We value designer Brands precisely because we believe in their built expertise. They know what they’re making. For this purpose, if you want a suit, see a proper dressmaker. At least, that is, if you need a traditional suit – with all the stress on construction, fabric, endurance, and, in most cases, timelessness. But if you want something rather more contemporary, turn to the “designer” labels.

Declared as these are on broadly reflecting seasonal changes – which is why it’s unlikely to speak of any of them having a separate house style – the designers may grapple with offering you a suit that works as an all-purpose workhorse that you’ll be donning for years to come. Still, you will find a suit that’s available to play with form, color, and features. And it’s this play that unites a twist to what is, at the core, essentially conservative apparel; and in a way that those dressmaking professionals likely will not entertain.

In other words, why you may form loyalty to a dressmaker – the fit and style always work for you, and you can keep running back to it year after year – on the top, you may also be attracted to the designer labels to put some 21st-century fire into your suit.

 

#1 Dolce & Gabbana Men’s Designer Brands

As it happened in the 1990s, the Italian behemoth still represents what amounts to a modern take on the Dolce Vita fashion of the 1950s and 1960s: while the ladies are all elegant, curvaceous, and kohl-eyed, the men are all draped and in razor-sharp, monochrome apparel. Its Reservoir Dogs joins the Trevi Fountain.

 

#2 Gucci

 

Gucci hasn’t raced to strip itself from its 1970s youth style – all that “Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci” high charm at Studio 54. And it still goes. If you want a vigorously diverse suit – with contrast piping, or some patterning, for instance, just about anything that would disbar said outfit from the boardroom – then Gucci is where to shop.

 

#3 Paul Smith

 

One of the principal designers la to be acknowledged for its dressmaking – in no small portion because the guy behind the acclaimed British label is hardly out of navy dressmaking – Paul Smith’s strategy is quintessentially English: think a large, slimline with a snapped waist and stiff shoulder. Why purchase Paul Smith over a tailoring expert then? For the quirky features, from the stuffing in the house border to differentiate stitching throughout the buttonholes.

 

#4 Thom Browne

 

 

Thom Browne was years advancing of the crowd to bring a fresh expression at traditional tailoring dimensions to do something distinct; something that traditionalists thought was ludicrous, but which nonetheless went on to remold style tailoring for the subsequent decade. Browne plays with symmetries, his aesthetic slightly akin to having put your woolen suit through a hot rinse – consider close-fitting, more concise length jackets and cropped ankle-flashing slacks.

#5 Stefano Ricci

More standard than fashion, Stefano Ricci’s outfits (featured image, top) are about as near as it gets to ultimate luxury in dressmaking – which is why he manages to be a go-to option for leaders, oligarchs, and the CEOs of multi-nationals. Every outfit is completely made in Italy by the label’s team of professional in-house artisans.

 

#6 Ralph Lauren

 

The grand-daddy of preppy fashion, Ralph Lauren merges American influences – from the bag suit to 1950s Ivy League clothing – with an American’s take on British dressmaking. The end is so conventional as to somehow crossover into absolute cool. It encourages some innovative clothing, too, as one might anticipate from the artist who once mixed black tie with denim fabric.

 

#7 Hugo Boss

 

It’s hard to dodge conventions, but there is something very Germanic about Hugo Boss clothing – it’s stark, efficient, and outspoken, as befits a label with a long history of creating made-to-measure pieces from civilian style to service uniforms. Don’t assume the avant-garde. But do anticipate purity with an edge.

 

#8 Tom Ford

 

The man who assisted Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent back on the picture and used dressmaking to such an optical impression in his own films, Tom Ford, likes his dressmaking decadent. With the stress on harmonious, luxurious materials (velvet, satin) and bold when placing men in challenging designs (leopard print, for instance), Ford’s style is capital E in Elegance.

 

#9 Prada Designer Brands

If you want an outfit that’s very much of the present, Prada should be your first gate of call. While it can do a masterpiece, the label has – at least since its 1990s revival – never seemed restrained by received enlightenment as to what an outfit should be. If it’s feeling “scuba,” assume a suit in neoprene; if it’s feeling “army,” assume the one with lots of pouches; if it’s “brat,” anticipate zips all over. You get the concept: this is the suit as an innovative staging.

 

#10 Saint Laurent

The brand that attempts to maintain the vision of its creator, Yves Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent’s suits sometimes engage with bold designs and color but is most valued for its straight-up-and-down, super-slim dressmaking. Even the band name has taken the very pared-back, less-is-more appearance, having lost the creator’s first name.

 

#11 Giorgio Armani Designer Brand

The artist who reinvented the suit back in the 1980s – enabling it to break loose of its famous bulletproofing and step towards something much freer and more concise form-fitting (all the while requiring specialist tailoring to make this possible) – Armani arguably stays the ultimate “designer” label. His suits are still top-quality too.

 

#12 Dries Van Noten Designer Brands

Dries van noten

 

The Belgian stylist comes from a lengthy line of dressmakers – so, although he’s not known for his dressmaking, there’s lots of it, most of it aiming to mildly, wittily undermine settled idea of what a suit is. This doesn’t mean cartoonish dimensions or placing on three sleeves when two (obviously) will work. But if it’s in a conventional suiting design or material, for example, expect that design or material to be at once simple and yet in some way shaped out of the everyday Designer Brands.

 

#12 Burberry Designer Brands

Founded in 1856, Burberry soon became renowned for its outdoor apparel, traditional trenchcoat, and trademark plaid patterning. Fast-forward only over a century, and this British luxury style label launched outfits into their empire. Combining old and new worlds, Burberry’s outfits influence the masterpieces when it comes to materials and methods while including contemporary tailoring and shapes.

 

#13 Givenchy

Born in one of the style capitals- Paris, Givenchy produces all the characteristics of traditional French charm to the world of men’s style. Presenting silky, structured, and modern suits, Givenchy is never one to walk away from the avant-garde. Whether you want a traditional colored suit-blazer or a tuxedo imprinted with stars, a Givenchy outfit will forever make a declaration.

 

#14 Valentino Men’s Designer brands

For a timeless outfit that epitomizes sophistication, Valentino gives individual made-to-measure styling. Build the perfect suit for any event with an arsenal of sumptuous materials at your disposal. For an absolutely personalized outfit that may be carried on to later generations, have your name hand-embroidered inside your outfit pocket or your initials sewed onto the left facet of your garment.