349: The salt, fat, acid, heat of spring dressing

Cooking with Uniqlo.

Powered by Uniqlo

I wear a king’s ransom of Uniqlo (did you see it came in second in our latest Brand Rank?), and though I might have certain tastes for, say, the Lemaire-designed Uniqlo U line, I find that some of its core offerings are overlooked. They shouldn’t be. In the same way that I like butter…but I don’t tend to eat it on its own.

In the fall, Heattech and cashmere are very important to the health of my overall wardrobe. And come spring, that becomes built-in bra tops and linen. I look to both to populate and enhance, support and star in outfits for the full duration of the season. In my daily life, I realistically only have two or three general looks I rotate through at a time (which I iterate on with my mood), so locking in these stalwarts ends up hugely defining how I interface with the world for the quarter.

But here’s my thinking: Spring dressing isn’t about solving a formula, at least not mathematically. It’s more like…seasoning a dish. And today we’re in Uniqlo’s kitchen.

Uniqlo Open Back Halter Bra Top, $29 / Uniqlo Linen Cotton Tapered Pants, $49 / Fane Bra Bag, $610 / Martiniano Black After Party Heels, $545

We open with a crudo. This look keeps things simple and bright, without yet inviting in the heat of a Uniqlo collaborator, like J.W. or Marimekko. At its essence are a flattering and easy-to-wear ribbed halter with a concealed bra mechanism—the kind of helpful feature that resolves fashion’s fantasies of carefreeness and our bodies’ untamed realities—and tapered linen trousers that are quintessentially Uniqlo…vaguely utilitarian yet improbably tailored to my body as though by hand, straight out of the box.

Uniqlo Ribbed Cropped Bra Top, $29 / Uniqlo Linen Cotton Shorts, $39 / Uniqlo: C Smooth Cotton Sweater, $29 / Saint Classic Leather Belt Silver, $159 / Scarosso Ginevra Loafers, $380

The contrast stripe on this tank, like many things do when it gets nice out, hints of a well-oiled athleticism just outside the frame: we played tennis in the park before meeting up or my pilates clothes are all mixed in with my regular ones these days. But of course it’s fashion, so I watched a lot of Bring It On growing up is just as valid. Pairs well with a platonically Laura-Dern-in-Jurrassic-Park short.

Uniqlo Premium Linen Shirt, $39 / Uniqlo: U Cotton Wide Pants, $29 / Uniqlo Ribbed Cropped Bra Top, $29 / Martiniano Black After Party Heels, $545 / Khaite Augustina Bag, $2,200

Men’s button down (100% premium linen; here's the women's version) and an oversized straight-leg jean are my meat and potatoes. The little tank beneath is the spoonful of yogurt on the side of my plate. I have worn this outfit ten thousand times before and I will wear it twenty thousand more if I’m lucky.

Uniqlo AIRism Cotton Low Back Bra T-Shirt, $29 / Uniqlo: C Sweat Wide Shorts, $39 / Saint Classic Leather Belt Silver, $159 / Martiniano Glove Flats, $490

Totally self-indulgent, no nutritional value but maybe the most fun of all. This clever top contorts nicely at the merest suggestion, a sleeve rolled up here or flipped inward there, with an effect much more sultry than of the hanger appeal it may possess. Dessert is a dish best served with a built in bra!! As they say!!

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