Maybe we’re crazy, but we think the best black suits for men deserve the “essential” title just as much as a 6-pack of white tees. Because yes, a black suit will punctuate the major milestones in your life: weddings, job interviews, funerals. But for that reason, most of us tend to overlook them for anything else, even though done right, a great black suit is a reliable fixture for any time you want to look a little sharper, a little sleeker, and a little more put together. There’s a reason why it’s the only thing worn by reigning indie cool-kid The Dare: done right, a black suit is an inherently sexy garment.
That said, there are suits, and there are suits. Pay attention to the depth of color: a wishy-washy black will fade with wear, leaving sad-looking worn patches on the elbows and knees. The shoulder line should be clean, with no lumps or bumps: either sharply cut (with or without some slight padding to make your silhouette more defined), or gently sloping over the shoulder for more casual styles. And the trousers need to pick a lane: either a precise slim-straight leg, or a more relaxed, roomier cut with a bit of swing. Anything in between could look like a school uniform.
Or, of course, you could just consult our list below of the best 17 on the market right now, and know that we’ve already done the hard work for you.
Suiting up for some fall nuptials? Check out the GQ Wedding Style Shop for more intel on what to wear.
Best Black Suit Overall: Todd Snyder Italian Gabardine Madison Suit
When you’re using Italian wool, expert cuts, and still coming in at under $1,000, you’ve got a strong chance of earning our best overall prize. That’s just what Todd Snyder’s done here. This Madison suit is made from gabardine, a kind of yarn that’s lighter than normal wool, meaning it’s less sweaty and more breathable. Plus, the ever-so-slight curvature to the lapels is something only usually seen on more expensive tailoring. So while this is a relatively affordable suit (and yes, for a suit, under $1,000 is not bad at all), it really doesn’t look or feel like one.
It’s worth taking a closer look at the cut, too: the tapering fit through the leg means it’ll look smart but won’t bunch or strain around the thighs. It also gives the suit a pleasingly classic, grown up silhouette, for men who want to signal that they’ve outgrown the “slim-fit everything” phase.
Best Budget Black Suit: Banana Republic Signature Italian Hopsack Suit
For an entry-level suit, there’s a lot to admire here – it sits neatly within Banana Republic’s increasingly impressive roster of menswear staples, which are made to a level of quality superior to many of its peers. Unlike most affordable styles, which tend to be heavy on the synthetics, this is made from hopsack wool, produced in an Italian mill – so it won’t have that sheeny, plasticky look that some cheaper suits tend to carry. The fabric also has a surprising heft to it, which helps to make it look fancier than it is.
The cut is fairly slim, so it should be worn with similarly neatly-cut clothing: fine-gauge knitwear or a classic button-down would work better than anything too loose. If you’re looking for your first suit, or don’t want to blow the budget, this is a pretty unimpeachable place to start.
Best Lightweight Black Suit: J Mueser Seersucker Virgin Wool Suit
Like all the best present-day tailors, J Mueser makes elegant menswear classics whose magic lies in their perfectly contemporary proportions. In fact, fashion enthusiasts around the world (and many native New Yorkers) make special efforts to schedule bespoke appointments at the designer’s West Village headquarters whenever they’re in town. But we here at GQ were excited to see that Mr Porter had wisely picked up the brand, making it ultra-accessible whether or not you have plans to visit the Apple. (And even though there’s a comma in the price tag, you are getting a deal of sorts here—in-person J Mueser appointments result in suits that cost a lost more.)
This particular suit is seersucker, making it a stronger sell in the year’s warmer months. But at the same time, it’s a wool blend, so should get you through a suitably-heated fall and winter event calendar.
Best Black Suit for Fashion Guys: Auralee Wool-Gabardine Suit
If you haven’t heard of the Tokyo-based menswear brand Auralee, think of them like this: the most ordinary things in your wardrobe, made really well. They excel at making perfectly cut, smartly fabricated versions of clothes without bells and whistles, that you can wear over and over again. As a result, they’ve become beloved by menswear guys, and the most anticipated show on the Paris Fashion Week calendar.
This suit is a good example of why – while it doesn’t look like much from afar, its cut is the differentiator. Just roomy enough to be distinctive, but not so baggy as to look try-hard or sloppy. The added bonus: It’s made from a lightweight, highly breathable gabardine, so you’ll have zero risk of overheating. A black suit you could wear to a summer wedding, who’d have thought it?
Best Investment Black Suit: Saman Amel Double-Breasted Suit
If you’re going to spend the money on a serious suit, swerve the flashier names and go straight to a brand that really knows its onions. The Swedish suitmaker Saman Amel might be a relatively new contender – the brand was founded only ten years ago – but they’ve rapidly built a reputation as a powerhouse in refined, minimal and faultlessly constructed tailoring. The majority of the suits they make are bespoke creations, but they do offer a small number of off-the-rack styles, like this one, through a handful of blue-chip retailers.
This particular suit sings in the details. For one, its jacket is made entirely from silk, so it’ll hang on you better than any other possibly could. The double-breasted cut perfectly narrows the waist, while the proportion on the trousers will make almost anyone look taller. Essentially, at this level of quality, all the hard work is done for you.
Best Casual Black Suit: Studio Nicholson Denison Suit
By now, Studio Nicholson should be a regular stop on your browsing rotation. It makes the kinds of eternal, handsome, comfortable menswear that you’ll never regret purchasing, and all its pieces straddle the line between considered and casual: they’re relaxed enough to look cool, but are never sloppy.
Take this suit: worn alone, the jacket could be thrown over a t-shirt or sweatshirt and worn with straight-leg jeans. But paired with the matching pants and a crisply cut white shirt, you could wear this to dinner or a more laid-back wedding. Sure, the seams are a little thicker and softer than on truly tailored suits, but in a casual environment, that’s more pro than con.
Yohji Yamamoto Wool Gabardine Suit
Yohji Yamamoto is the undisputed king of black clothing – he’s hardly worked outside of that palette for the last fifty years. This suit, cut in his signature shape, is the perfect choice for men who want to flex a little more on the fashion front.
Carter Young x Patricia Villirillo Double Breasted Tuxedo
A double-breasted tuxedo might not have been the black suit you had in mind, but when presented as naturally as Carter Young does here, it suddenly becomes a true 3-in-1. Even better, this is a made-to-measure suit: Once you’ve checked out, the personalized process of fitting it to your measurements begins.
Smock Wool Gabardine Suit
If the very thought of wearing a suit makes you feel claustrophobic, consider this route by Smock, the in-house brand of the estimable retailer Mohawk General Store. Its slouchier cut will feel just as comfortable as your favorite sweats.
J. Crew Ludlow Slim Fit Suit
A great black suit is hard to find on a budget. This linen suit, by J.Crew, is one of the best. Sure, it’s linen, but it’s executed with enough restraint to work for any formal event.
A Kind of Guise Shinji Suit
Just because they’re conventional, black suits don’t need to follow every convention. In fact, they’re freer to break with it. In this case, you get a kimono-inspired tie in place of buttons, and drawstring suit trousers.
J.Crew Crosby Classic-Fit Suit
J.Crew’s Crosby suit was its first step towards a not-as-slim cut, after the success of the Ludlow above. The Kenmare is its newest, and widest, but in this era of pant-width anxiety, there’s a lot to be said for playing it straight. The Crosby is exactly that.
The Armoury Wool Twill Model 6B Suit
New York City’s The Armoury has never stopped flying the flag for classic men’s clothing, and its in-house suits—which come, we would like to clarify, with matching trousers—represent the highest quality you can get for its prices. (Truly, they could charge a lot more for how much thought goes into their work.)
P. Johnson Merino S140 High Twist Suit
With a swanky new store recently opened in London, the Australian P. Johnson has more than maintained its reputation for elegant, quietly romantic clothing. Just look at those enlarged lapels.
Another Aspect Another Suit 3.0
Another Aspect might be best known for its elevated, often-colorful basics, but here the Danish brand has deployed its relaxed-yet-somehow-sharp eye to great effect with tailoring, too.
Uniqlo Jersey Suit
Made from jersey, this incredibly affordable suit is far more casual than any of the others on this list. But also, therefore, far more comfortable…
Drake’s Shawl-Collar Tuxedo
In case you missed it, the heritage tailor Drake’s has undergone an almighty shakeup, and now produces some of the UK’s most dependably impressive menswear. If you need a suit specifically for evening dress, this handsomely cut tuxedo, finished with a shawl collar, is one to turn to.
Yes, you can wear it with a white shirt. And yes, if it’s a formal occasion, you probably should. But that’s where any “rules” stop: These days, there’s nothing wrong (and a lot right) with wearing another shade underneath. Heck, the right printed shirt can work, too, though stripes and graphics will work better than florals. (You could also consider a knitted polo shirt, or a merino sweater.) In terms of footwear, it’s best to stick to boots, lace-ups or loafers, though a pair of unobtrusive sneakers can slot in nicely too: this is where your trusty pair of Sambas will come good.
As a general rule of thumb, if the suit is sold as two separate pieces, it can be worn that way—but if it’s sold as a single item, it shouldn’t be broken up, as it usually means the jacket isn’t cut to work as a blazer. The advantage of separates, of course, is that you’re instantly gaining a great jacket to wear with black jeans, and a great pair of black pants for tucking T-shirts into.
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.
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.)
Source: www.gq.com
