To put it plainly, we love Uniqlo over in these parts. Let us count the ways: the Japanese clothing brand consistently releases well-made and versatile pieces offered at affordable prices. Uniqlo also collabs with the coolest, most unexpected designers for fresh takes on everyday basics. And, perhaps most importantly, everything Uniqlo comes out with is top-notch quality — and it's safe to say that's because of the retailer's in-house specialty fabrics, all smartly trademarked with names like Heattech, AIRism, and 3D Knit. Chef's kiss — it's absolutely genius.
In preparation for the colder months ahead, we've broken down Uniqlo's best-selling and most-loved fall fabrics, along with the signature layering pieces we're eyeing for dropping temperatures. From textured knitted pullovers to barely-there insulating intimates, get to know why these Uniqlo cult faves are crucial — not just as seasonal must-haves but as timeless capsule staples you'll return to year after year.
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Uniqlo Heatteach
Ask the best fall dressers what their secret to layering without the bulk is and it's likely they'll dish on Uniqlo's Heattech. These super-soft, barely-there pieces slip on like a second skin to instantly create warmth. And if sweat or friction is an issue you're worried about, Uniqlo is already ahead of you — these Heattech base layers are moisture-wicking, have odor control, and are anti-static.
Uniqlo WOMEN HEATTECH LEGGINGS, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo AIRism
Similar to Heattech, Uniqlo's AIRism collection features super lightweight base layers and intimates that contour the body, all while retaining its quick-drying technology. If you're want to avoid underwear or bra lines in certain outfits, make sure you're wearing AIRism underneath.
Uniqlo WOMEN AIRism RELAXED WIRELESS BRA, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo AIRism
Uniqlo WOMEN AIRism BODY SHAPER NON-LINED HALF SHORTS, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo AIRism
Uniqlo WOMEN AIRism ULTRA SEAMLESS HIPHUGGERS, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Ultra Light Down
The thing about most outerwear is that they're heavy, they're bulky, and they're high-maintenance. Not so with Uniqlo's super warm, water-repellent Ultra Light Down collection. These fluffy outers feel like you're barely wearing a winter jacket — they're actually that feather-light, making it easy to crush them down into a pocket-sized pouch (which is included for most of these pieces).
Uniqlo WOMEN ULTRA LIGHT DOWN HOODED COAT, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Extra Fine Merino Wool
For a more luxe dressing experience, you can't go wrong with Uniqlo's Extra Fine Merino Wool pieces. With all the warming properties of wool but without any of the roughness or thickness, these smooth-finish merino sweaters and dresses are as comfortable to wear as they are versatile.
Uniqlo WOMEN EXTRA FINE MERINO BLEND MOCK NECK TUNIC, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo 3D Knit
Sometimes, you just want to wear a knit that is unabashedly textured and chunky. Luckily, Uniqlo's line of all-cotton 3D Knits can create the voluminous silhouettes you crave.
Uniqlo x Mame Kurogouchi 3D KNIT RIBBED FRONT SLIT LONG TROUSERS, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo 3D Knit
Uniqlo WOMEN 3D KNIT COTTON CREW NECK SWEATER, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo 3D Knit
Uniqlo WOMEN 3D KNIT COTTON BOAT NECK LONG-SLEEVE DRESS, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Ultra Stretch
If it's not apparent to you by this point, Uniqlo clothes are wildly comfortable. Case in point: these velvet-like loungewear pants are swingy, fuzzy-soft, and can stretch like woah.
Uniqlo WOMEN ULTRA STRETCH ACTIVE JOGGER PANTS, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Fleece
Fleece is essential for cold weather, and no brand does relaxed fluff like Uniqlo. Plushy and cuddly, these tops and jackets are also wrinkle-resistant and quick-dry (in case you're also wearing them for exercise).
Uniqlo WOMEN FLUFFY YARN FLEECE FULL-ZIP JACKET, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo Fleece
Uniqlo WOMEN HEATTECH FLEECE TURTLENECK LONG-SLEEVE T-SHIRT, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo Fleece
Uniqlo FLUFFY YARN FLEECE SLIPPERS, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Flannel
You can't talk about classic fall fabrics without mentioning flannel. What we especially love about these plaid pieces is that they're slightly boxy, making them easy to wear on their own or with other layers (perhaps over a Uniqlo Heattech piece?) for maximum warmth.
Uniqlo WOMEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo Flannel
Uniqlo WOMEN SOFT FLANNEL LONG-SLEEVE FLARE DRESS, $, available at UniqloShopUniqlo Flannel
Uniqlo WOMEN LIGHT FLANNEL LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT, $, available at Uniqlo
Uniqlo Cashmere
We're closing out this Uniqlo fabrics guide with 100% cashmere. Luxe, decadent, and still very affordable at under $100 — or, under $50 if you grab them on sale! If you're in the market for a few cashmere staples, Uniqlo is the place to find a whole slew of sweater styles — crew necks, V necks, turtlenecks — in an array of seasonal and classic colors.
Around this time last year, our fantasies whirred with men wearing jewelry — think: Normal People‘s Paul Mescal and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page and the shiny silver specimens hanging around their necks. Locked up at home, with little to do but stare at our tiny little screens, we thirsted after our celebrity crushes, men whose accessories glinted in the sun and jangled with their every step. A year and countless men-in-jewelrysightingslater, though, standard-issue necklaces have started to thaw out. Luckily, there’s now an even hotter ornament that all our crushes are wearing: jewelry that goes a little deeper, literally.
In a trend to rival the rising popularity of women turning their ears into charm bracelets, men are getting on board with their own piercing treasure chest. In May, Hulu released the first promotional images from the forthcoming biographical miniseries Pam & Tommy. In the photos, British actress Lily James, playing Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, and Sebastian Stan (Captain America), channeling Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, recreated an iconic image of the ‘90s ür-couple, in which Anderson is seen biting Lee’s nipple ring. Just like the original photo, which was taken in 2005, after Lee and Anderson had divorced (true passion flames eternal), it became an immediate fan favorite. When Stan posted the restaged image on his Instagram account, the photo garnered more than 1.8 million likes, leading GQ UK to pose the question: “Could [this] mark the return of the nipple ring?”
The answer came in the form of an impressive display of body jewelry flooding our feeds. For the iHeartRadio Awards in May, “Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X wore an array of spiked hoop earrings that spread all the way up his ear. Two months later, in July, Timothée Chalamet arrived on the red carpet at Cannes for the premiere of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, wearing a silver-and-gold Tom Ford suit, a Clash de Cartier bracelet, and two black cartilage hoops gracing his upper ear. Though the new additions were most likely part of his makeover for his role as a star-crossed lover in Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming film Bones & All, which involved Chalamet dyeing his signature dark curls bright red (a hue that is no longer part of his look), we couldn’t help crossing our fingers that he wouldn’t ditch his new baubles as quickly as he shed the blinding locks.
Then there is Gossip Girl’s resident “Sk8r Boi,” Aki Menzies (Evan Mock), who wears a gold cartilage earring alongside his pink buzzcut. The hairstyle alone is a departure from the pretty boy look established in the original series, but it’s the piercing that truly sets the 2021 re-imagination apart in our hearts. Dan Humphrey, the first show’s brooding and Brooklyn-based character who dwells on the social fringe, didn’t dare to wear jewelry, let alone pierce his ears. (It goes without saying, neither did prep kings Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass.) In 2021, though, cartilage rings are the accessory of Manhattan’s fictional elite — and countless IRL fantasies.
By August, fashion search engine ShopStyle had reported a 67% increase in year-over-year searches for men’s earrings.
Though musicians Machine Gun Kelly and Bad Bunny, as well as former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, have long sported nose rings, there is a renewed interest in facial piercings. According to ShopStyle, searches for nose rings have increased by 40%, compared to 2020. With the press surrounding all three, be it because of high-profile relationships (MGK’s with Megan Fox and Barker’s with Kourtney Kardashian) or sold-out brand partnerships and tours (Bad Bunny with his Crocs and Cheetos collabs), their jewelry quickly pushed them up a notch on our hot list.
According to Lisa Brateman, a psychotherapist in New York City, our lust for men with piercings has to do with the fact that we spent so much of the last year-plus indoors and divorced from standard dating practices. Piercings on tongues, nipples, or belly buttons “draw people to some part of the body that is affiliated with sexuality,” she tells Refinery29. She explains that the longer we were in quarantine, often unable to play out our sexual desires IRL, the hotter our yen for celebrity body jewelry became.
Dawnn Karen, fashion psychologist and the author of Dress Your Best Life: How to Use Fashion Psychology to Take Your Look — and Your Life — to the Next Level, agrees with Brateman. According to Karen, fantasizing about jewelry worn by a celebrity crush was a safe way to engage with our passions during the pandemic, which she notes is very much still a present threat. “It’s a pretty safe bet since you don’t have to worry about whether or not the person you’re attracted to has COVID [if you aren’t with them in-person],” she tells Refinery29. According to the expert, piercing yearnings are a form of escapism, because you’re using your imagination to live out your desires. And since the end of lockdown didn’t bring about the end of the pandemic, an escape from reality is just as welcome today as it was 12 months ago.
Still, with quarantine behind us, we can’t help but wonder about the fate of our crushes — and the tiny holes in their skin. Are piercings on leading men only hot because we were cooped up without IRL affection for so long? Perhaps that’s how they started, but the seasons ahead promise more sightings to come.
We’re two months away from part 2 of theGossip Girlreboot, marking the return of Mock’s dangly ear accessory, which, in our eyes, is as covetable as any designer bag or boot worn by his costars. Given that the skateboarder-actor just entered a partnership with jewelry brand Pandora, who knows? Maybe we’ll spot Aki with even more shiny accessories come November. For now, it’s certainly something to dream about.
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