Officially, the 20 Best Places to Buy a Suit
Guys are scared of suits these days. Mostly, in what I've heard from friends that aren't dressing on this level, it's down to how casual everything is now. Wear a suit out to the bar, and now you're the Suit Guy. Even wearing a suit to the office is a fashion statement, not compulsory behavior, now. Generally, I think this is a bad thing, but I'm not here to bemoan the state of the world and say men should start spending rent checks on bespoke suits. (Though I've considered doing that for my current objects of lust from Lawton, Edward Sexton, and Husbands.) I'm here to tell you that wearing a suit is as approachable as its ever been.
There's not much I like to talk about more than suits. Maybe jeans, I've written a lot about jeans for this magazine. But thinking about the perfect suit takes up a lot of my conscious thought, unconscious as well (I assume). Whenever my wife and I debrief after seeing a movie, the suits are my first topic of discussion. And in general, I don't think guys take good advantage of the amount of good off-the-rack stuff out in the world today.
Of course, nothing will fit like a suit that's made bespoke just for you. But with a good tailor and smart choices when buying off the rack, you can look as good as guys that payed triple the price. That's what this list is all about. Some of the options are affordable; some are offensively expensive. But they're all off the rack, made-to-order at most, and therefore cheaper than other offerings in that strata. Treat this like a personality test where I'm pairing you with your perfect suit brand. Whether its for a wedding or any old weeknight, I'm going to get you looking better than the rest of the guys at the function.
Affordable, Get What You Pay ForThis is where I'd send the first-time suit buyers. Maybe you're young and need one for an interview. Maybe you're old and getting one for a wedding. Regardless, these brands are going to give you decent fabrics and pretty straight-forward construction. It's all machined and generally devoid of flair, and that's OK. Even Presidents wore sack suits.
AbercrombieCool thing about Abercrombie & Fitch: those guys turned the lights on at the store, put on some shirts, and have become one of the best names for entry-level menswear. (Not cool thing about A&F: the Fierce spray the store was covered in is no longer made, have to hunt on eBay for it.) I wrote about its Collins suit a while back, and while I by no means consider it a well-constructed suit, it's a great first suit. It costs $200. By being that cheap, it's the best you can get on a high schooler's budget.
Starting in 2008, the Ludlow got a whole generation of guys in slim-fit off-the-rack suits. Even if the #menswear veterans look back on the period with no love lost, they still have to admit that J.Crew was making something really worthwhile. Since then, the silhouettes have relaxed. J.Crew has accepted it's place as a purveyor of old-school prep and put out Giant Fit chinos and oxfords. It's also loosened up the suit silhouettes. The Crosby is full with no waist suppression and a natural shoulder, as American suits have always been.
While talking about prep and the classic American suits, I have to shout out J.Press. The slim cuts are terribly slim, but the classic cuts are really quite nice, with touches that put it above the likes of J.Crew in my mind. The poplin suit shown here is a great pick for summer weddings. Again, it's sack suit-esque with a full cut and natural shoulder. The emphasis on the lapels edge stitching, though obviously machined, gives it a more menswear-sy feel.
The Spier & Mackay model is laid out in pretty plain terms on the website. The brand gets high end fabrics at good prices and produces tried and true cuts in Asia. That means you can get a Neapolitan style suit—soft shoulder, generous lapel with low gorge, and lapel roll—in linen for around $500. You can get a full-canvas tuxedo for $800. The prices are expensive enough that you can expect decent fabric, cheap enough that you won't be too harsh on the details. That said, as with the others in this section, don't expect the actual construction to be anything phenomenal.
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This is where you get into bang for your buck. Yes, all these suits are going to run you between $1,000 and $2,000, but they're well made with flattering cuts and some of the world's best fabrics.
Drake'sIn its modern iteration, Drake's is a fun one. It's British ready-to-wear, based on Savile Row, but a lot of what it puts out is a take on American preppy looks. It's deck shoes, less structured suits, and penny loafers. As with most things Americana, it's a lot better than the interpretations we get stateside because it gets infused with British countryside-leaning patch pockets and corduroys or Italian inspired three-roll-two and soft-shoulder constructions. Menswear types can get divided on if the Drake's price point is warranted, but no one can really deny the look or construction of these suits.
In my mind, Suitsupply is a good place to get the classics, but I see guys go there for the more fashion-forward side of tailoring while still getting the benefit of a large brand's structure. Depending on which location you walk into, you might see blush pink summer suits styled with tank tops, wannabe mobster double-breasted pinstripes with fat ties, or another Italian inspired suit with knit polo combo. Of course, the bread and butter are the classics: navy and charcoal business suits for those that haven't made partner. Suitsupply has good fabrics and is just above the cheap section in terms of price and quality.
As a Georgia boy, Sid Mashburn will always be my recommendation for anyone's first good suit. I prefer the Kincaid style, which is more Italian (suppressed waist, two flap pockets, two-button closure) than the Virgil's more sack suit look. The system is simple, with a one through five numbering denoting the level of handmade-ness and formality.
If you want to shop a limited selection of more fashion-forward stuff, I'd hit Todd Snyder. Todd Snyder, the man who actually designs the stuff, is the king of helping guys push the boat out on tailoring. In his J.Crew days, that was with the Ludlow; now with his namesake label, that's things like the relaxed, pleated Wythe or fabrics like a silk-linen pinstripe or black seersucker that other designers won't touch at this price point. If you need the basics, Todd Snyder is a great place to get them, but it really shines when you want to try something more peacocky without falling on your face. Hit a Todd Snyder store and figure out what's cool at the moment.
This section features newer designers, younger brands, and really locked in aesthetics. These spots are often originally bespoke, but have branched out into ready-to-wear to get more guys and gals in good suits. So, you get more out-there fabrics and thought-out stories. This is the cutting edge of tailoring.
Factor'sAnother Atlanta brand I'm contractually obligated to standby, Factor's is the brainchild of Sid Mashburn alum Matt Lambert. Inspired by his rock band background, the suits are dramatic, leading man styles with biiiiig lapels, elongated vents, and workwear-inspired touches on the trousers. The bespoke shop has some wild fabric choices, and ocassionaly you can see a limited run on the ready-to-wear side. But off-the-rack it's anchored by these anti-fit double breasted suits in evergreen high-twist wools and cottons.
Check any men's runway these days, and you see a lot of what Parisian brand Husbands has been doing for a few years now. It got it's name for it's mainstay Serge Gainsbourg-y '70s suits with giant lapels, flares, and strong shoulders, but the seasonal offerings play with themes from other golden eras of suits.
Jake Mueser's eponymous store is one of the best spots for menswear in New York. It's a sort of downtown tailoring that really gels with a magazine like this. Guys, believe it or not, can still go to the club, the bar, or a house party in a suit.
Robert Spangle is a U.S. Marine turned Savile Row-trained tailor turned photojournalist. The breadth of his influences are covered in what he's done for this magazine, both reporting from Ukraine and fashion week street style photography. His brand Observer Collection's STRO suits bring all of this together with a really one-of-one take on tailoring, what you'd expect a modern American Hollywood spy to wear. The front details—soft shoulders and full-length darts on the front—lean Neapolitan and worldly. The action back is a technical, maybe tactical, and all the concealed pockets are made for hyper-efficient EDC guys. The model is mostly bespoke, but there's a made-to-order option that qualifies it for this list.
This is where you get to red carpet designer brands. Those guys are having these suits tailor-made for them, though. All this stuff is good, but when you get to this price point, you might just want to go in person and get the thing bespoke, made-to-measure at least.
ArmaniIn the suit world, Mr. Armani is the king. Armani, his Milanese fashion house is a standby for A-listers, and the off-the-rack stuff is going to make any guy look like he's on that level. You won't get much in the way of crazy colors, but that's what makes Armani so applicable across generations. There's a designated navy and grey color palette that gets updated with of-the-moment fits.
Brioni opened its first store in the heart of Rome in 1945 and has since remained a big name in Italian luxury. Compared to Armani, it's going to be less fashion-forward, more C-Suite than it is red carpet. Across years and seasons, you're still getting Roman shouldered power suits made of the world's best fabrics.
Look through Esquire's style section, and you'll see plenty of Brunello. We're admittedly infatuated with his beige-toned empire of tailoring made for Lake Cuomo cocktail parties. The suits are elegant with soft details, and the consistent color palette makes it easy to mix and wear as separates.
Not exactly one of the classics, Dunhill is built on its accessories. Under the creative direction of Simon Holloway, Dunhill is one of the best spots in the world right now to get a straightforward business suit. Check out the suits Stephen Soderbergh's British spy thriller Black Bag for a great look at what the brand's current look is.
Generations of rock stars came to Edward Sexton for suits. Every Beatle except George is dressed in a Sexton-cut Nutters of Savile Row suit on Abbey Road. Mick Jagger wore Sexton for his wedding to Bianca. Harry Styles launched is solo career with a reinvented wardrobe of Sexton suits. Edward Sexton, the man, died in 2023, but the brand has kept the look and feel alive. For me, there's still nothing that compares to the cool of those exaggerated shoulders, peak lapels, and flared trousers.
Honestly, and this is coming from one of the world's biggest Ralph lovers, I haven't loved Purple Label's suits for a while. But if you're in tune with the men's fashion schedule, you'll know things are about to loosen up. In Milan this year, Ralph Lauren showed fuller cut suits based on the brand's looks from the '90s. It's perfect, masterful tailoring. As soon as the new stock gets in, I'll need to be restrained from putting the credit card down.
Tom Ford is another iconic American name, and perhaps the GOAT of the red carpet. Under its eponymous leader, it was all about a sharp V-cut: strong shoulders, suppressed waist, and old-Hollywood glamor. Now under Haider Ackerman's leadership, things are getting softer, but the brand still retains all that glamor it was built on.
This renowned brand led by four generations of the Zegna family makes suits that are made from premium-quality fabrics featuring front button fastenings, classic lapels, two side welt pockets, one front welt pocket, and the iconic brand logo on the cuff.
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