But the real magic here is in the smaller details, from the gently curved breast pocket, which is usually only found on classic Italian suits, to the internal pocket, which is cut to be perfectly passport-sized. It’s this kind of attention that’s only possible from the top end of brands. Don’t be surprised if you end up wearing this constantly.
Best Dressy: Todd Snyder Italian Knit Sport Coat
For weddings or parties worth travelling to, you’ll need a jacket that feels like an event, but that can still arrive without collapsing into a crumpled mess. This Todd Snyder style is a winner on that front: it’s made in Italy, and borrows from the country’s low-key elegance in its construction. It’s knitted rather than woven, which gives it greater flexibility and prevents creases – but also lends it an unusual texture that feels dressier than others on this list. The weight of the fabric also means the jacket will drape elegantly on the body, so it’ll pass just as well for evening as day.
We’d advise leaning into its USP by layering it with other knits: a merino polo shirt, a rollneck, or even a knitted tie. And don’t be afraid to sub in a contrasting trouser: the Italian way is to pair a knitted blazer with a pair of white chinos. And frankly, they know what they’re doing.
Best Lightweight: Homme Plissé Issey Miyake Tailored Pleats 1 Blazer
An underacknowledged advantage of Issey Miyake’s estimable Homme Plisse line is how well it travels. The heat-pressed pleats have been a signature of the brand since 1993, and a favorite of fashion fanboys for almost as long. Aside from their aesthetic value, it means the jacket concertinas when packed or compressed, avoiding unsightly rumpling – and making this jacket a reliable standby for trips away.
Despite its distinctive design, it’s grounded in classic tailoring: the notched lapel and lightly padded shoulders mean it’ll sub into any outfit you’d wear with an ordinary blazer. But with a slouchier, swingier shape, it’ll look just as good over a baggy tee.
More Travel Blazers We Love
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)
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