The best suit brands are experts in their field, and when you slip on one of their creations, you should feel transformed. You might stand a little taller, your back a little straighter, your chest a little broader, like you’re literally bursting with swagger. (Go ahead, give yourself a flirty little Austin Butler-esque look in the mirror.) Sounds pretty good, right?
Here's the thing: A suit is always going to look best if it’s made especially for you, and there are plenty of bespoke tailoring houses, everywhere from Savile Row to Milan, which will do just that. (Anderson & Sheppard, Henry Poole & Co., Rubinacci, and Liverano & Liverano, to name a few.) But those brands are unavailable off-the-rack and have little online presence, and bespoke suits are also increasingly expensive, and require you to stay the exact same weight to make the cost worth it. Not to mention that they can take forever to deliver.
Thankfully, there are plenty of great off-the-rack options, too. Before you keep scrolling, though, a few things to keep in mind.
- Have a good tailor in your rolodex. Most shops will take care of adjustments and alterations, but you may need to tweak your suit over time.
- Do your research. What are you buying it for? A suit for the office will probably look a bit different than the one you buy for a summer wedding. Do you want something classic and conservative, or casual and unstructured?
- Know your body type. Height, weight, shoulder type—they’ll all inform what looks best on you.
And, perhaps most important, never rush into buying one. Suits are an investment, and they should last you years. So get that Austin Butler face ready, bud, because the names you need to know the next time you're suit shopping are all right here.
Anglo-Italian
As its name suggests, London-based Anglo-Italian merges the tradition of English sartorialism with the ease and comfort of Italian tailoring. Its suits lean soft, casual, and unstructured, and the brand also produces a whole wardrobe of things to wear them with—shirts, shoes, ties, and more. The reputation for impeccable customer service—and dedication to craftsmanship—certainly doesn't hurt.
Anglo-Italian
Suit Single Breasted Navy High-Twist Wool
Anglo-Italian
Suit Single Breasted Charcoal High-Twist Wool
Giorgio Armani
The late, great Giorgio Armani was already an accomplished Italian designer when he launched his eponymous brand in 1975. Five years after that, signor Armani was tasked with outfitting Richard Gere in American Gigolo, and the house has been synonymous with Hollywood glamour ever since. The suits Gere wore then, with their gently-padded shoulders and cinched waists, became a symbol of the era’s masculine style—and effectively broke Armani stateside. But in the '90s, the designer pivoted to a look he considered more “sincere”, stripping his suits of their structured underpinning and stultifying corporate machismo. Today, Armani tailoring tends to be slim and sleek, but the influence of his heyday remains.
Giorgio Armani
Single-breasted Soho Line Suit In Virgin Wool And Cashmere
Giorgio Armani
Single-breasted Soho Line Suit In Virgin Wool
Banana Republic
We’ve spent plenty of time talking about the Banana bounce-back, but it’s as warranted as ever. Because the brand keeps making new things, and those things are perfectly suited for our current climate. That extends to the suiting side, where the brand has not only built out its silhouette slate, but begun to incorporate some of the coolest fabrics you’ll see on ready-to-wear options, all for an exceedingly reasonable price.
Banana Republic
Signature Italian Rustico Suit Jacket
Banana Republic
Signature Italian Rustico Suit Pant
Banana Republic
Double-breasted Twill Suit Jacket
Banana Republic
Loose Pleated Twill Suit Pant
Brioni
Brioni suits are no-nonsense Italian elegance at its finest. Born in 1945 as a little shop in the heart of Rome, the brand and its founders—master tailor Nazareno Fonticoli and his business partner, Gaetano Savini—initially specialized in bespoke, eventually becoming a favorite of the jet-setting elite and Hollywood A-listers. (Brad Pitt is an especially ardent fan.) Long before stealth wealth was trending on TikTok, the Roman suiting brand was committed to selling the very best version if it.
Brioni
Men's Wool and Silk Sharkskin Two-Piece Suit
Brioni
Brunico Virgin Wool Two-Piece Suit
Brooks Brothers
For nearly two centuries, Brooks Brothers was the name in American men’s fashion, introducing ready-to-wear to the masses in 1849. In 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy, but under the leadership of creative director (and all-around menswear OG) Michael Bastian, the brand has re-established itself by looking towards its storied past. Today you’ll find sturdy, classic American suits at prices that make its European counterparts shake.
Brooks Brothers
Classic Fit Wool Windowpane 1818 Suit
Brooks Brothers
Classic Fit Wool Check 1818 Suit
Brunello Cucinelli
Cashmere King Brunello Cucinelli built his multi-billion dollar kingdom in the tiny town of Solomeo (population: 400). Despite the tech titans who flock to his brand in droves, running an ethical, sustainable business is core to his identity; each year, Cucinelli re-invests 20% of the brand’s profits into the upkeep of the town. His suits skew elegant, casual, and look even better as separates—an earthy-brown linen sportcoat paired with, say, eggshell-white cotton trousers. Cucinelli’s wares don't come cheap, but they're unfussy, unpretentious, and about as laid-back as a $6,000 suit gets.
Neiman Marcus
Men's Wool Chalk Stripe Two-Piece Suit
Neiman Marcus
Men's Wool Two-Piece Suit
Canali
Sovico-based Canali is another Italian suiting brand with a rich history, one that stretches back nearly a century. Its price point is a tier below Brioni, but it boasts a similar a reputation for quality, fabric, and quiet, boardroom-friendly style. Canali suits predominately feature relaxed silhouettes and lightweight fabrics, made using the type of traditional Italian tailoring techniques you'd expect.
Canali
Siena Regular Fit Navy Super 130s Wool Suit
Canali
Solid Wool Suit
Drake's
Drake’s seems to be on everyone’s moodboard these days, and for good reason: the British brand's de-fussed riff on classic menswear has helped it corner the market on ultra-premium prep. Take, for example, the Games suit, which Drake's creative director Michael Hill credits with turbo-charging the label's fortunes. Expertly designed for casual wear, it looks just as killer with a striped oxford shirt and chukkas as it does a foulard tie and brogues. It's a tricky matrix to operate in, but Drake's makes it feel as approachable as its clubby storefronts.
Drake's
Charcoal Tropical Wool Tailored Jacket
Drake's
Charcoal Tropical Wool Single Pleat Trouser
Drake's
Mk. IV Cotton-Moleskin Blazer
Drake's
Mk. IV Tapered Pleated Cotton-Moleskin Suit Trousers
Factor's
Matt Lambert has always been a suit guy, and ever since the Sid Mashburn alum launched Factor’s in 2021, a lot more fellas have signed on to his agenda. His suits come imbued with a jolt of tempered ‘70s flair, thanks to their wide lapels, high-waisted trousers, and strong-shouldered, loose-fitting jackets. They're as classic as they are chill—a tricky-to-nail combination purpose-built for today's tastes.
Factor's
SB Suit in Ivory Wool Crepe
Factor's
DB Suit in Blue Mohair Leno
Giuliva Heritage
Giuliva Heritage is not for the faint of heart—or the light of pocket. Partners Margherita Cardelli and Gerardo Cavaliere only expanded into menswear in 2019, but they've already accrued an enviable roster of big-name fans, who favor the Roman brand's eclectic take on Italian style. Its ready-to-wear suits, often sold as separates, are unabashedly swaggering: Ferrari-red shawl collar dinner jackets, high-waisted trousers with a duo of deep pleats, and double-breasted blazers finished with peak lapels that stretch towards the heavens.
Giuliva Heritage
David Blazer
Giuliva Heritage
Vito Trousers
Giuliva Heritage
Stefano Blazer
Giuliva Heritage
Vito Trousers
Husbands
Few suiting brands evoke the sex appeal of the ‘70s more effectively than Paris-based Husbands, founded in 2012 by former lawyer Nicolas Gabard. To say that Serge Gainsbourg would look perfectly at home in one of Husband's double-breasted suits is true, but doesn't quite do the GQ-favorite brand justice: the vibe might be retro, but the cut—sharp, feline, ready to boogie—feels extremely right now.
Husbands
Single-Breasted Suit In Wool Gabardine
Husbands
Single-Breasted Suit In Worsted Wool Twill
J.Crew
J.Crew has lived a hundred lives over the last decade or so, but the Ludlow, it's era-defining slim-but-not-skinny suit, continues to sell like hot cakes on a cold winter day. It's not hard to see why: if you're on a tight budget, it remains a platonic starter suit for everyday wear, and comes in a range of can't-miss fabrics and colors. Looking for a slightly less corporate vibe? Under Brendon Babenzien, the ex-Supreme designer responsible for the Crew's menswear reboot, the brand introduced the Kenmare, an altogether more relaxed silhouette with a slouchier jacket and single pleated trousers. (J.Crew’s third offering, the Crosby, sits squarely between the Ludlow and the Kenmare; it's a reliable mainstay of GQ's tailoring coverage, too.)
J.Crew
Kenmare Relaxed-fit suit jacket in Italian wool
J.Crew
Kenmare Relaxed-fit suit pant in Italian wool
J.Crew
Crosby Classic-fit suit jacket
J.Crew
Crosby Classic-fit suit pant
J. Mueser
When New York City's best-compensated fellas are in the market for a custom suit—for their wedding, their promotion, their weekend date night—they tend to go to J. Mueser. For good reason, too—master tailor Jake Mueser founded his eponymous label in 2008, and has since established what might plausibly be called a distinctly New York style of tailoring. He likes to think of his suits as “melting pots” of influences: natural American shoulders, natty English ticket pockets, generous Italian lapels. For your purposes here, all that really matters is that his note-perfect suits are now available to order online—in the ideal shade of chocolate-brown, no less.
J Mueser
Waverly Double-Breasted Virgin Wool Suit Jacket
J Mueser
Waverly Straight-Leg Virgin Wool Suit Trousers
J Mueser
Waverly Slim-Fit Wool-Fresco Suit Jacket
J Mueser
Slim-Fit Straight-Leg Virgin Wool Suit Trousers
J. Press
Close your eyes and picture a college campus in the 1950s. All those chinos, oxford shirts, and tweed jackets? That’s J. Press in a nutshell. These days, the seminal American brand is Japanese-owned, and has reinvigorated itself by doubling down on the Ivy-inspired style Japan has long since mastered. Exhibit A: its impressive selection of off-the-rack suits, made in the USA with English and Italian fabrics.
J. Press
Made-in-USA Solid Navy Worsted Wool Suit
J. Press
Made-in-Canada Solid Charcoal Wool Flannel Suit
Kiton
Kiton's suits are so good, we once used them as an example of why a $10,000 suit costs $10,000. (And that was a decade ago.) The Italian house has kept pace since then—chances are if you're ever at a fancy wedding, the big swingers in the house are in an ultra-luxury Kiton two-piece. Based in Naples, not only are the buttonholes hand-stitched throughout, but the lining even is too. In fact, every item they make takes over 25 hours (and 150 distinctively skilled artisans) to complete. If any tailor on this list deserves their wares being taken to a premium dry cleaner more, we aren't aware of it—and chances are if you're considering a Kiton suit, you have one of those to take care of your garments already. Nice.
Kiton
Wool-Fresco Suit Jacket
Kiton
Slim-Fit Straight-Leg Wool-Fresco Suit Trousers
Kiton
Brushed Wool Suit Jacket
Kiton
Straight-Leg Wool Suit Trousers
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren might've started his brand hawking ties from a drawer in the Empire State Building, but his ambitions were obvious from the start. Today, his empire encompasses a half-dozen or so sub-labels, Polo most prominent among them. Polo serves up classic American sportswear and ur-prep staples with a subtly cosmopolitan twist; tailoring from the line includes flannel three-pieces, conservative navy sack suits, and a killer selection of entry-level tuxedos. Suits from RRL, Ralph's ode to the American west, skew vintage in inspiration: think chunkier glen plaids, herringbone linens, and beefy tweeds. The ne plus ultra of Ralph Lauren's tailoring prowess, though, is Purple Label, launched in 1994 and heavily inspired by old-world European glamor. If the vibe reminds you of the suits Robert Redford wore in the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby—handmade, elegant, tailored to a T—the effect is intentional: Ralph designed the costumes for the film.
Ralph Lauren
Polo Tailored Fit Wool Serge Suit
Polo Ralph Lauren
Tailored Wool Sharkskin Suit
Ring Jacket
Osaka’s Ring Jacket was founded in 1954 by insurance salesman Jhoichi Fukushima, who was frustrated with off-the-rack options of his time. 70 years later, Ring Jacket offers a veritable buffet of suiting flavors, combining influences of Japanese, British, American, and Italian tailoring in a line of expertly-constructed designs. So much so, in fact, that the classic menswear experts at The Armoury now offer a range of exclusive models made by Ring Jacket just for them.
The Armoury
Cotton/Cashmere Corduroy Model 3A Suit
The Armoury
Wool Twill Model 15B Suit
Saman Amel
Stockholm's Saman Amel only launched in 2015, but in less than a decade it has carved out a niche selling discreet made-to-measure suits sourced with fabrics from some of the best mills in the world. In recent years, its strategic push into off-the-rack tailoring has yielded suits cut with the same attention to proportion and premium fabrications—think notch lapel two-pieces made from blanket-soft wool and cashmere blends.
Saman Amel
Slim-Fit Wool, Silk and Linen-Blend Suit Jacket
Saman Amel
Amie Straight-Leg Wool, Silk and Linen-Blend Suit Trousers
Saman Amel
Wool-Blend Suit Jacket
Saman Amel
Straight-Leg Pleated Wool-Blend Suit Trousers
Sid Mashburn
Veteran Atlanta haberdasher Sid Mashburn sells suits that look like you’ve owned them your entire life. To make the process easy, Mashburn categorizes each line by numbers, from the casual, unconstructed No. 1 to the handmade, two-canvas No. 4. Like good jazz, it’s all about improvising and seeing where the groove takes you—Sid simply wants you to have as much fun getting capital-D Dressed as he does.
Sid Mashburn
Kincaid No. 2 Suit
Sid Mashburn
Virgil No. 4 Suit
Stòffa
Stòffa’s suits are preternaturally relaxed—you could easily confuse one of the brand's unstructured suit jackets for a pajama shirt, in the best way possible. The New York imprint outfits guys who wear tailoring because they want to, and its fabrics follow, uh, suit: lightweight tropical wools, nubby linens, and brushed flannels for the next generation of gray suit-wearers.
Stoffa
Double Breasted Shirt Jacket
Stoffa
Double Pleat Trouser
Stoffa
Unstructured Wool-Crepe Blazer
Stoffa
Wide-Leg Pleated Linen Trousers
Todd Snyder
Like plenty of the other names in this category, Todd Snyder, the patron saint of approachable menswear, makes a whole lot more than suits. But Snyder's tailoring remains a consistent highlight of his line, straddling the divide between big-box and Bergdorf Goodman. His selection of suits includes standard 9-to-5 garb, gutsier cocktail attire fare, and the rare surprisingly dialed—and surprisingly affordable—off-the-rack tuxedo.
Todd Snyder
Italian Flannel Madison Suit
Todd Snyder
Italian Flannel Sutton Suit
Tom Ford
Tom Ford's tailoring is all about confidence—with a healthy dose of sex appeal added to the mix, for good measure. Suiting has moved more casual in recent years, but the brand sticks to what’s always worked: padded shoulders, traditional fabrics, masculine silhouettes. Ford is no longer at the helm of the company that bears his name, but his uncompromising, elevated taste remains its foundation.
Tom Ford
O'Connor Herringbone Stripe Wool & Silk Suit
Tom Ford
Shelton Sharkskin Suit
Ermenegildo Zegna, an entrepreneurial 18-year-old suiting whiz, founded his eponymous brand in 1910. Since then, the tailoring house that bears his name has become famous for its obsession with fabric, commandeering its production chain from “sheep to shop”. Today, Zegna retains its classic Italian essence, but isn’t afraid to adapt with the times; in 2021, it introduced a suit explicitly designed for the home office, with a cashmere jacket tailored to drape like a robe. It offers plenty of off-the-rack options for work and play—and the increasingly-blurry line between.
Zegna
Trofeo Solid Black Wool Suit
Zegna
