These Are the Clothing Brands Our EIC Swears By

Nota bene: All products in this article are independently selected and vetted by InsideHook editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I genuinely do not know how I wound up in a position where I am so frequently writing about men’s style, given that, as I’m sure many of my colleagues would eagerly attest, I am not a particularly stylish dresser. And certainly not an adventurous one. I wear jeans, mostly, with sneakers or boots or, most commonly for the past couple years, a pair of brown Dr. Marten derbies. I have a million T-shirts, many of which say Wilco on them, and I have a million variations of oxfords, overshirts and assorted button-downs, but I generally stick with just a few of them, if only because they tend to be most accessible in my extremely cluttered and disorganized closet.

Four Style Swerves to Try This Spring

Turbocharge your seasonal style

But for whatever reason, you guys seem to respond to it pretty well when I do, which is kind of a nice feeling. So today, I thought I’d run down the brands I turn to most often as a 46-year-old dude who works in a very casual office and occasionally has to go to events where everyone seems very cool, but who is most often just driving kids places and going to record stores and neighborhood restaurants. The stuff of dreams, I know.

So let’s get to it. Am I missing out on something it seems I’d like? Let me know.

Madewell

There are days when I leave my house wearing exclusively items from Madewell. Their 1991 straight leg jeans are my daily drivers, and I own this shirt in every color they’ve ever made it in, which is far more than the four currently on offer. I have a few of their OCBDs, which they don’t seem to make anymore, as well as a handful of their very good Vintage Tees. And their Devoe Shirt is probably my most-worn article of clothing over the past six months. Hell, they even stock the Dr Martens I wear most days. A word to the wise if you’re new to the brand, though: you’ll want to size down in most items.

Flint and Tinder

I’ve been working in the men’s lifestyle space for more than a decade at this point, so it should come as little surprise that my closet is jam-packed with items from Huckberry’s primary house brand. From their outstanding line of waxed jackets to their underrated basics and indestructible sweatshirts, their versatile 365 Pants and their classic Architect Shirt, they make extremely solid versions of most any item I would ever consider wearing. And they’re starting to broaden their purview a bit of late, too, looking beyond the standard hard-wearing American classics they’re known for.

Alex Mill

Formed by Alex Drexler, who’s the son of former J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, Alex Mill focuses on a relatively narrow range of classic styles that are made extremely well and are often priced accordingly. Their AM Original 5-pocket jeans are giving my Madewell 1991s a run for their money, their Garment-Dyed Work Jacket is among the best chore coats on the market (and available in some extremely fun colors), and their extensive line of Mill Shirts, available in a wide range of fabrics and colors, is like an elevated take on J.Crew’s Secret Wash Shirts. They also make some pleated chinos I very much want to try but fear I won’t be able to pull off.

Mack Weldon

If I’m walking my dog (a 2-year-old Sheepadoodle named Graham, thank you very much for asking) or driving my kids to school on a day when I’m later going to be working from home, there is a very good chance I’m wearing a pair of Mack Weldon’s ACE Sweatpants, which I own in two colors: black and asphalt. They also make the best underwear, which, yes, is quite expensive. Good socks, too.

J.Crew

If I think all the way back to when I was roughly 18 years old, I have probably owned more articles of clothing from J.Crew than anywhere else…by a long shot, and there’s still no shortage of their stuff cycling through my wardrobe during any given season. If you were hoping for something cooler, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I rely on their suits and sport coats pretty much exclusively, I am quite fond of their 770 5-pocket pants, and I make it a point to pick up some of their cashmere whenever it goes on sale.