I’ve been excited for quite some time for the Steven Alan for Uniqlo designer collaboration project to come out, so I foolishly went to Soho on a Saturday. By the masses on Broadway and hour-long check out and dressing room lines inside Uniqlo, who would ever have thought that we’re in a recession? Anyways, the Steven Alan women’s collection was largely in a palette of red, blue, and a bit of black (not mixed together) with ruching, pleats, and sweet little pin tucks. There were some retro dresses that felt a bit Built by Wendy to me, with the real gems being the button down shirts. I like the ones with accordion pleating and slight Peter Pan collars (seel left), as well as the chest pocket roll-tab ones, both available in blue & white, red & white or black & white. There was no way I was waiting in the atrociously long dressing room lines, so I tried on the items in a mirrored corner of the men’s section. Final thoughts: for about $50 each, the button tees are a nice investment to make, whose mid-quality wil most likely last you more than a season. 
The men’s Opening Ceremony collection was a nice capsule of lightweight multi-colored button downs (see right), more dressier shirts that came with a pocket square, and blazers. Overall impression was that both of these collections could be a success, however Uniqlo needs to figure out a better way to funnel people through the store, as I don’t think its such bargain basement prices to elicit waiting on line for more than 15 minutes.
-Julia DiNardo
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