Uniqlo, king of basics.

We all need basics, the clothes we throw on in the morning when there is nothing special ahead, but also the bits which can be paired up with more interesting pieces and complement an outfit. I find that Uniqlo makes those to perfection: www.uniqlo.co.uk. The parent company, Fast Retailing, owners of Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse Tamtam amongst others, established the brand in Japan and Asia, then moved to the New York and London and is now opening its new flagship store in Paris to compete with other global high street fashion brands such as Zara or H&M. When they opened their first shop in London in 2001, I must admit that I did not see the point of it: another retailer of cheap boring clothes. From the shop window, I thought the shop and the line looked shabby and completely uninteresting. I did not even set foot in the shop. A few years later, my opinion was completely changed!

Despite Uniqlo's advertising and "style book" featuring the usual barely adult models, at least, they reflect a range of ethnicity. In fact, whilst I don't feel they are targeting my age group, I don't mind as Uniqlo make the kind of simple, well-cut and well-priced clothes that make your life easy. Their range of colours is not for the fainthearted and tends to favour bright tones but, to be fair, they also carry neutrals. You feel like a bit of canary yellow would brighten your day, here is it: the V-neck jumper that you can wear with jeans as well as with a black slacks. At the moment they are hawking their Extra Fine Merino sweaters which look good with a smart T-shirt underneath or a white shirt. Their winter cashmere sweaters, just under £50 also work a treat. Their HeatTech line is excellent too - fun thermal underwear if that can be imagined. www.uniqlo.co.uk/catalogue/women/heattech

 Another good find this season is their flannel shirts which come in quite a range of colours and tartan patterns. They can work really well with jeans and boots for a grown-up cowgirl look, perfect for the weekend.

I also find their light cotton T-shirts very good value, excellent quality as shape, colour and softness don't change after multiple washes.

Quality seems to be taken very seriously by Uniqlo as I understand they have strict quality control throughout all the stages of production. They also take Corporate Social Responsibility matters very seriously http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/csr/ Whilst I am always suspicious of great CSR announcements and glossy brochures designed for PR purposes, Fast Retailing seem to have a well-thought through and sophisticated approach. If it is anything to go by, their staff are efficient and helpful, generally with a smile.  By the way, I don't have any connections with Uniqlo or own any Fast Retailing shares, this article only reflects my personal opinion!