What our testers say: We can see why people go head-over-heels for Lulu’s joggers—the details are dialed in. The moisture-wicking fabric sets them apart as being more useful without making you look like someone who’s about to rip off a HIIT workout.
The Best Designer Joggers: Fear of God
Contrary to what you might have thought, our favorite designer joggers are not a pair of monogrammed sweats that ostentatiously telegraph your allegiance to the 1%. Instead, they’re these understated, gently-tapered joggers courtesy of Jerry Lorenzo, the man reinventing American luxury fashion for a new class of customer. Cut loose with a soft billowing at the ankle and an exaggerated drawstring, they’re the closest approximation we’ve found yet of what the designer does best: simple, vintage-inflected menswear considered to the nth degree, and rendered in the most exquisite materials on the planet. If all that doesn’t feel like quite enough to justify the price, suffice to say they’re just really cool and really cozy, too.
What our testers say: This may be the nicest fleece you’ll ever touch. Also: “You’ll stay warm and look fly, what more could you want from your sweats?” asks one GQ editor.
The Best Nike Joggers
Nike makes a lot of different things. For our money, though, few pieces in the Swoosh’s repertoire are better than the brand’s fleece pants, the type of high-quality sweats that can stand up to the grime of the squat rack and still look good—great, even—when you roll to brunch straight from the gym. Largely unadorned save for a small logo on the upper thigh, these are pared-down joggers you’ll have a tough time quitting, even when social etiquette dictates they’re no longer the, uh, appropriate option. Best of all? Right now, they’re on sale for just over 50 bucks.
What our testers say: One GQ editor took pains to shout out the coziness of the Nike’s construction: “They’re genuinely thick in a really comfy way that makes getting out of bed approximately three (3) times easier on garbage gray winter mornings.”
The Joggers Most Likely to Make a Cameo on Succession: The Elder Statesman
There’s comfortable…and then there’s 100% cashmere comfortable. If you’ve never experienced the latter, fair warning: your early-morning coffee runs are about to get a whole lot more luxe. The Elder Statesman combines the ultra-soft winter fabric with a drape-y silhouette positively dripping in can’t-be-bothered opulence, and it can be all yours for a little over a stack. Loose change, if you’re a Roy—and worth every damn cent even if you’re just an average Joe.
What our testers say: Admittedly, no GQ Recommends writers own the Elder Statesman joggers (we work in media, remember?). But we have touched—and lusted after—enough of the brand’s luscious cashmere pieces to know that if you can afford these joggers, you’ll understand why they cost what they do.
Best Dressed-Up Joggers: Banana Republic
If you liked the elegantly tapered look of those Fear of God joggers, but not so much the near-$700 price, then meet your elevated-but-not-expensive solution. Banana Republic’s wrinkle-free sweatpants feature a tapered leg with pintuck detailing to channel the crispness of a creased trouser. Throw ‘em on with a t-shirt you’ve cleaned up your act, or pull on a cashmere sweater and hit brunch with the in-laws. (Not dinner, though—you’ll want harder pants for that.)
What our testers say: We could definitely see swapping these in for chinos for a weekend coffee date—it helps that they’re straight-legged but not slim. Though no one was quite sure what the zippers at the pant hems were for.
Plus 17 More Joggers We Love
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