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Owning a good fitted suit is like having a tire-changing kit in your car trunk. Even if you don’t use it that often, every man should have one—and know how to work with it. This is especially true if you’re in a wedding party. The best groomsmen suits don’t just look the part, but function accordingly.
For groomsmen, wedding days are physical and activity-heavy. And in the face of a wedding-day wild card, say last-minute table set-up sans costume change, it’s up to the groom’s attendants to ensure all jobs get done. Few suits offer this kind of adaptability, but our top pick here does.
What are the benefits of buying a groomsmen suit for a wedding?
Even the most casual gent will attend a few weddings in his lifetime. Unlike bridesmaid dresses, groomsman suits are usually pretty standard and versatile. By investing in one or two good ones, you’ll have proper attire for any professional or formal situation, and quality separates for smart casual occasions.
Top Places to Buy Groomsmen Suits
- Best Overall: State & Liberty, Stretch Suit and Stretch Tuxedo
- Thom Sweeney Tailoring
- Todd Snyder Italian Twill Madison Suit
- Ralph Lauren Wool Twill Suit
- ASOS suit collection
What are the Best Men’s Suits to try in 2022?
A modern-day suit is equipped with timeless lines and exudes confidence, in the most unstuffy way possible. Comfort plays a big factor in that, which is why State & Liberty’s Stretch Suits are the best on the market right now.
1. Best Overall: State & Liberty, Stretch Suit and Stretch Tuxedo
Maker: State & Liberty
Top Key Features: Versatile and flattering tapered slim fit, several colors available, strong four-way stretch construction that’s lightweight, breathable, and moisture-resistant
Returns: Will accept any return that is unworn and resellable, within 90 days of purchase
Price: $550-$650
What’s Good About State & Liberty Stretch Suits:
When designing stretch fit suits, heritage clothiers often have the boardroom in mind, building their jackets and trousers with zero consideration to movement. With State & Liberty’s fitted suits and tuxes, you can feel the four-way stretch, but you can’t see it. This is a rarity in the comfort-dress hybrid market, which often falls short either comfort-wise or dress-wise.
Not only are their suits traditionally stylish and flexible, but user-friendly. Even guys who aren’t used to dressing formally can move naturally in them.
This is especially important for groomsmen who, again, need to run around without worrying about ripping a seam. Plus, the material’s lightweight breathability is something every man who’s been a groomsman during a July wedding will be grateful for.
State & Liberty’s expertise with performance fabric that looks like formal fabric is rooted in the brand’s focus on athletic body types. This also means they build uniquely tapered fits.
Their impressive scope of colorways are typically only seen in fast-fashion brands. You can literally find a suit for any theme that the bride might throw at you. In addition to the staple grays, blues, and heathered options, they have maroon, sea green, and burnt orange—just to name a small few.
What’s Not So Good:
State & Liberty’s non-standard colorways are made to order, which is a testament to their authentic craftsmanship. However, sometimes this means waiting a little bit for your suit to be ready, so you might want to plan a couple of months in advance.
The Verdict:
State & Liberty’s Stretch Suits are as sleek as any traditionally-built Sunday best, yet they boast an innovative four-way stretch, offering unlimited motion that doesn’t impede the classic look.
The flawlessly streamlined fit is both versatile and flattering. Meanwhile, the wide range of colors provides a level of customization. The trousers are also machine-washable and wrinkle-resistant, adding an easy-maintenance factor, fully cinching the State & Liberty suit as the best groomsman suit on the market.
2. Thom Sweeney Tailoring
Maker: Thom Sweeney
Top Key Features: Expert Italian tailoring and craftsmanship, bespoke services, use of premium materials such as Loro Piana baby cashmere and 100% Solbiati linen
Returns: Free returns accepted within 14 days of the delivery receipt
Price: $2860-$2990
What’s Good About Thom Sweeney Tailoring:
After bringing back good old-fashioned artisanship into contemporary clothing, British tailoring brand, Thom Sweeney, became a staple in gentleman culture. Naturally, they build some of the most finely crafted suits in the industry.
Thom Sweeney is famously meticulous with how it sources their raw materials. We’re talking Loro Piana baby cashmere, which is as rare as it is soft, and Italian Solbiati linen, which is made from flax crops that are hand-chosen based on their stability.
You can get a suit built from the ground up using their made-to-measure service, or you can find ready-to-wear options on the Thom Sweeney website, on Mr. Porter, or at their locations in London and New York.
When it comes to the ready-to-wears, Thom Sweeney serves up quintessential fits. This means that linen and cashmere suits are unstructured and relaxed, while wool suits are neat and slim. They also offer all of the essential styles, including single and double-breasted jackets, herringbone, and pinstripes.
What’s Not So Good:
Thom Sweeney takes a beyond-expert approach to time-tested suiting, which also means that they don’t fully consider the fact that a groomsman might have to engage in medium-impact activity. This lack of versatility may mean that you’ll need different suits for different weddings, and these guys definitely have a luxury price tag to match their quality.
Moreover, their ready-to-shops are often limited in supply, and their 14-day return policy isn’t particularly generous.
The Verdict:
Thom Sweeney’s painstaking method towards suiting ensures tried-and-true fits and the best materials in fashion. The time and cost are certainly steep, but are justified by the suit’s remarkable quality and stately aesthetic.
3. Todd Snyder Italian Twill Madison Suit
Maker: Todd Snyder
Top Key Features: Fashion-forward fit and design, light yet durable Italian twill construction, comes in a classic olive and a neutral khaki shade
Returns: Todd Snyder accepts unused returns in their original packaging, accompanied with all designer garment bags, within 30 days. Final sale and clearance items aren’t returnable
Price: $676
What’s Good About Todd Snyder Madison Suits:
A no-brainer pick for a summer wedding, Todd Snyder’s Madison looks like a stylish European suit that’s been infused with resortwear undertones. The result is a softly-tailored and refined silhouette.
The two colorways, a sophisticated “Faded Olive” and a khaki hue called “Sandstone”, are expressive and fashionable, but still neutral enough so that, when worn as groomsmen suits, don’t overpower the groom himself. In fact, they strike the balance of understated and distinct so well, you can use one or both colors for the same wedding party without a visual clash.
This suit definitely needs to be worn with confidence, since the on-trend cut is a tad flowy, further accentuated by the pant pleats and butterfly lining that covers the top one-fourth of the jacket.
Also, the Italian twill weave, courtesy of the famed Sondrio mill, is durable and an excellent stain-hider, two essential qualities for the wedding reception.
What’s Not So Good:
While I understand that Todd Snyder’s artistic approach to clothes means selectively not doling out every style in every color, the Madison would benefit from at least one more variation. A blue or warm gray shade would lend itself to the summery cut of the suit.
The Verdict:
Thanks to its casual but elegant tailoring, the Todd Snyder Madison Suit is trendy yet cultured, and easy to move around in. It has an effortlessly cool vibe, whether you wear it as a solid or broken suit.
4. Ralph Lauren Wool Twill Suit
Maker: Ralph Lauren
Top Key Features: Soft and enduring wool twill construction, lean and classy silhouette, comes in two traditional colorways
Returns: Will accept unwashed, unworn, and unaltered returns with the attached tags or online invoice, within 30 days of shipment date or in-store purchase date
Price: $995
What’s Good About Ralph Lauren Wool Twill Suit:
Ralph Lauren’s Wool Twill Suit combines British slim cut and American, loose fit suit cuts. The jacket sports a rolled lapel for a softer finish, while the flat-front trousers round off its lean silhouette. It’s the kind of groomsman suit that teen wedding guests and grandparents alike will agree looks good.
Other notable qualities include the hand-sewn shoulders that help characterize the half-canvassed jacket and the decorative buttons on the cuffs.
Material-wise, wool twill is breathable and antimicrobial, while the cupro jacket lining is thermo-regulating and quick-drying. So even after a long wedding day, you can probably get another wear or two before having to dry clean it.
This suit comes in two colorways: A country club-staple navy, and a professional, but not overly aggressive charcoal.
What’s Not So Good:
While one of the customary suit fabrics, wool twill isn’t very flexible. With the right fit, it’s durable enough to withstand a bit of broad activity, but you certainly won’t have your full range of motion. Additionally, the two-color selection is meager.
The Verdict:
Ralph Lauren’s Wool Twill Suit is the look that comes to mind when you think about groomsmen suits. It’s definitely on-template, combining best practices from different cuts and fits, with a modern but trend-resistant twist. On the practical side, the wool twill construction is strong and breathable.
5. ASOS Design Suit Collection
Maker: ASOS Design
Top Key Features: Vast selection of fits, colors, and patterns, mostly under $200
Returns: Accepts return in original condition within 28 days of delivery or collection for full refund, and within 29 to 45 days for ASOS credit. Final sale and heavily-discounted items are non-returnable
Price: $75-$250
What’s Good About the ASOS Design Suit Line:
For budget-minded folks, the ASOS Design suit line is almost overwhelmingly wide-ranging, with several pieces at below-market price points. They’ve got skinny fits (and super skinny fits), oversized fits, and all the nuances in between. There’s brown suits, black suits, striped suits, and even styles you’ll likely never need for a wedding—sequins, for example.
Still, if your groom throws you a curve ball of a dress code, ASOS is a good place to find an unconventional suit on the cheap.
That being the case, ASOS Design leans hard into fashion-forward, often unconventional designs. Even a lot of their “regular-fit” suits are trendily free-flowing. Fortunately, asos.com lets you narrow down your search using 11 different levers, so it’s easy to find exactly what you need.
What’s Not So Good:
While ASOS Design offers a compelling value proposition overall, keep in mind that the quality of their suits vary. They’re all pretty durable, and will definitely last you a whole wedding day, but they aren’t lifers and aren’t always made from the highest grade materials.
The Verdict:
Sometimes, you just need a low-cost groomsman suit that fits the wedding’s theme and that you might wear once or twice more that year. If that’s the case, ASOS Design has a wide range of sturdy suits and suit separates for less than the price of a rental.
FAQs About Groomsmen Suits
Should groomsmen rent a tux or buy a suit?
It depends on your budget. If you don’t own a quality suit or tux, and your groom is requiring standard attire in a neutral color, being in a wedding party is a good opportunity to invest. There are also budget brands, like ASOS Design, that sell suits at below-rental prices but we would recommend investing in a quality brand like State & Liberty.
How early should I start searching to buy groomsmen suits?
As soon as you find out what you’re required to wear. The sooner you can find a suit, the more grace period you have to deal with the unexpected, like sizing issues or color discrepancies.
Does the groom buy the groomsmen suits?
Traditionally, groomsmen buy their own suits.
How much should be spent for a groomsman suit?
The average price of groomsmen suits is between $300 and $800. It doesn’t ultimately matter how much you spend on a groomsman suit. It should be within your budget, and good-looking enough out of respect to the groom.
Where should I buy a groomsmen suit for a wedding?
Look to brands that build suits with function. State & Liberty’s suits are equipped with stretch, while Todd Snyder uses soil-resistant twill. Unlike business clothes, the most effective groomsmen apparel should be able to handle the action of a wedding day.
How do I choose a groomsman suit?
The most important thing is that you choose the right color and stay on theme. The second most important thing is that you feel comfortable in the suit. Finally, stay within budget.
When to get fitted for a wedding suit?
Typically it is best to get fitted for a wedding suit at least 2-3 months in advance. You never want to risk not having your suit prepared for the wedding day should their be an issue with tailoring.
Is a stretch suit acceptable for a wedding?
Although it will depend on the groom’s preference, any suit that fits you well and matches the chosen colors for the wedding is acceptable, so choose the one you look best in!
How should a groomsmen suit fit?
A groomsman suit should be slimming, breathable, and flexible. Groomsmen do a lot on wedding day so be sure to pick a versatile, high quality suit.
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