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 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 who have more recently expanded into womenswear after their menswear saw a spike in interest by the opposite gender. 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.
Grace Wales Bonner and her retro sporty attire have been an insider favorite for a while but with the release of the brand’s Adidas collaboration, the name has been propelled to new heights. With a uniquely gender-fluid perspective—men’s and womenswear are shown together on the runways and throughout brand campaigns—you’d be remiss to stick to one side since the both collections offer something for everyone.
Preppy style has found a modern-day home in Rowing Blazers, whose fun-loving and irreverent take on Ivy League style is redefining the category. If you first found them for their Princess Diana sheep-printed pullover or the knit that simply reads “I’m a Luxury,” you’ll want to stay for the rainbow rugby shirts and vintage-looking accessories.
Bode was wise to start offering the same Americana mood and detailed handiwork that her brand is known for to a womenswear customer. Launched in 2016, it’s earned a cult-popular following among New York’s downtown scene—with people of all genders, it should be noted—so it was really only a matter of time until the CFDA award-winning designer catered to the following she’s already has such success building.
The son of an Eritrean tailor, Áwet Woldegebriel just has impeccable style in his DNA. After arriving in this country as a refugee, Woldegebriel was committed to imbuing his namesake label (which means victory) with the same integrity for clothes-making that he grew up around and during the pandemic, he did just that, launching Áwet with a goal of supporting local garment workers and a dying New York industry by making and producing everything here in the city. What’s resulted is a line of non-gendered tailoring and bespoke loungewear with a menswear-inspired aesthetic that’s earned the young designer industry acclaim including an exciting Saks Fifth Avenue buy-in.
Nanushka is just really good at what it does. The Budapest-based label makes high-end clothes without the ultra-high-end price tags with their neutral knitwear and vegan leather pieces being highlights. It’s no wonder that the menswear is just as exciting as the womenswear—it’s filled with all the same artful touches and the styling is especially forward.
Every time I swing by the massive Uniqlo store in SoHo, I end up wandering into the men’s section. By the time I’m done browsing, I usually have an armful of handy basics like twill trench coats, crewneck tees, and crisp button-downs thanks to Uniqlo’s simple men’s cuts that translate seamlessly into my own style.
Spend just five minutes in the NYC neighborhood of NoLiTa and you’ll nearly stumble over a parade of Aimé Leon Dore fans. The menswear brand is genius in its simplicity and styling, offering updated closet staples with enough of a cool touch to make them utterly must-have. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to add a baseball hat or bomber jacket to your arsenal just because they don’t offer womenswear (yet).
Here’s your reminder that a quick tab over to the men’s section of Zara’s site will surface a trove of cool finds you’d otherwise be missing out on. If you normally shop womenswear, you’ll want to start in with outerwear and sweaters—two of the strongest categories, IMO—to get that authentically oversized menswear fit. PSA: the leather jackets right now are especially good.
Like many of the brands on this list, Tombolo doesn’t align itself with one gender, but rather photographs its embroidered resortwear staples like cabana shirts and terrycloth shorts on both men and women to show just how versatile the pieces are. The only question you need to ask yourself when shopping Tombolo is When is my next vacation?!
Up next, get inspired by eight zero-cost styling tricks that make you look like an expert dresser.