15 Best Suits Under $1000 2024, According to GQ Editors

Perhaps you’ve heard: men's suits are back—definitively, radically, triumphantly. The best suits under $1000 reflect that mood wholeheartedly. Wearing a suit is downright fun again: It means you have a reason to be dressed, to be out in the world, to celebrate.

Whether you’re in need of something big and brash to cause a stir at an upcoming wedding, or a sharp, versatile two-piece to nail your next presentation, there’s a top-notch suit out there for you that won’t break the bank. We know, because we found them all. From workday corduroys to classic navy flannels, here are the 15 absolute best suits for men under $1000.

• The Best Affordable Suit Overall: Buck Mason Graduate Suit, $746
• The Best Affordable Suit for Fall: J.Crew Kenmare Double-Breasted Suit, $896
• The Best Affordable Double-Breasted Suit: Todd Snyder Wool Wythe Suit, $996
• The Best Affordable Suit That Isn’t Navy: Banana Republic Italian Rustico Suit, $650
• The Best Affordable Suit for Tailoring Nerds: Sid Mashburn Kincaid No. 2 Suit, $950
• The Best Affordable Suit for Fashion Guys: Mfpen Wool Twill Suit, $855

If you’re shopping for your first proper suit, or just looking for a great navy blue or slate gray addition to your weekday rotation, the Graduate hits all the right notes at a price that’s tough to beat. Its soft-shouldered silhouette and patch pockets are an homage to the Ivy-style sack suits of the 1960s, but that doesn’t mean you have to wear it with a repp tie and penny loafers (although you definitely can.) The three-roll-two jacket features notch lapels and a Goldilocks-worthy cut that’s neither too wide nor too slim, making it an easy way to lend sartorial clout to a wide range of looks, either on its own or with the matching trousers.

As with every good suit, however, the things that make it great are often hidden, like the Graduate’s fully-canvassed jacket that will mold to your body over time. “I wore this suit to a wedding and felt like a million bucks,” GQ style commerce writer Gerald Ortiz says. “I'm not sure why it took so long for a suit like this to exist for under a grand, but I plan on recommending it to anyone and everyone—especially folks trying out their first.”

In any conversation about stylish yet affordable suiting, it’s only a matter of time before J.Crew enters the chat. A dominant player in the entry-level suit game since the advent of the era-defining Ludlow in the aughts, J.Crew has helped countless dudes to up their tailoring game without blowing next month’s rent money. What the Ludlow was to the #menswear era, the Kenmare is to right now, with a wider cut, broader lapels, and more drapiness than the slim-fitting Ludlow.

The fabric, a fuzzy brown merino wool with a subtle green check, is both breathable and insulating, and the rakish cut evokes Italian suiting of the 1970s when combined with the single-pleated trousers. “The Kenmare might be the most fun off-the-rack suit for the price,” Ortiz says. “And the slate of premium fabrics it's available in really sets it apart from the competition.” Not sure if you’re a double-breasted suit guy? Consider this a great excuse to find out.

Ever since founding his namesake brand more than a decade ago, NYC-based designer Todd Snyder has staked a claim on affordable suits that punch way above their price. That’s definitely the case with the Wythe, from its virgin wool fabric made by a century-old Italian mill to its swishy double-breasted silhouette to the billowy double-pleated trousers. Evoking Giorgio Armani in his prime and the sexiness of early 1980s soft tailoring, the Wythe packs a whole lot of style for under a grand. It’s a big mood, as the kids say, but you don’t have to go full American Gigolo to make it work for you. Try subbing in a camp shirt for your typical button-down in full suit mode, or try wearing the jacket as you would a cardigan, unbuttoned over a tee and jeans.

“The value proposition is second to none here,” GQ senior commerce editor Avidan Grossman says. “For a little over a grand, you get a who's who of wonky tailoring flourishes, from the jacket's horn buttons to the trousers' set waistband.” The Godfather of Italian menswear is alive and well, Grossman notes, but “in the Wythe, his suits have a worthy modern-day successor”.

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Banana Republic

Signature Italian Rustico Suit

$450 $315

Banana Republic

$200

Banana Republic

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Breathable Vitale Barberis Canonico tropical wool
• Perfectly proportioned notch lapels
• Flat-front trousers; soft shoulders

Cons

• Great for tall guys, but a tricky silhouette for short(er) kings

Avidan is 5’11” and wears a size 38 jacket, size 30 trousers. Bowen Fernie

Is taupe truly timeless? Let’s circle back on that in a decade or two, but in the meantime, Banana’s Rustico in Timeless Taupe is an excellent option for anyone who’s not feeling navy blue or charcoal gray. The jacket has two buttons and a set of medium-width notch lapels, which is exactly what you want in an all-rounder, and the pants are flat-fronted for those who don’t love pleats. Any suit is only as good as its fabric, of course, and the Rustico scores top marks there, too, with a 100% wool cloth from the legendary Vitale Barberis Canonico mill in Northern Italy. It’s tropical wool, which means it’s technically not a winter fabric, but if you work in an overheated office, it might be just the thing.

“This suit kind of blew my mind,” Grossman says. “I”m going to keep it a buck: I didn't expect it to fit this well." The jacket's notch lapels are pleasantly hefty without veering into ‘70s-era cosplay, and the trousers’ break just skimmed the top of his boots. “This is a genuinely excellent off-the-rack option,” Grossman maintains. “If you sleep on it because you're scared of brown you're playing yourself.”

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Sid Mashburn

Kincaid No. 2 Suit

$950

Sid Mashburn

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Superb value
• Fully canvassed jacket; hand-stitched spalla camicia sleeves
• Soft shoulders; slim-but-not-skinny cut

Cons

• Unfinished sleeves and trousers are great for your tailor, less so if you're in a rush

Tyler is 5’9” and wears a 46R suit. Bowen Fernie

For those with Barolo tastes and a Peroni budget, Sid Mashburn sees you. The Kincaid’s trifecta of top-tier quality, Southern Italian style, and affordability has made it a staple of Mashburn’s catalog since 2012, and an easy go-to for anyone in search of a versatile navy two-piece. A natural shoulder and slim but not skinny cut lend the Kincaid a near-universal appeal, while the fully canvassed two-button jacket with a spalla camicia sleeve (the signature Neapolitan method of hand-stitching) will satisfy the most discerning r/menswear readers.

“No matter how much I lust after big, bad suits," laments Tyler Chin, GQ’s associate commerce editor, “my lean frame means that it’s best to stick to tailoring that’s a tad more, well, tailored.” Chin especially appreciates the Kincaid's natural shoulders, which helps the jacket feel like it was made just for him, and the “middle-to-high rise” of the trousers. And, lest you think Mashburn wasn’t serious about you looking molto bene in this suit, it comes with unfinished sleeves and trousers that can be hemmed to your exact specs.

If your dressy wardrobe is dominated by tiny black shoes, huge black trousers, and rumpled party shirts, the standard navy three-roll-two isn’t going to cut it. Until you’re ready to step up to the rarefied air of the Balenciagas of the suiting world (or if you just want something a little subtler for the office) Mfpen has your high-fashion tailoring needs covered at a more accessible price.

True to the brand’s Scandi roots, everything in this two-button jacket is as considered as a Finn Juhl chair, thanks to a slouchy fit, lightly structured shoulders, and a somber deadstock wool twill fabric. The patch pockets give it a casual vibe that help it look just as good with battered work pants as it does with Mfpen’s wide-legged service trousers in matching black wool. Short kings beware, though: when we say this suit is slouchy, we mean it. In fact, to give you a proper estimate of its drape and heft, we roped in GQ fashion assistant Charlie Johnson as our model, who rightly eschewed the usual dress-shirt-and-tie combo in favor of an artfully-tucked vintage tee and hefty derbies.

Unless you’re Wes Anderson or an English professor at a New England prep school, a corduroy suit probably isn’t something you’re going to be rocking on the regular, but that’s no reason not to own one. For one thing, you’re bound to get plenty of wear out of the jacket and pants separately (who among us can say they own too many pairs of corduroy pants?) and for another, a corduroy suit like this one is bound to garner you more than your share of compliments at your next holiday party.

Alex Mill

Corduroy Mill Blazer

$225

Alex Mill

Alex Mill

Corduroy Pleated Pants (Long Inseam)

$145

Alex Mill

If your standard notch lapel navy suit isn’t quite vibey enough but you still need to look office-ready, Sunflower's pinstriped number ought to do the job. The jacket’s peak lapels and wide, flowy fit are in keeping with this Copenhagen-based brand’s relaxed (but extremely dialed-in) approach to tailoring, as are the wide pleated trousers that complete the look.

Sunflower

SB Blazer

$498

Sunflower

Sunflower

Wide Pleated Trousers

$274

Sunflower

Séfr’s founders got their start mining vintage stores for hidden gems, which explains the decidedly old-school chocolate-brown hue of this wool twill suit. In addition to a set of broad peak lapels straight out of the disco era, they’ve mixed things up with a single-button closure, a relaxed fit, and pink satin lining. It’s a nice alternative to your standard navy blue, and you won’t have to sort through any musty racks to find it.

Séfr

Seydou Twill Blazer

$485

Mr Porter

Séfr

Mike Twill Suit Trousers

$230

Mr Porter

The best way to capture the seemingly effortless swagger that’s synonymous with southern Italian tailoring is to take a trip to Naples and go buck wild at one of the city’s many revered tailoring shops. The second-best way might be this sleek DB suit, which captures the essence of sprezzatura in its look (peak lapels, soft shoulders), feel (buttery-soft Vitale Barberis Canonico wool), and details (spalla camicia sleeves, half-lining, and patch pockets).

Natalino

Double-Breasted Woollen Flannel Sport Jacket

$580

Natalino

Natalino

Woollen Flannel Single Pleat Trouser

$216

Natalino

Black suits can be a tricky proposition compared to easier-wearing alternatives in gray or navy, but if you want to lean gothic with your tailoring it makes sense to really go for it. In addition to the brassiness of the jacket’s double-breasted cut and the broad, billowy silhouette of the pleated sailor trousers, the sheen of their crinkle-woven viscose fabric makes this a big step above your standard black suit.

Our Legacy

Sharp DB Blazer

$490

SSENSE

Our Legacy

Sailor Trousers

$320

SSENSE