Fashion People Always Buy Their Holy-Grail Basics From This Low-Key Brand

Woman taking mirror selfie and wearing white button-down shirt and orange oversize sunglasses.

(Image credit: @nlmarilyn)

Ask any fashion person you know—mixed in with hangers filled with Khaite, The Row, and Toteme, there's an affordable Japanese brand you might have heard of but never paid attention to. Uniqlo, the older sister brand to trendier GU (which just opened up in New York City) has been the go-to retailer for the stylish set in the know. Whether you're on the hunt for great basics or picking up a timeless coat or accessory, Uniqlo shines as the foundation to any cool person's wardrobe thanks to the brand's beloved T-shirts, pleated pants, and classic knits that work with everything. A lack of visible branding and logos makes Uniqlo pieces some of the best wardrobe staples to own. Just ask Bobby Schuessler, Who What Wear's shopping director and a consistent Uniqlo T-shirt buyer!

For fall layering and winter dressing, I've rounded up the best Uniqlo basics that fashion people reach for time and again. Don't be surprised if all of these sell out by November 1.

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Assistant Shopping Editor
Ana Escalante is an award-winning journalist and Gen Z editor whose work ranges from dissecting size inclusivity at fashion week to discussing how American Girl Doll meme accounts are the the answer to society's collective spiral. She's covered it all: Queen Elizabeth II's corgis, Roe v. Wade frontline protests, and the emergence of jorts (or jean shorts for the uninitated). At Who What Wear, Ana is responsible for delivering smart, insightful, personality-driven shopping guides and trend features for a digital-first generation.Before joining Who What Wear, Ana was Glamour magazine's editorial assistant, where she focused on daily news and special packages, including leading the brand's 2022 Met Gala coverage. For more than half a decade, she has covered style, beauty, and digital culture for publications such as Paper magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Japan, and Allure, among others. Ana has been called a rising star in media by publications such as Nylon and Teen Vogue. (Her mother, meanwhile, calls her "the coolest person" she knows.)