Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Upgrade Your Wardrobe with the New Year’s Best Menswear Essentials

The start of a new year brings with it reflection, the chance to refocus, and the chance to jumpstart or improve your wardrobe. We’re all about buying quality and buying better. Skipping bulk purchases of fast-fashion essentials is but one way to do that.

That’s where this list comes in. Think of these picks as the best new menswear essentials for a new year, the sort of pieces you can wear for months and years on end. These pieces represent a few crucial categories, and even more critically, most of them can be mixed and matched to create a host of perfect outfits for 2020. If you’ve resolved to shop and wear only the best new menswear this year, we’ve got the ideal place to start: right here.

Recommended Videos

Button-Down

Flint and Tinder Soft-Washed Oxford Shirt

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If we had to pick just one shirt that every guy should own — the perfect shirt to wear to the office or out to the bar, or anywhere in between — we’d pick a classic Oxford shirt. Not only that, we’d suggest you go with an expertly washed Oxford shirt from the team at Huckberry and Flint and Tinder.

Pants

Mott and Bow Slim Mosco Denim

Mott and Bow Mosco Denim
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’ll keep it simple. To start off 2020, you need a pair of crisp, classic dark blue denim that you can wear with everything from a T-shirt to a classic cardigan. Mott and Bow more than delivers.

Shoes

Beckett Simonon Sutton Derbies

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Invest in the best early this year with these handsome, endlessly versatile brown leather derbies from Beckett Simonon. They’re perfect for the business casual office, able to be worn with a navy wool suit, and cool enough to pair with a V-neck sweater and dark denim for a bit of sharp weekend style.

Sweater

Todd Snyder Cashmere V-Neck Sweater

Todd Snyder Cashmere V-Neck
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Is nearly $300 a heck of a lot to spend on a sweater? Yes, it sure is, but this sleek Todd Snyder cashmere sweater is destined to be the last V-neck sweater you buy for a long, long time. Able to be worn on its own or paired with that aforementioned navy wool suit, it’s a classic and classy mid-layer for winter. Think of it as a must-have when you want to amp up your seasonal layering.

Pants

Taylor Stitch Slim Chinos

Taylor Stitch Slim Chinos
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When jeans are too casual but you don’t want to go all the way suited-up, a pair of classic tan chinos — particularly this durable, iconic pair from Taylor Stitch — are the right move. Add in your new Oxford shirt, those brown leather derby shoes, and that Todd Snyder V-neck sweater, then head to the office or out on the town.

Shirt

Buck Mason Field-Spec Cotton Surplus Henley

Buck Mason Field-Spec Henley
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The building blocks of a proper wardrobe, as you can now see, involve pieces both casual-yet-classic and slightly more tailored. This durable cotton henley from the menswear experts at Buck Mason is a great change of pace from an Oxford shirt or a V-neck sweater, yet it can be layered under either with ease. It’s a new menswear essential you’ll love wearing this year.

Beau Hayhoe
Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men's style writer, consultant and PR pro based in Brooklyn. Beau's menswear and gear writing has…
A rare trailblazer celebrates 20 years of denim outfit building
New winter collection shows off two decades of trailblazing
Paige couple on a grassy hill

A woman at the top is one of the rarest things in the fashion world. Men have historically dominated the CEOs of fashion houses. For some reason, men designing women's clothing was something we just accepted as an everyday occurrence. But the opposite isn't true very often. A woman designing men's clothing is a rare thing, and given the fact that most men defer to their female partners for style advice, it never should have been. Enter Paige Adams-Gellar, a former fit model (whose body type can be thanked for the Seven for All Mankind jeans line) who launched her own denim brand, and you have the Paige brand. The Paige Winter Collection drops to give us the perfect companion to any outfit.
Layering with winter basics

One of the things that makes Paige so effortlessly luxurious is that they always start with denim. They found the perfect mix of comfort, fit, and style and have built looks ever since. Once you have the ideal denim, you can build out from there and pair it with anything your heart desires. Paige's winter collection focuses on the timeless basics you need to layer up for the changing temperatures we all deal with as the winter months fade in and then just as quickly fade out. You can start with the Transcend Normandie Strait Jean and easily build out the perfect holiday layers with the Cash Crew, the Finsbury Sweater Polo, and the Wilbur Overshirt. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without Paige's winter accessories like the Elder Beanie and the Blakeslee Scarf. The 2024 Winter Collection is the perfect way to celebrate 20 years of female leadership.
Paige men's winter collection

Read more
New Balance, Aimé Leon Dore celebrates five years of style with a new sneaker
New Balance, Aimé Leon Dore release new shoe
pair of new balance sneakers

The partnership between New Balance and Aimé Leon Dore is nothing short of a love match. After five years of stylish collaborations, the pair have again finished the year with another sneaker release. When these two brands work together the result will be trendy, exclusive, and practical. Although the pairing has only been around for half a decade, the brands have successfully released sneaker after sneaker that encapsulates both brands perfectly. New Balance and Aimé Leon Dore are returning to one of their very first partnerships for what might be their last collaboration of the year. Reviving the very first shoe of their collaboration, both brands have updated the silhouette to showcase just how far the East Coast-based brands have come. 
Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 997

Returning to the Made in the USA 997, Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance are remixing their original collaborative sneaker for a more colorful design. Using mixed materials, multi-colored silhouettes, suede overlays, and mesh underlays the sneaker boasts a more refined yet fun look than its predecessor. The ENCAP midsole and rubber outsole complete the design giving the sneaker a premium look from the inside out. Along with the multi-colored sneaker, the pair have released numerous clothing items that pair perfectly with the footwear. Donning colors like olive green, red, yellow, and blue, this sneaker is anything but subtle or minimalist. Available via Aimé Leon Dore’s web store, the sneaker retails for $220. While the collaboration between Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, their newest sneaker drop is the perfect culmination of five years of style and iconic silhouettes.

Read more
Aran Sweater Market lets you find your clan
Wear the sweater of your Irish heritage
Aran Sweater Market McMahon Crest

The Aran Islands at the mouth of the Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland have always been home to fishermen and farmers who worked hard and put their lives on the line to feed themselves and their families at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the ways they kept themselves warm and dry to the relentless barrage of waves and weather was to develop what is still today one of the most popular sweaters ever to dominate the menswear industry, the fisherman's sweater. The Aran Sweater is functional and fashionable, but one company is doing more than keeping you warm and stylish. The Aran Sweater Market Clans allow you to reach back into your Irish history and wear something with ties to your ancestors as well as to your personal style.
A sweater that is rooted deep in your family history

The Aran Sweater Market is more than just a company selling quality sweaters; it is a group of people who want nothing more than to support the home they hail from. They see it as their duty to keep the story, beauty, and true essence of the sweater and the spirit of the Islands alive. As connected as they are to their history, they want you to be connected to yours. You can find your surname and the clan it is attached to and get more than a sweater. You can get a shawl, a scarf, a knitting kit, and even a family history. Wear more than a stylish sweater; connect yourself with your past while you build your future.
Aran Sweater Market Clans

Read more