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Apr 22, 2026

Your recommendations for office attire for women?

I dress office casual (no jeans) in an educational institution. I like to look classy and kind of fun. Which clothing retailers do you recommend for separates? Hard-wearing and machine-washable items? Either online or brick-and-mortar? I'll offer one Amazon Japan seller to get us started - Coen - コーエン with a good selection of tops and bottoms, I combine with my staples.

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TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

Living between the Tone and Edo Rivers in Higashi Katsushika area of Chiba Prefecture.

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7 Answers

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  • BigfamJapan

    BigfamJapan

    on Apr 23

    Thanks for your suggestion, I am unaware of Coen. But I do know Global Work that @genkidesu mentioned and I'll add my vote to that store too. Because I work from home I don't have need for "work clothes", but I do need work-like clothes for all the entrance ceremonies and graduations I attend. I will have / have had either a grad or entrance ceremony, sometimes both, for 21 years straight so every few years I buy a new blazer and / or suit. For that, I really recommend Takahashi. My first suit I bought here was really expensive and in fairness it is still going strong and I wear it at least once a year, but a few years ago, to give myself a change I bought a few pieces in Takahashi - a dress and suit jacket set, a blazer and dressy trousers. I can't remember the exact price, but it was incredibly low, like 3000 yen in total, maybe even less. There is nothing wrong with two pieces, just out of season and the third, the suit jacket on the dress / jacket set, had a barely visible thread-pull on the back of the jacket which I was easily able to fix myself.

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  • genkidesu

    genkidesu

    on Apr 23

    I quite like Coen myself! I've also had a bit of success lately from Global Work, which has some cute blazers and tailored pants along with their more casual bits and pieces. Orihica is still a pretty reliable go-to for me, and I really like a lot of their blouses in particular.

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  • TonetoEdo

    TonetoEdo

    on Apr 23

    @genkidesu I'll have a go at Global Work. ...And dust off a suit I bought at Orihica. It's a machine-washable skirt-and-blazer combo I bought... 10 years ago?!

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  • TonetoEdo

    TonetoEdo

    on Apr 23

    @BigfamJapan I see there is a Takahashi near me! Thanks for the recco. I'll see what appeals next time I'm there.

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  • genkidesu

    genkidesu

    on Apr 24

    @TonetoEdo I think their pieces stand up quite well over time and since they are quite classic designs, there's no real "dated" feel to them!

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  • BigfamJapan

    BigfamJapan

    on May 6

    @TonetoEdo did you have a chance to visit Takahashi? I'm interested to hear what you think of it?

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  • TonetoEdo

    TonetoEdo

    on May 6

    @BigfamJapan Not yet. However, I noticed that the supermarket near my house has a Takahashi cart! They stock towels, socks, and other small items. Super cheap and the quality is good.

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