The Best Suits for Men from $278 – $500
Finding a good men’s suit for under $500 got awfully hard in a hurry. For the sake of this list, a “good” suit has to have a few qualities:
- All-season wool or stretch wool fabric
- A fit or multiple fits which are contemporary but not trendy (not skinny, not boxy.)
- Jacket construction which moves well and doesn’t feel stiff (hopefully half canvas.)
These six brands meet those requirements, but there are pros and cons to each. Yet picking a suit from one of these six makers should have you looking good and feeling great without causing too much pain to your bank account.
Rowe & Taylor (Spier Groomsmen Collection) Half Canvas Suits – $278
PROS: Nicely affordable. Still has a half canvas construction to the jacket. Most of their suits are made from 100% merino wool (they also offer a wool/poly/spandex “stretch” version.) Sold as separates, so you get to pick the size of the jacket and trousers independently from each other, which increases your chance of a good off the rack fit (you will need the trousers hemmed.) Lots of colors. Non functioning sleeve cuff buttons make for cheaper/easier tailoring.
CONS: Just one “fit” template, something they call tailored, which falls between athletic and slim. Stock can sometimes sell out. These are work-horses and not “show ponies,” so some of the details (lining, buttons, etc.) can feel pretty basic. Shipping can be slow, as they have to come over the border from Canada.
REVIEW: Head here for a full in-person review.
Nordstrom Trim Fit “Henrik” Suits – $332.98 ($498)
PROS: Sold as separates, so you get to pick the size of the jacket and trousers independently from each other. Free shipping & free returns with legendary Nordstrom customer service. Regular price is just under $500 and they sometimes go on sale. Non functioning sleeve cuff buttons make for cheaper/easier tailoring. 96% Wool 4% elastane fabric is from Italy’s Tollegno mill (at the very least that’s the case for the navy option.)
CONS: Only three colors (navy, grey-blue, and black.) Jacket tails may run a little short (but still far from chopped) on some frames. Only available in slim fit.
Spier & Mackay’s Core Line Slim or Contemporary Fit Suits – $478
- “Core Line” Solid Wool Suits (Charcoal, Navy, Medium Gray, etc.) – $478
- Stretch Wool Travel Suits in Navy or Charcoal – $478
PROS: Nice fabrics, two fits, and half canvas construction. Sleeve cuff buttons are non functioning so tailoring is a cheap breeze. Bemberg lined so they breathe much better than poly lined suits. Details liked a curved “Barchetta” style breast pocket and D ring stitching around the pockets that are usually found on more expensive suits. Really good bang for the buck. Look for the $478 suits in the foundational, charcoal/navy/mid gray options. That’s their “base” line. Maximum value there, although they do play around with spendier fabrics and prices go up the fancier they get. And they even run sales.
CONS: Stocks/sizes are often limited. Stuff sells out relatively fast. Returns can be a little cumbersome, as only your first suit (or sportcoat, shoes, outerwear, and shirt) purchase ships and returns for free. After that, you’re on the hook for a $15 return label.
REVIEWS: Head here for a review of the more athletic leaning, “contemporary” fit. A review of the slim fit can be found here. Size shown above is a 40R contemporary fit on Joe, who is 5’10″/185.
Bonobos Jetsetter Line – $455 when 30% off ($650)
PROS: Easy and fast free shipping & returns. Nice stretch-wool fabric, often sourced from Italy. Tons of fit options: Slim fit, Standard Fit, or Athletic fit, and sizes ranging from 36S to 48L. They’re also sold as separates, so you really get to dial it in by picking the size and fit you want for both the jacket and trouser individually. Trousers even come pre-hemmed. Easy to tailor non-functioning sleeve cuff buttons. Seven “icon” colors with seasonal/bolder patterns also rotating in on occasion.
CONS: Almost never on sale. It can happen, but the icon colors are almost always excluded from sales.
Banana Republic Signature Suit Separates – $476 when 30% off ($680)
PROS: Fabrics are really nice and often sourced from Italian mills. Sold as separates so you’re not stuck with a “nested” jacket and pants. You pick the size of the jacket, you pick the size of the pants, bang there’s your suit. After dinner split makes the waist more comfortable while sitting.
CONS: Functional sleeve cuff buttons are hard/expensive to tailor. Often stuck to full price, but 30% – 40% off sales do roll around with some regularity. Just one “fit” template available, something they call “tailored slim.” On the scale of Boxy>Athletic>Slim>Skinny… they fall somewhere between Athletic and Slim leaning towards Slim, but still should provide most with the room they need. While they do go on sale, sometimes they’ll also get hit with a final sale tag (which is what the trousers shown above are at post time.) If it’s final sale, then it can’t be returned or exchanged.
Review: Head here for our full in person review.
J. Crew: Ludlow Slim or Crosby Classic Fit Italian Wool Suit Seperates – $480 when 40% off ($800)
PROS: Nice Italian wool fabrics. Stock availability is pretty consistent. Fit familiarity is also a big advantage for J. Crew, as a lot of guys already know how J. Crew jackets and trousers fit them. Two fit templates: Ludlow Slim or Crosby Classic fit. These, like many others on this list, are also sold as separates. You’re not stuck with a “nested” pair of trousers with a 6″ drop compared to the jacket (ie buy a 40R jacket, you’re getting 34″ waist in the pants, which can be brought in or let out up to 1.5″ by your local tailor.)
CONS: Expensive. They almost never dip under $500. They’ll sometimes get to 30% off ($560) but usually they’re stuck to full price. Getting one of these suit separate pairs under $400 would require using rewards points or catching one on final sale (which would mean no returns or exchanges.)
REVIEW: Head here for an in-person review of their traveler Ludlow suit separates. Those are sold out at post time, but you’ll get the idea.
Also Receiving Votes but didn’t quite make the $500 or under threshold:
- Suitsupply Perennial Line – Used to go for $499, but they now start at $549. Free shipping/Free returns. Sleeve cuff buttons are functional though, and those can be difficult to tailor.
- Brooks Brothers 1818 suits – Gotta wait for their big “two-for” sales and/or scout the clearance section for after-season leftovers. They’re expensive. Very expensive. But they’re made in Italy or the United States.
- Brooks Brothers EXPLORER Collection suit separates – Not made in Italy or the US, but half-canvas, made from Italian wool, available in multiple fits, and sold as separates so you get to pick the size of the jacket and trousers separately. Does go on sale every so often.
- Oliver Wicks – Online made to measure. Made in Europe (Portugal or Bulgaria I believe?) and quite nice fabric and construction.
Also related:
