via https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/why-chinas-arrest-of-hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-is-important/12541550 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/why-chinas-arrest-of-...)

neutronicus 6y ago

Highwaters are in in the US, too, at least judging by what basketball players wear to the NBA draft

paganel 6y ago

> One strap shoulder Man-bags are all the rage. Tote-bags also work, I've started using one for the last two summers. In Romania we used to call them "sacoșă" back in communist times, and almost everyone used to have one in hand while going around town, you never knew what store could you stumble upon which might have brought in fresh supplies, in which case of course that you needed a "sacoșă" to carry back home the stuff that you purchased from there. I think that was a common sight in other communist countries too, that's why the Tiananmen guy actually had not one but two "sacoșe" in his hands while confronting those tanks (I'm curious what the term for "sacoșă" is in Chinese). Unfortunately the late 1990s-early-2000s saw that phenomenon disappear, as the new middle classes used their newly purchased cars to bring stuff home from the super-market while "sacoșe" were "relegated" to old pensioners, but fortunately they made a comeback re-baptised as hipsterish and trendy tote-bags.