There are tons of iconic menswear brands out there, but did you know there are several underrated brands that actually fly under the radar? We will be sharing several of our favorites with you today.
What Do We Mean When We Say Underrated?
What we mean by “underrated” are brands that have offerings within the umbrella of classic menswear that are often overlooked. They could be otherwise popular brands that are not conventionally associated with classic style. For example, L.L. Bean is more known for its sportswear, rather than its sweaters and cardigans, which is why they’re often overlooked in this context.
Underrated Brands – 1. L. L. Bean
I suppose this one was an easy one to guess, considering our reference to it. As we mentioned, L. L. Bean is more known as an outdoorsman brand that is best recognized for its Maine hunting boots and hiking equipment. They have an excellent array of cotton, wool, and cashmere sweaters that can be worn in a business casual context with chinos, jeans, or flannels. These have solid construction methods and good materials and are fairly inexpensive for what you get.
A lot of the jackets in outerwear are on the more casual end, but these can still mesh with classic style, such as their shacket, parkas, and utility jackets. If you prefer a rugged casual look, they’re a great option with impressive overall value.
2. Lands’ End
This company originally got its start as a yachting supply company, but later moved into casual men’s clothing. It was later acquired by Sears, and focused on e-commerce and mail orders.
Much like L. L. Bean, it’s their casual offerings that really shine. They have excellent seersucker shirts, OCBDs, and sweaters. Their seersucker shirts are especially nice since it’s a rare summer fabric that can be hard to source. They’re also one of the few brands that offer quality classic pajamas. Their selection is large and fairly inexpensive, with decently made clothing that fits a wide variety of styles, making them perfect for this list.
3. Murray’s Toggery Shop
This brand is well-known amongst prep enthusiasts. They’re best known for their Nantucket Red trousers, and have a variety of whimsical prep-style chinos, jeans, and corduroy pants. We also love their Harrington jackets, and overall Nautical-themed offerings, from their ring belts to rowing blazers, which are all typical of the Old Money aesthetic.
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This brand also partners and does frequent collaborations with more well-known brands, like Peter Millar, Barbour, and Bonobos, to bolster their offerings further, giving them even more classic cred.
4. Kit Blake Trousers
This brand is more well-known in London and the UK, but is less prominent internationally. Their signature trouser offerings are high-rise, pleated, and side-tabbed trousers, but still have a tapered, more contemporary cut.
What we enjoy most about them is the rich patterns, colors, and materials they use, with flannel, high quality, cotton, and linen, being especially nice, and it will be far more luxurious and have more character than your standard mall-brand garment. They’re also not overly expensive, which we appreciate as well.
5. D’Avenza.
Most menswear enthusiasts will be familiar with classic Italian brands like Brioni, Isaia, Kiton, and Attolini, who are renowned for their high-quality clothing but d’Avenza never gets the same level of credit against its Italian contemporaries, despite offering, in many ways, a similar quality product, combining Italian and British tailoring, using impressive high-end materials and construction methods, with blends like cashmere and even corduroy. The brand is especially great to acquire secondhand for your wardrobe.
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As their lack of marketing has made their name far less recognizable, just finding a website that sells their product is difficult, but when buying second-hand, you can get a top-of-the-line jacket for a fraction of the cost.
6. John Varvatos
This brand is more well-known for its rock-and-roll aesthetic, but did you know Varvatos was originally the head designer for Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein? This influence sneaks into some of their offerings, leading to some really unique designs, like their lapel waistcoats and bomber jackets that are slightly fashion-forward but are still classically inspired and can be layered onto dress shirts, button-downs, and Henleys, all without looking out of place.
They’re going to be much more pricey when purchased new since they’re more of a fashion house, but still can be found at decent prices secondhand. If you like clothing that’s a little different and trendy, they walk an excellent line without straying too far from their classic roots.
7. Baturina
Derek Rose, Drakes, and Purple Label all dominate the high-end sleepwear category for men and demand a premium in price for it, where there’s this German company that offers quality robes and pajamas for men called Baturina that while not cheap is much more affordable than the brands mentioned above.
Men’s Classic Pajamas, Slippers, & Robes (Dressing Gowns)
What’s unique about them is their offerings are heavily made to measure focused, and include robes, pajama tops and bottoms, and even smoking caps. Meaning that you can get a pair of Golden Age-inspired pajamas that fit you perfectly. Smoking pipe and champagne are an optional accessory, but a nice touch.
There’s also a high level of customization in materials. Not many brands offer silk, wool, or cotton pajamas, let alone ones that are customizable, giving them a unique niche that no one else quite fills at this price point.
8. Aero
Belstaff, Schott, and The Real McCoy’s are often regarded as some of the best leather jacket brands, but Aero has a number of unique offerings that are also high quality. They often use Cordovan and models like their Hooch Hauler are directly based on patterns from the 30s and 40s. So, you can live out your fantasies of a 1920s bootlegger.
Cordovan jackets are especially sought after by leather jacket enthusiasts, since cordovan has a unique sheen and superior durability when compared to calfskin, making their offerings at the $1,000 mark quite reasonable, considering what you get.
Their accessories, such as flat caps, luggage, and other leather goods also are fairly impressive. They also offer a made-to-measure program, meaning that you can get a perfect leather jacket, if nothing else fits you off-the-rack.
9. Belvest
There’s another Italian brand out there that often gets overlooked. Belvest is a great manufacturer that has a number of full canvas jackets, with unique styling details, with bolder colors and patterns – quintessential to Neapolitan tailoring.
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They also are hybrid between British and Italian tailoring styles with how their silhouette is structured, with some great casual field jackets and relaxed tailoring to boot. They have some bolder colors and patterns as well that aren’t readily available, making for a great statement jacket.
This is another amazing brand to look for on the secondhand market that often can be found on places like eBay for far less than you’d otherwise get at their quality level.
10. Uniqlo
The world of Japanese selvedge denim can be an expensive one. Thankfully, there’s one brand that does an excellent job of balancing cost and quality. Uniqlo isn’t as prominent as other big retail chains in the US, but it does offer a solid array of casual menswear at very affordable prices.
Their raw denim, in particular, is offered at an excellent price if you’re okay with the slimmer fit. But they do offer some pairs of jeans that are more classically cut for those of us who can’t wear slim clothing, and it’s a great alternative to Levi’s. They also offer solid sweaters that are made of wool and cashmere that can make for great layering pieces during the fall and winter.
For being a trendier clothing brand that is better known for graphic teas and sweatpants, they also have some classic overcoat options that are better quality than most mall Brands like Zara or H&M.
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While some of their offerings do end up on the hyper-trendy end, there are some hidden gems in the classic sphere that are extremely affordable for what you get.
11. Bills Khakis
Khakis might unjustly be the butt of fashion jokes at times, but they have a thankless job as a key foundation piece in men’s wardrobes. Bills Khakis is a US brand that is heavily inspired by the styles popularized by Britain and America during World War II.
Their khakis come in a variety of fits. They provide a good amount of legroom without being baggy or poorly cut and will fit a larger amount of men than most brands out there. They are also made of a higher quality twill than most, making them much more comfortable to wear. That comfort is one reason Rafael likes to wear them so much: because he has large thighs – as he likes to mention all the time.
Those khakis work especially well with sports coats, sweaters, or other business casual pieces. If you find it harder to find casual pants off-the-rack and still want to brand with an eye for detail, few can compare.
Conclusion
Classic menswear isn’t just name or iconic brands, and we hope these underrated brands helped you think outside of the box, especially when considering these classic menswear items.
Feel we missed an underrated gem? Let us know in the comments what your underrated brands would be and why.
Underrated Menswear Brands FAQs
What is the most underrated apparel brand?
This will be a very subjective question that will depend on what you’re looking for, along with your price point, but we hope the brands helped guide you in the right direction.
What are the top Gen Z clothing brands for men?
Gen-Z will often opt for more streetwear and hypebeast styles of brands, but options like Uniqlo and John Varasots definitely will appeal to a younger crowd.
Which clothing brand is best for men?
The best clothing brand for men is one that will suit the intended function of what they’re trying to accomplish, with the highest possible standards of durability and craftsmanship at the allotted price point. No “one brand” fits this mold, so each will have their own hidden gems.
What men’s brands are trending?
Classic brands like Sunspel are having another moment in the spotlight, while newer brands like John Elliot and Uniqlo are gaining more notoriety.
What is the best brand for clothes?
The best clothing brand is one that fits your needs and styling preferences and doesn’t cut corners at their expected price point on quality and durability to solely focus on their bottom line.
Outfit Rundown
Today I am wearing a navy blazer with a red and white striped button-down shirt, a Fort Belvedere pocket square, denim, brown dress shoes, and Fort Belvedere socks, and I’m wearing Blue Suede Shoes by Roberto Ugolini.
You left off Fort Belvedere itself!? I have 3 things from your shop and they’re all quite good. Furthermore, few outside the loyalist are aquainted.
Greetings,
I appreciated the fact that Fort Belvedere was not included by dint of the fact that offered items are vastly over-priced, quality merchandise notwithstanding.
Best wishes for future success.
Sincerely,
Andrew Gregg,
Palm Springs, California.
I rely on Frank’s Pants now for khakis. Btw, Land’s End as of this writing makes khakis with a proper rise and thigh (their quality comes and goes…maybe someone can comment on their current must-iron OCBDs). As an obsessive cyclist, I’m not interested in slim-fit *anything* on my legs.
Dear Andrew,
Are Fort Belvedere items cheap? No they are not. Why is that? Everything we do starts with quality. We do not make things with a final goal price in mind. We are dedicated to quality and make quality products. Once we have accomplished that, we set a price.
At the end of the day, quality is felt, experienced and enjoyed long after the price is forgotton.
I have considerable familiarity with Belvest (odd jackets), Bills Khakis (twill pants and twill shorts in M3 cut), and Lands End (v-neck sweaters; t-necks and mock t-necks as layering pieces or for exercising/running outside in the winter months). I would recommend all three companies.
Murray’s likely uses the term UHB because it stands for Urban Haute Bourgeois. The term originated in “Metropolitan,” a comedy film about young rich students living on the Upper East Side, precisely because a character didn’t like the term “preppie” and was searching for something more accurate. Another character chides him for finding a term for Americans that uses two words from French. In the film, they like to throw white tie and black tie parties, among other things, and all have impeccable manners.
This is a valuable video because I often don’t really know where to go or how to shop for the items GG often recommends. Finally, I can source smoking caps and dressing gowns!
I would just caution that a video like this should be updated from time to time. Prices, offerings and quality can change on a dime, affecting the value they offer.
Take a look at Paul James Knitwear, in the UK.
I also suggest O’Connells Clothing, located in Buffalo, NY. Great selection and quality, but nothing is cheap. Entirely classic styling and huge selection.
The L.L. Bean cotton shawl-neck cardigan is shown… but their lambs wool one is absolutely fantastic. I need to get a second one.
interesting article-
do most of these brands (or do any of them ) have Tall sizes?-
as a 48l to 48xl suit jacket, before i start looking i would want to know.
thank you!
there many other things that a gentleman needs to know
… acceptable careers, sports, educational opportunities, literature and so on.
most important is what to look for in a potential spouse. this person can either make or destroy your total life.