Shorties Rejoice at Uniqlo
It was in middle school when I realized I would never grow beyond my 5 and almost an inch feet status, and accepted a life of jumping up on counters to reach things, wearing heels just to avoid neck pain when holding conversations, and shopping in the kids department for pants. Unfortunately the latter is becoming less acceptable as I slide the slippery slope to 30, so I thank Japanese casual wear store Uniqlo for allowing me to wear real adult pants without paying as much in alterations as the jeans cost in the first place.
The first step is trying on as many kinds of pants as possible, because once you pick a pair and have them altered, they’re yours forever. When you’re in the dressing room, a staffer will pin the jeans for you (and even help you decide where the alteration should be), then you pay and drop them off at the cashier where they are whisked away to be cut down to fit your little legs. I’ve had them ready as quickly as an hour and as long as two days, and have even had them re-shortened free of charge. Considering the jeans range from $29.99-49.99 and consistently last me well over a year, I un-sarcastically consider this service to be one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.
Uniqlo is great for dozens of other basics as well, with constantly rotating sales on new items and a basement loaded with older items on clearance. I’ve gotten tights for $3, t-shirts for $7 and sweaters for $20–some equipped with the company’s newfangled “Heat Tech” technology– and have again been constantly impressed with the lack of holes in my armpits or thread pulling that I find in clothes from other big retailers. The biggest downfall is how crowded and picked over it can be, so try to go first thing Saturday morning for minimum thoughts of wanting to punch strangers. It’s not worth it… even in the name of pants.
Uniqlo
546 Broadway (btn Spring and Prince Street)
[Soho]