We've pitted 64 of the best-dressed and swerve-iest men on planet Earth together in head-to-head heats to find your Most Stylish Man of 2017. But how do you define a category with such a diverse array of well-dressed guys—from Tom Hiddleston (and Ford) to Raf Simons and Shawn Mendes to Jeff Goldblum and a sprinkling of the crushingly consistent Keanu Reeves? If there’s one thread stringing them all together, it’s that they’re all Good Boys when it comes to style—something in alarmingly short supply these days. And while none of these guys’ personal style reinvents the wheel, what we gain from them are models on how we—normal-ass dudes—can dress ourselves. Steal Ansari’s predilection for the holiest of outerwear, mix in Ryan Gosling’s steady diet of twee V-neck sweaters, and the know-how to wear a suit like Hiddleston, Ford, or Ryan Reynolds and you’ll never go another unstylish day in your life. Yes, you too can be a Good Boy. Cast your vote for the very best-dressed boy below. And don't forget to make your picks for the year's swerviest dudes, suited men, and kings of streetwear before first round voting wraps up at Noon EST on Thursday, December 14th.
Aziz is the pasta-loving GQ Style cover man who looks just as good in grail outerwear pieces as he does toasting to the world in Saint Laurent sunglasses and no shirt. Tom is known for wearing tailored suits so sharp he could slice straight through a block of parmigiano-reggiano as a favor for his competition this round.
Both these designers frequently wear their own best-in-the-biz clothes so is it any surprise they’re two of the most stylish men in the world? While Tom Ford prefers to consistently wear suits and mostly unbuttoned shirts over his immaculately bathed body, Raf Simons is always fresh off the runway—often his own. It’s a battle pitting consistency against constant reinvention—how you vote will at least be more illuminating than a Buzzfeed quiz.
There’s only room for one Franco brother in this competition—this is the GQ Most Stylish Man Showdown not The Disaster Artist, after all. James and Dave’s style isn’t all that different but the small discrepancies seem to reveal their age gap. Where James might show up on a red carpet in a classic black-and-white suit, the younger Franco will appear right behind him wearing an air tie, an near-zebra stripe shirt, or just a T-shirt under a black suit. If James comes red-carpet ready in a respectable button-up, Dave will swerve with a striped sweater.
Robert Pattinson and Armie Hammer are responsible for bringing us some of 2017’s best movies and outfits. The Good Time star and GQ cover man was as experimental with this style this year as he was with his roles. The newly buzzed Pattinson tried his hand at if-this-were-even-one-centimeter-baggier-we’d-be-calling-foul suits, Beautiful Mind-level layering and psychological thrillers so tightly wound they make you want to ralph (we’re talking about his hunt for a hot dog, of course). Armie Hammer, who will rip the heart out of your chest in Call Me By Your Name, appears to have been sculpted in a lab to wear a suit. He made everyone in the world wish they were a bottle of Fanta with this photoshoot.
Shawn Mendes is the teenage heartthrob who’s been ripping off a run of ‘fits with leather jackets, just-unbuttoned-enough button ups, and swervy patterned suit jackets. On the red carpet, John Legend can tackle any suited look—from a pink-on-pink Gucci bow tie-and-shirt combo to classic tieless black-and-white—and off you might say he keeps it mostly simple until you see his leopard-print sweatsuit. On one side, Mendes’ army of teenage girls will surely light up the voting this round and on the other side is Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen, who will no doubt poke fun at Legend on Twitter if he loses.
This matchup is a little David versus Goliath. In one corner is Goldblum, a Hollywood legend who might be the most underrated dresser in the biz and at 65 still has the good looks of a man half his age. He’s matched up this round with John Cho, who went from a determined stoner to very serious actor for Columbus and then spent the next couple months on a tour de force red carpet banging our great suited looks. The smart money's on Goldblum to take this, but we do all know how David versus Goliath ended.
Ryan Reynolds deserves all the credit in the world for making this bracket on his own terms. The extremely stylish Deadpool star doesn’t bend to trends and he’s one of the last well-dressed dudes in Hollywood who keeps wearing (and looking A+ in) cardigans. Going up against Mr. Lively is the internet boyfriend’s Riz Ahmed: murder case beater, conquerer of the evil Empire, and tamer of the temperamental tan suit.
Here are two guys who aren’t afraid to get a lot of mileage out of a killer look. Reeves has used his whole career as an opportunity to look better than anyone else in a suit, black shirt, and brown boots. The blindingly handsome Gosling took 2017 to experiment with any patterned V-neck sweater within arm’s length. Whose signature look leaves you wanting (even) more?
