How fashionable can you be with $82 at Forever 21? Mr. Sato finds out!

We sent Mr. Sato to Forever 21 with 10,000 yen (about US$82) and asked them to help him put together an outfit. The results may surprise you!

Mr. Sato has been busy this month! From playing dress-up in Asakusa to answering all your (slightly crazy) questions, our hero has hardly had any time to himself. And now the poor guy is clearly in need of some clothes that aren’t super traditional or suits, so we figured we figured we’d treat him to a new outfit! With a 10,000 yen note in one hand and dreams of trendy clothes in his head, our dashing writer headed to the nearest Forever 21 store and asked them to put together an outfit!

Yes, you read that correctly. Mr. Sato would be (mostly) leaving the purchasing decisions to the Forever 21 staff. Whether or not that’s a good idea, we’ll leave to you to decide…

▼ I swear I had this same shirt in high school in the 90s…

The first staff member Mr. Sato spotted was a handsome foreigner. “This guy looks like someone who knows how to dress,” Mr. Sato decided and walked up to the young man. “Excuse me, but would you mind picking out 10,000 yen worth of clothes for me?” After some momentary shock, Mr. Sato’s victim, ahem, we mean, assistant readily agreed and the pair dove into the store to recreate the weirdest version of Pretty Woman you’ve ever seen.

One of the first things Mr. Sato noticed about his new friend was how fast he moved through everything. “Do you want a shirt or a sweater? Black or red?” The questions kept coming and each answer resulted in another article of clothing selected for our writer. He later told us just how impressed he was with the staff member, so, good job, Forever 21 staff! You have the Mr. Sato seal of approval for your fashion-choosing skills!

The outfit was based around the black and red flannel shirt above, which was paired with black pants and a black cardigan. We have to admit that it looked like everything was going together well in a “Pearl Jam-in-sweaters” kind of way.

But then Mr. Sato totally threw the whole process off the rails when he laid eyes on what might be the most hideous hat we’ve ever seen and felt a twinge in his heart. “I must have it!” he decided.

▼ One of the great mysteries of the universe: Who thought this was a good idea?

Unfortunately, the headgear pushed the price of the total ensemble over 10,000 yen. Fortunately, the gentleman helping Mr. Sato was perfectly capable of dealing with the request and quickly switched out the thick cardigan he’d originally selected for the thinner one you see below.

And there was still just enough money to buy a plain, black scarf!

So, after all that, how does the final outfit look? Not bad, actually!

▼ Except for the poor swamp rat flopped over his head.

Mr. Sato was thoroughly impressed with the decisions the foreign Forever 21 staff member made for him. And even in the fashion industry, the most important thing is keeping your customers happy!

▼ The receipt came in just under 10,000 yen.

In his final assessment, Mr. Sato decided that if you’re an unfashionable guy looking to kick things up a notch, going to Forever 21 with a few bills and asking for help is a good option. We’ll let you take a look at our Mr. Sato fashion show before you decide if he’s crazy or not.