Plaid shirts have been on our bingo cards all year, but not just any old plaid. We’re talking about the beefy boys of the shirt world: flannels. Thermals and hoodies are the usual layering suspects, but if you want your outerwear to really get in step with the autumnal drumbeat, few things hit quite like a hefty flannel. Buffalo checks, windowpanes, and those angsty ’90s shadow-plaid brushed button-downs are some of the coziest shirts you can pull from your fall wardrobe, and they look a hell of a lot better than shivering in the name of a fit.
The flannel shirts enduring appeal comes from the way it toes the line between bad-boy rebellion and blue-collar grit, and that rough-around-the-edges attitude is what makes them so enduring. Wear one with a denim jacket, workwear pants, beat-to-hell chinos, then finish things off with a pair of derbies if you’re feeling fancy. From now until the flowers start blooming next year, flannels have the seasonal staying power to carry you through the cold months without making you look like you’ve given up on getting dressed. And remember: The freakier the pattern, the better.
In This Guide
Best Flannel Shirt Overall: Filson Rangeland Flannel Shirt
Filson
Rangeland Flannel Shirt
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Really soft brushed cotton
- Platonic three-season flannel weight
- Classic fit
- Plenty of colors to choose from
Cons
- Just expensive enough that buying multiples makes you think twice
For generations Filson has delivered real-deal workwear to countless loggers, foremen, and rangers whose wardrobes demand serious utility. The Seattle-born brand’s tincloth and heavy wool clothes leap to mind, but its flannels are just as formidable—maybe even criminally underrated. Filson makes a grip of flannel styles, but our favorite is the Rangeland. The brushed cotton is substantial but not suffocating, so you can wear it for at least three seasons (assuming you live somewhere with seasons). Dual buttoned chest pockets, a blessedly non-dinky collar, and a classic fit come together in a shirt for a shirt that feels like something from the 70s, the flannel’s golden age. It comes in a wide range of colorways and an admirably wide size range, too. A hundred bucks ain’t cheap, but for the quality and attention to details, the value is in your favor.
Best Flannel Shirt for Vintage Fiends: Pendleton Board Shirt
Pendleton
Board Shirt
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Evergreen design
- Wide variety of colorways
- SoCal surf pedigree
Cons
- A little itchy :\
If you’re looking for a flannel with impeccable vintage credibility and zero thrift store mustiness, there’s only one name to know. Pendleton flannels have been woven in the company’s Washington state mills for more than a century. Thanks to their blend of easy-wearing comfort and rugged western style, Pendleton’s button-downs acquired a loyal following in the ’60s on beaches from Big Sur to Zuma (including The Beach Boys, originally known as the Pendletones). The Board Shirt channels the laid-back vibes of that era, with a soft fabric and a straight cut that’s perfect for layering—or just pulling on over a bathing suit after dawn patrol.
Best Budget Flannel Shirt: L.L.Bean Chamois Shirt
L.L.Bean
Chamois Shirt
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best-in-class Portuguese cotton flannel
- Solid range of handsome colors
- That L.L. Bean hardiness
Cons
- Short kings, beware: this shirt skews long
- Heavyweight fabric feels more jacket-adjacent than other picks
- Your dad will probably steal it
- No plaids?
When we talk about flannel shirts, we’re usually talking about the colorful plaid variety beloved by ‘90s grunge rockers, suburban dads, and off-grid survivalists alike. As indisputably classic as these tartans are, however, they’re not your only option when it comes to a great flannel shirt. New England outfitter L.L.Bean knows a thing or two about buffalo plaid, but they also understand that some folks might be inclined to reach for something more understated. Hence this absolute unit of a shirt made from heavy-duty chamois in a dark shade of navy that’s a perfect complement to your roster of corduroy, denim, and canvas.
The Best Upgrade Flannel Shirt: Buzz Rickson Navy Wool Flannel CPO Shirt
Buzz Rickson
Buzz Rickson Navy Wool Flannel CPO Shirt
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Can be the only CPO you’ll ever need to own
- Not scratchy on bare skin
Cons
- Need special Woolite detergent to keep the color
- Need more colors
Like all things Buzz Rickson, the CPO flannel is indebted to the past, and thanks to the labels repro bonafides, you could do a double take because of how spot-on it looks compared to the ones worn by senior non-commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy. There’s the quintessential front flap pocket, a construction made in Japan from 100 percent boiled wool flannel, and a stand-up collar that doesn’t interfere with an oxford button-down underneath or a thermal. With a chain-stitched runoff at the shirt tail, this flannel is built to last and won’t unravel, even after repeated washes on a gentle cycle. It could potentially outmuscle your other flannels and overshirts.
The Best Flannel Shirt for the Office: Todd Snyder Lightweight Flannel Long Point Collar Dress Shirt
Todd Snyder
Lightweight Flannel Long Point Collar Dress Shirt
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Trim but not too slim, and built to tuck
- That point collar
- Lightweight flannel
Cons
- Less toasty than the other winners here
- Only one plaid style, and two other colors
Todd Snyder wants you to know that flannel shirts belong on the job even if you’re not a timber-chopping lumberjack. The man who’s been sharpening the male wardrobe for decades delivers a flannel with a svelte silhouette that’s primed for Monday through Friday. It’ll tuck nicely into suit pants and hold up under a tie (shout out those ’70s-esque long points on the collar). The surprisingly lightweight flannel is the secret—not so burly and nubbly, it plays as a layer, and also works on its own in the warmer months. Pair Snyder’s flannel with a midnight blue sportcoat, faded jeans, and a pair of worn-in boots, and thank patron saint Harrison Ford for the outfit inspo.
More Flannel Shirts We Love
Wallace & Barnes
J.Crew Wallace & Barnes flannel workshirt
J.Crew’s popularity has waxed and waned in menswear circles, but Wallace & Barnes has always quenched the enthusiast’s thirst. Its two-pocket flannel has heft and a brushed feel, with a print that looks like something you would’ve unearthed in a secondhand shop in Harajuku.
Buck Mason
Buck Mason Brawny Flannel Work Shirt
Remember seeing those Brawny paper towels in the grocery aisle? Well, they’ve inspired Buck Mason’s latest fall must-have in this autumnal motif. This is a hefty double-brushed flannel inspired by the shirts you would see in the 50s and 60s.
Wythe
Wythe Washed Flannel Workshirt
The Orchard Street Western wear brand has been slinging some of the best flannels for almost seven years, since bursting onto the scene. This feels like something you’d see Dennis Hopper wearing in The American Dreamer.
Kapital
Columbia Checked Cotton-Flannel Western Shirt
you're mostly familiar with Kapital's wackier work—the bone-adorned denim, the Coogi riffs, etc.—know this: the unmodified, unvamped-upon classics hit just as hard. For instance, this is just an heirloom-quality flannel with a mind-melting fit, made from a feather-soft cotton twill and outfitted with some cheeky western detailing like a curved back yoke, crosscut pockets and pearlsnap buttons. To put it more simply, it's a great flannel.
3sixteen
3sixteen Crosscut Flannel
3sixteen’s Crosscut Flannel has been in production for over 18 years, so you could call it a signature piece. Every fall, you can count on two or three color bangers, and here’s one of them. A crossed-back yoke, enamel-coated metal buttons, and beautiful Japanese fabric make this flannel soft yet insulating.
Fortela
Fortela Josh Checked Cotton Shirt
Moodboard legend Alessandro Squarzi has spent 40 years building a vintage clothing archive, which kickstarted his brand, Fortela, and continues to inspire the garments he creates. Further proof that an education in style comes from years and years of experience.
Aaron Levine
Aaron Levine Shadow Flannel
The menswear Yoda doesn’t just preach the gospel in his Instagram captions; he also makes some damn good clothing under his eponymous label. It’s super lightweight, looks good under a twill suit, and, if you’re not sure what else to wear it with, scroll through the guy’s page for endless inspiration.
Quince
Organic Cotton Brushed Flannel Shirt
An organic cotton brushed flannel that costs less than a Benjamin is a simple gateway into the wonderful world of fall shirting. You can layer this with a hefty sherpa-lined trucker or a burly CPO shirt. Like most things from Quince, it has a bit of a trim cut, so we highly suggest you size up for a more relaxed or boxy fit.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)
Production Credits
Photographs by Bowen Fernie and Natalie Piserchio
Styled by Tyler Austin
Grooming by Juan Jaar