I have a lot of Uniqlo. For me, they've become the place I look first for basics: synthetic baselayers, cotton tees and tanks, etc. I've bought items from the Lemaire and IDLF collabs and been happy with both. The quality is very good for the price. I've been wearing two of their $20 (on sale) merino sweaters since the fall, and they both look good, holding up well (I hand wash all wool, even the stuff labeled machine washable). I also like the fleece-lined "winter walker" pants for cold weather hiking when real snowpants would be overkill. I wore a pair of lightweight cotton-linen pants from them all last summer (and I think the summer before, too?). They're absolutely a workhorse for me and, again, cost all of $15 on sale, probably $30 msrp. I'm a sucker for their art tees. I have a lightweight down puffer that's a crazy workhorse and, again, I paid ~$30 for it.
I'm reaching a point where I'm wearing something from Uniqlo almost everyday -- especially in the winter, because HeatTech. I started shopping there about 4 years ago when I innocently wandered into one of their stores in LA. Never looked back. For me, it's basically replaced the brands I remember being "good" in the 90s/early 200s: Gap, J Crew, American Apparel, etc. Cotton basics, well designed. But remember, I'm 5'4" and 115# so that may be part of why I get along better with the Japanese fit models. I'm not tiny, but wow, are the J Crew and Gap fit models ever off for me. (Also, their price-quality ratio is very off much of the time IMO.)
Here's the thing: every time I order from Uniqlo (because I do mostly order online, though occasionally I'll shop in person when I'm down in Boston), I'm impressed with the way things look and feel. I very rarely have to return things (online garment measurements, yay!), and I can't say that about many other brands at this point. But I have a pretty strong dose of normcore in my style. I love how no-nonsense Uniqlo is. Not boring: it's more a matter of design vs over-design. I don't care about the bells and whistles on a garment if it doesn't fit or the seams won't hold.
Okay, long ode to Uniqlo over.
