Amazon is synonymous with a lot of things: fast shipping, endless stock, and a convenient place to buy a gift among them. But we’d be lying if we said it was known for the menswear selection. Sure, it’s deep, but it’s not easy to navigate, and the sheer glut of brands can often leave you with more questions than answers. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious hitters to be found, either—you just need to know what to look for.
That’s where we come in. As well-seasoned Amazon guides—the extremely online, rather than the rainforest kind— we’ve spent many years hacking, parsing and probing our way through the void to find the best men’s clothing the Everything Store has to offer. And we’ve lived to tell one simple tale: that there’s no dearth of good clothes over there.
So whether you’re looking for some basics to extend the time between laundry loads, some everyday pants that won’t require special attention, some cozy knitwear for the shorter days coming, some classic footwear to add to your rotation, or a host of other useful staples, Amazon really does have your back. And now that they’re pushing brands from ShopBop, we thought we’d pull in a few of our favorites from that selection as well.
The Best Men’s Clothes on Amazon, According to GQ
Jump To: Basics | Shoes | Pants | Shirts | Jackets | Sweats | Accessories & Watches | Bonus: ShopBop
The Best Basics on Amazon
We’ll never stop espousing the virtues of bougie basics, but they only exist because their ancestors—affordable, comfortable, no-fuss, often-bundled basics—were there in the first place. It turns out some of the best underwear you can buy is available on the Zon. So if you’re looking to refill your dresser drawers with some gleaming white, padded-sole socks, or fluff up your sweater shelves with some cozy crewnecks, there’s really no better destination.
The Best Shoes on Amazon
There are times when we’re in the mood to break out the brannock device and go on the hunt for some kicks. But there are also times when we just want a new pair of shoes, some that won’t surprise us (or our feet), maybe a future knockaround that’s the same as past knockarounds or, sometimes, a shoe for a very specific reason (new clip-in cycling hobby, anyone?). If any of those apply, Amazon is impossible to beat, because those digital shelves are loaded with classics like Sambas, Chucks, Wallabees, Yuttas, Moabs and more. Will you find esoteric collabs? You will not. But that’s also not the point. The point is abundant availability and familiarity. And, of course, next-day delivery.
The Best Accessories and Watches on Amazon
By now, you know that Amazon pretty much holds its own when it comes to its clothing offering—they didn’t oopsie-daisy their way into becoming one of the biggest retailers in the world—but they truly excel when it comes to accessories. From a steady stock of sunnies from legacy brands like Ray-Ban to reasonably-priced, well-pedigreed automatic watches and well-stitched beater wallets, it’s all there.
The Best Jackets on Amazon
If you’ve ventured into a vintage store recently—or perused the digital racks on eBay—you’ve probably noticed quite a few well-worn workwear jackets, vintage waxed cotton joints, and other venerated heritage staples, all for prices that make you want to shake the seller and remind them this stuff is “Used, man, used!” But here’s the cool thing: the best way to possess a perfectly broken-in jacket is to do it yourself. To help, nearly every buzzed-about style is represented on the Amazon racks. And now that jacket weather is very much upon us, that break-in period can start pretty much as soon as you’ve cleared checkout.
The Best Pants and Jeans on Amazon
Pants are notoriously difficult—think of how many you own that felt perfect in the store, and had already lost their magic by the time you got them home. One day we’ll study exactly why this is the case, but for now, our best workaround has been to go for historically-tested styles that always work for clear reasons—cut, material, break-in potential, etc. Lucky for you, Amazon has most of those—from Dickies 874s, to Levi’s 501s and Carhartt Double-Knees—in spades.
The Best Sweats on Amazon
It’s been said that a healthy selection of soft sweats and sweaters can make a man’s winter up to 41 percent more enjoyable—I’d bump that percentage up closer to 99. And Amazon has a proper selection. Whether you’re looking for a hoodie, a crewneck, some sweatpants, knitwear or any other cozy-propagating clothing, there’s an answer over there, at multiple price points, too. For what it’s worth, we’re grateful for the variety: we enjoy a Hanes sweatshirt or some under-$20 Russell shorts just as much as that sweet, sweet Reigning Champ French terry, also below.
The Best Shirts on Amazon
Okay, fine, so shirting isn’t really the Zon’s greatest strength. Or, at least, business shirting. Because actually, if you’re craving a button-up of the everyday, workhorse variety to go along with that Mach-3 Prime shipping, Amazon actually does have some sleepers hidden in the mix—think Pendletons, Lacoste polos and Luke Combs’ beloved Columbia PFG fishing-inspired apparel.
Bonus: The Best Menswear on ShopBop
If you hadn’t heard, ShopBop—Amazon’s fashion subsidary–is stocking menswear now. And not just a head-nod hodgepodge either—like, really stocking it. In regards to the brand list, it’s a harmonious mix of ones that you love already (Our Legacy, Birkenstock, Converse) and ones you shouldn’t mind getting acquainted with in the slightest (Howlin, Gitman Vintage, Officine Generale). Plus, the selection from those brands is getting better by the season. For instance, if you missed what’s going to be forever known as the ‘The Bear’ Jacket from NN07—actually called the Gael Jacket—ShopBop still has it. And the best part? You guessed it—Prime shipping still applies.
How We Made These Picks
If you’re reading this, you’re likely all-too-aware of Amazon’s reputation—both as a harbinger of doom for the brick-and-mortar shops we love, and as a desolate wasteland of dubiously-named third-party brands. We’re not here to correct the record on either front. Sometimes, though, you need a decent shirt in a jiffy—or have $50 to spend on jeans—and the Everything Store seems like your best option. We get it; heck, we’ve been there, too.
The real secret to buying menswear on Amazon is to temper expectations accordingly—you won’t find any swashbuckling designer brands in the mix—and stick with labels you already trust. (We’d recommend eschewing any brand you haven’t heard of, let alone one with a few too many vowels in its name.) That leaves you with a surprisingly decent array of menswear to choose from: Calvin Klein undies, Dickies work jackets, Timex watches, Levi’s jeans. We’ve bought all of the above from Amazon in the past, and have zero regrets about our purchases—in fact, many of them tend to get more wear than their splashier counterparts.
At this point, each member of the GQ Recommends squad is so thoroughly familiar with the here-today-gone-tomorrow nature of Amazon’s inventory that compiling this guide wasn’t all that difficult. (Hey, we prize scale and convenience just as much as you.) By and large, though, we tried to avoid flash-in-the-pan deals in favor of reliable stalwarts solid directly by the brand in question, and available in a full run of sizes.
