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?
The Best Suit Brands, According to GQ
- The Red Carpet Specialists: Armani, Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Tom Ford
- The All-American Upgrades: Brooks Brothers, J.Crew, J. Press, Todd Snyder, Sid Mashburn
- The Globe-Trotting Tailoring Geeks: Anglo-Italian, Drake’s, Ring Jacket, Saman Amel
- The Funky Upstarts: Factor’s, Giuliva Heritage, Husbands, Stòffa
- The C-Suite Favorites: Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli, Canali, Zegna
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 expensive and 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 for adjustments and alterations. Most shops will do them in-house, 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.
The Red Carpet Specialists
Armani
Giorgio Armani was already an accomplished Italian designer when he launched his eponymous brand in 1975. Five years later, 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 suits tend to be slim and sleek, but the influence of his heyday remains.
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.
Thom Browne
You know a Thom Browne suit when you see one. It’s no exaggeration to say that the New York designer upended the industry when he introduced his shrunken gray suit in the early 2000s, a now-signature silhouette with shortened pants (sometimes just shorts!) and square-shaped jackets, equipped with the brand’s telltale red, white, and blue trim. These days, Browne sells a riff that isn’t quite as severe, but the house specialty remains as popular—and immediately identifiable—as ever. Who wouldn’t want to join the coolest clique in fashion?
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.
The All-American Upgrades
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
The Globe-Trotting Tailoring Geeks
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Funky Upstarts
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Zegna
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.
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