SoCal Style: The 10 Best Menswear Stores in LA

In this post, we’ll share what we think are the best menswear stores in Los Angeles. Read on to see the full list.

With LA’s sprawling and constantly changing neighborhoods, finding the latest and greatest men’s clothing stores can be tiresome. For guys new to the city and even long-time residents, it’s so much easier to just pop into your local mall.

However, LA has so much to offer by way of non-chains, small businesses, and local designers. As a born-and-bred Angeleno, I know how impractical it is to just hop on the freeway without a specific destination in mind. So, we’ve got your specific destinations right here, with the 10 best menswear stores in LA.

Whether you’re fashion-forward, a regular guy trying to up his game, or a suit man who wants to incorporate more exciting pieces, all priorities are represented.

Best Men’s Clothing Stores in Los Angeles

Here they are, in no particular order.

Union

Union is located in a tiny oasis-of-sorts, northeast of those yellow-streaked Park La Brea residences, and blocks south of Melrose. As such, their selection is perpetually on-trend, yet the store provides a refreshingly civilized shopping experience.

Like their offerings, Union’s decor is a mix of high and low. The black-painted brick wall is decked with exclusive collaborative Nikes (displayed like art, as they should be), leather Off-White Chelseas, and uniquely colorful Loewe hiking boots.

Below them, and on racks throughout, are a mix of trendy center-stitched t-shirts, creatively unstuffy rugby shirts, hoodies, and even high-fashion blazers from Raf Simmons and Comme des Garçons.

Their curation is seamless and thoughtful regardless of the eclectic diversity of brands provided, so the user-experience isn’t confusing or hectic in the way department stores can be.

Relatedly, they focus on function, so there’s a huge crossover appeal here, whether you’re a hypebeast, preppy, or downtown artsy.

Union is a welcoming place that uses expletives in their website descriptions, so you know you can come as you are. Other brands available include Adidas, Converse, Cherry Los Angeles, and Jil Sander.

Maxfield

While a lot of high-fashion LA stores curate straight from the runway, Maxfield is the runway. This avant-garde clothing store is a mix of designer fashions, vintage, and plenty of look-at-me pieces for men who like to stand out. Naturally, it’s located on Melrose Avenue.

From colorful Valentino hoodies, to all things Balenciaga, this place is like Disneyland for the GQ subscriber. Some of their Venta hoodies are so structural, they’re literally like pieces of art.

Even if your style leans more classic, you can find one or two statement pieces here to elevate a clean-lined outfit. For example, the Fear of God suede slip-ons would add just a touch of edge to a basic t-shirt and jeans combination.

The Off-White alligator loafers can still go with any conservative suit, and is more distinct than a regular slip-on.

Maxfield’s pop-up space, located right beside the building’s main entrance is a structure designed by designer Jean Prouvé. You don’t even have to go inside to check out what exhibit or clothing display they’ve got going on in there.

Basically, Maxfield is for the fearless, the curious, and visitors looking to get a taste of the trendy LA-scene they see on tv.

If you’re the latter, the store also has a relatively reasonably-priced private collection of basics with the Maxfield logo on them. You can think of that collection as the equivalent to the theme park’s gift store.

Lady White Co.

With its location in Silverlake and its origins in jersey t-shirts, Lady White Co. is effectively the opposite of Maxfield -though plenty of pieces from both stores could easily be mixed and matched.

And for you sartorial locavores out there, their custom jerseys and fleeces are produced by family factories no more than 10 miles from their headquarters.

Their shelves are stocked with premium basics, sportswear, and neutrals. It’s a bit like what American Apparel was going for inititally, but with some understated twists.

The split crew cardigan and band pants with a single pleat per leg are unique, but don’t beg for attention. If you love Thom Browne pieces, but don’t like wearing your labels on your sleeve, Lady White Co.’s got the answer with their black shell jacket and polos. 

Still, this converted whitewashed garage sells to a learned customer.

The difference between the Lady White Co. patron and the fellow shopping on Melrose Ave, is that he’s looking less at the label and more at whether or not the textiles on a piece of clothing have been sanforized (preshrunk via compressive process). He also doesn’t wear layered outfits very often.

Just One Eye

Located in the legendary Howard Hughes building, Just One Eye is a clothing boutique and art gallery that serves up fashion with a capital F, but edgier. So it makes sense that it’s located between Highland and La Brea, where divey-cool Hollywood starts to turn into glamorous West Hollywood.

Looking at their suit selection perfectly exemplifies their brand philosophy. You’ve got classic, well-tailored Prada in black and navy, as well as chic Yamamoto loose-fit blazers, and a bright red double-breasted number that Cam Newton would likely wear to the ESPYs.

If you need anything, from loungewear to athleticwear, but you need to “make it fashion”, this is the place to go. For instance, looking for practical adidas sneakers? They’ve got them here, with the Prada logo on it. They’ve also got Louboutin loafers and Salomon trainers.

Just One Eye is definitely for the cool fashion guy, but also the guy who likes to have fun with clothes, whether they’re at the gym or on a date. On top of that, Just One Eye is such a cultural staple that those visiting LA might want to add it to their list of attractions under the museums and galleries category.

The Hundreds

If your style falls into the surfing, punk, skateboarding, or hip-hop scenes, The Hundreds is the store for you. It covers every Southern California subculture with a dash of 90s workwear.

Located in LA’s Fairfax District, you’ll likely walk by sneakerheads lining up for the debut of the latest limited edition kicks, on your way there.

They offer denim jackets in traditional washes or creative colorways like their yellow Chore jacket, cool in-house jerseys, graphic tees, beanies, work pants, and jeans in every fit.

The Hundreds is very community centric, referring to their local physical community, and all of the scenes they represent at the store. Their collaborative project partners range from the NBA to Jurassic Park to the much-loved anime One Piece.

They truly cater to every sect in hypebeast culture, making even the most nuanced subgenres feel seen and look cool.

Aforementioned style clans aside, any guy who loves color and dresses on the more casual side will enjoy shopping at The Hundreds.

General Quarters

General Quarters is known for their California heritage offerings, meaning the selection is the perfect overlap of “regular guy” styles: denim, boots, flannel, t-shirts, and hats. More often than not of course, the denim is Japanese selvedge and the flannels are 100% cotton.

The store interior is welcoming, rocking a lot of metal, wood, oil drums, motorcycles, and Americana.

Appropriately, they serve up dark washed jeans from Rogue Territory, known for their superior fit and subtle design details, and check flannels by Real McCoy, the guys who reproduce vintage practicals using the same classic methods and machines the originals were made with.

The brewer cardigan with pearl buttons could be worn by you, your son, your father, or your grandfather depending on how it’s styled. And there are many pieces in the store with that same impressive quality.

If you’re looking for trend-resistant pieces or leveled-up timeless American clothes, or consider Steve McQueen your style icon, head over to General Quarters. They also offer old-timey barber services.

Departamento

It wouldn’t be LA if there weren’t some celebrity haunts and Departamento is the quintessential Hollywood spot. We mean this figuratively of course, as it’s located in DTLA. If Maxfield is for the GQ guy, then Departamento is for the Variety guy.

You can access the store through an unmarked sliding door behind Maru Coffee cafe. Despite the theatrics, the store itself is lowkey and unpretentious. The windowless hidden-treasure vibe empowers its visitors to experiment. And with their selection, you can really experiment.

Try mixing their asymmetrical tattered military jacket shirt with some leopard print. With their “monster-shaped” oversized hoodie, you can stick your arms out of regular sleeve holes or the sleeve-slashes.

Similarly, their wool cut ranch shirt features holes in the underarm area for you to slip your arms through if you want to wear it like a cape.

Their creative pieces can be worn more practically too. The sheer cherry printed shirt would look unique, but not out of place at the beach, while their printed shirts are certainly loud and colorful, but not overly weird. It’s like Hollywood meets Tokyo street style.

Originally, Departamento was a service for celebrities looking for rare fashions. Now that it’s a store, anyone can do the same. 

H.Lorenzo Men

Head to Sunset Plaza to find H.Lorenzo’s latest location, one specifically for men. The grandiose set-up includes suspended racks coming all the way down from impressively high-ceilings. Like its interior, H.Lorenzo’s selection is contemporary, but not unwearably avant-garde.

The clothes are bold and unique, hailing from international designers like Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Craig Green, and Namacheko. In fact, H.Lorenzo introduced many of these designers into the US market.

Many of their pieces add playful twists or distinct infusions to classic templates. The Greg Lauren cargo trouser features a tapered silhouette, cuffed leg elastics, and a professional-style charcoal pinstripe design.

Meanwhile, their  A Cold Wall Corrosion jacket is a normal button-up, but with a large spread collar and a graphic splatter print on just one side of the jacket.

If, like Robert Downy Jr., you’re the kind of guy whose style can organically go from irreverent to suited-up to regular t-shirt joe, you’ll have a lot of fun at H.Lorenzo. Bonus points for a helpful and unpretentious staff, happy to answer questions from the fashion-curious, even if they’re fashion-rookies.

Fred Segal

A local legend and pop culture icon, Fred Segal pioneered the LA retail experience. Segal’s shop-in-shop concept proved more seamless than a mall and more interesting than a department store. 

Head to their Sunset strip flagship and pick up work shirts and canvas pants from Dickies, light pink Camp Beverly Hills sweatshirts, paint splattered jeans, or any piece of cable-knit outerwear by Rowing Blazers.

Fred Segal has always represented the fun, colorful, and breezy style of California, and very much still does.

The store was founded in 1961 and is still a destination for the fashionable, artists, musicians, and actors. For a city whose attention span collectively caters to the new and shiny, that’s an impressive feat.

Part of the reason is that the shopping experience is truly unique and fun, but mainly it’s because the clothes are incomparably Californian.

Buck Mason 

These days you don’t have to be in LA to shop at Buck Mason, but this brand is a Venice original. Moreover, it’s the most modestly-priced option on the list. If you’re willing to pay for quality, but don’t want to overpay a dime, it’s the Buck Masons of the world you seek. 

Besides, LA has their most store locations, including Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Silver Lake, Hancock Park, the Palisades, and Century City. So you can basically live in most places in LA and get to a Buck Mason pretty quickly, which is always a plus for a city infamous for traffic.

They’ve got pima cotton henleys for under $50, handsome suede cotton polos for $55, and every style of jacket. You’ll pay more for that unique suede bomber, and pay less for the quintessential RC denim jacket.

Regardless of how much you spend, nothing is shocking. Still, Buck Mason utilizes reasonable manufacturing and local family-run factories.

Not everyone in LA is looking to rock an experimental Issey Miyake or Virgil Abloh’s limited edition Nikes. Come to Buck Mason for well-structured, flattering, and practical classics. 

Conclusion

The best part about these stores is that you can have some pretty personalized online shopping experiences on all of their websites, even if you aren’t in LA. 

Yes, the city’s many shopping complexes, The Grove for example, are more memorable experiences than your average mall. However, it’s these LA-originals and local designers that provide a specifically LA experience.