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Shopping for good quality elevated basics/women's fashion?
A friend recommended GU but it sounds like this is more geared towards fast fashion and… Can anyone recommend any specific Japanese stores/brands for good quality women's fashion and elevated basics?
A friend recommended GU but it sounds like this is more geared towards fast fashion and the quality is rather poor. Uniqlo is available in my home country but their styles are a bit too...basic??
Thank you!
for a different take, try the basement of Lumine Est in Shinjuku. there's a cluster of brands like Celford and Apuweiser-riche that do feminine basics with actual shape, not just boxy tees. their blouses have nice details like pintucks or sheer panels but still look clean enough for work. prices are 5-10k range, way better construction than GU
fwiw GU is basically Uniqlo's cheaper cousin so yeah skip it if you're after quality. for elevated basics that actually feel nice you should hit up Beams in Shinjuku or their more affordable Beams Boy line. their cotton tees are like 3k yen but the weight and fit is noticeably better than Uniqlo, plus they do cool collabs with local artisans sometimes. another option is IENA in Omotesando, they carry a lot of french and japanese labels but their in-house stuff is solid too especially the linen pants and cashmere knits. if you're near Ginza stop by Dover Street Market just to see how the high end basics look in person even if you don't buy, it's good for calibrating your eye.
hono no iro in Ginza is worth a look, they do these subtle color variations on basics that feel fresh without screaming for attention. their fabrics are noticeably nicer than Uniqlo, especially the cotton jersey stuff. also check out Visvim's womenswear if you can swing the price, the pieces are incredibly well made and the cuts are more interesting than standard basics without being weird. for a more affordable option, 45R has their vintage wash tees and denim that develop character over time.
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.