Dressing Room Shots: Uniqlo + J Spring 2010

Yesterday afternoon, I checked out the second installment of Jil Sander x Uniqlo (a.k.a. +J). It did not disappoint. The Spring collection proved more varied than its Winter counterpart, but still managed to maintain Sander’s sleek, minimalist chic.

Egads! I just sounded like a fashion writer there. Gross. Sorry.

I waited in line for approximately five minutes – indoors, which was lovely – before two security guards ok-ed my entry to the cordoned off, white-curtained +J section of the store. It was crowded, but def not to the point of insanity – there was a level of dignity about the place absent from highly-trafficked shopping events a la the Barney’s Warehouse Sale.

+J was and remains the only designer collaboration line I actively covet. I dug ninety percent of what I saw, and had an entire bag of stuff filled twenty minutes into my browse. Pardon the blurriness of the dressing room pics – I snapped fast because I felt like a jackhole for holding up the ten-deep line behind me.

Highlights include, but are not limited to: Blazers ($50-99ish); Trenches ($99-$120ish); Cashmere Cardies ($99ish); Tanks ($15, see next installment); Slim-Fit Trousers ($50, same deal); and the most expertly crafted Button-Down Shirts I have EVER experienced ($40ish). It’s not cheap, particularly in comparison with Uniqlo brand merch. But the quality is there, believe you me.

Most designer collabs are trend-focused, cheaply-made, piss-poor versions of pricier lines. There’s a longevity and versatility about +J that sets it apart from its predecessors, and that’s encouraging. Hopefully they can learn a thing or two from it in the future.

Stay tuned for what I bought. (!!)