Uniqlo is coming to town!

Move aside cult jeans, people, cheer! Uniqlo is coming to Singapore! Aren’t we a lucky bunch?

Pride for its affordable quality staple tees, jeans, and inner wear, that comes in an array of candy colour, Uniqlo is the brand to shop for your daily wear.

Originating from Japan, Uniqlo lives up to its motto for having quality clothes that is made to last. I am a true believer of buying quality clothes, (I hate to buy clothes, cheap or not, that I have to chuck into the dustbin after one wash due to various reasons) and Uniqlo delivers just that. They don’t skimp on the materials that they use for their clothes.

Despite the economic downturn, Uniqlo reaped almost 9 billion dollars in revenue last year, a testimony to their popularity. I must say, their ability to power up their sales, must be greatly related to their perfect visual display. A visually neat and tidy shop, scores a big fat A on my score sheet.

I recall fondly that during my last day in New York, and being the shoppaholic that I am, I made a mad dash across Soho. I just had to see and feel Soho myself. On that fateful day, I walked past this ultra neat Gap shop lookalike. The tees were neatly stacked, the colours were all carefully arranged in a soothing manner. Gee, the fuzz-free look had such a magnetic lure. Well, in under 20 minutes, I score myself a pair of skinny jeans with colourful seams for US$29.90. It is difficult to find a pair of skinny jeans that suit my petite frame without compromising on a little booty space, and I found it at Uniqlo. The shop attendant is happy and so am I.

An added service that I really like, is the we’ll-alter-your-jeans’-length-in-under-20-min-for-free. It’s not even those off-with-the-pretty-frays-at-the-bottom quick alteration, but those that requires the tailor to reattach the original bottoms. Unfortunately, I was running late and had to catch a flight home, and had to miss out on altering my jeans.

Nonetheless, I’m waiting for Uniqlo’s grand opening. I’m already oogling at those bratop camisoles and tanks. Slurp.

Shop at Uniqlo:

2nd Floor (#02-28 to 30), Tampines 1,
10 Tampines Central 1,
Singapore 529536

*Photos taken from Uniqlo UK.

American Idol Season 8

Love it or hate it, the American Idol deserves some credit for igniting the idol phenomenon that took the world by storm some 7 years ago. Originally from the UK, Fox in America bought the copyright and has since produced top selling artistes from this annual show.

In Simon’s own words, I do agree that the competition does get quite “karaoke” from time to time. Personally, the past few seasons of Idol have not caught my attention, because the contestants were so similiar. Don’t get me wrong, the contestants can sing, and they do it well. But, they show little spunk, and it seems like they were all produced from the same mould. In other words, boring.

I’m so glad that season 8, brought back the life into American Idol. 80% out of the top 10 in season 8 has a little something to add to the show. Here’s a breakdown:

My all time favourite is Danny Gokey. Time after time again, he delivers superb performance. A few weeks ago, after his “I believe I could fly” rendition, one of the judges commented that his voice is so good that he is ready to cut an album anytime. I agree. He has this amazing ability to reach out deep inside your heart and wrench your heart so badly, you just want to cry.

Next up, Adam Lambert. Kara said that she “cannot wait to get to the show, to see what he is doing next”. Last week, he sang this beautiful song “Tracks of my song”. And this week, I l-o-v-e Adam’s version of “Play that funky music”.

Another of my favourite for this week’s episode is Scott MacIntyre. Oh-my-gosh, did you see the way he played the piano for “Just the way you are”, and still managed to sing each and every note accurately, and with emotions? Scott is visually impaired, and for him to come so far, no wonder Paula is so proud of him! I would be too.

There are other contestants that are worth mentioning. For example, Kris Allen scored with his good arrangement of music. He showed his voice range, ability to play the piano well, ability to increase and decrease the sounds according to the emotions of the song.

Also, we have to applaud 16 year old Allison. Punk and rock, according to Paula, she has the “vocal prowess (that can easily) rival someone who is twice her age”.

Amazing season 8. It really is.