Don’t think for a second that you can’t shop in the men’s section solely based on gender. Savvy thrifters have known about this shopping trick forever as a way to add better-quality fits and more functional details than you’d find in womenswear, but it’s time the rest of us shopped the same way—especially if these cool brands are involved.
Not all of the names you’ll see here are exclusively menswear labels. For instance, affordable favorites Zara and Uniqlo just happen to have great menswear sections you might have been sleeping on, while smaller labels like Rowing Blazers boast men’s and women’s offerings that both lean into traditional menswear silhouettes. And then there are brands including Bode that have more recently expanded into womenswear after their menswear saw a spike in interest by women. The overall theme these days seems to be more one of fluidity than rigidity in labels, and the shopping landscape is certainly evolving to fit the current mood.
So consider the below nine brands and stores your jumping-off point into the world of menswear. Shop any one of them, and I promise that your closet and personal style will definitely be stronger for it.
