It's that time of year again: the race to determine the very best dressed dude of 2018 starts now. We're doing things slightly differently this year: no themed brackets, no stunt match-ups. Just pure, uncut clothing-based throwdowns for you to vote on. Because, in 2018, menswear didn't split along rigid genre lines. Guys got into tie-dye, and also into suits, and they wore both with sneakers. The gentlemen here, in the aptly-named Flex bracket, have proven their bona fides at awards shows, courtside, and while gently confronting the paparazzi, and now it's time to see which ones did it best. Vote below in these first eight match-ups, and be sure to weigh in on stylish dudes in the Waves, Swerve, and Vibes brackets, too, before voting wraps up at Noon EST on Saturday, December 15th.
Shockingly, 2018 was the first time [Idris Elba]https://www.gq.com/gallery/idris-elba-style-look-book-outfits) was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive. All Nick Jonas did was participate in one of the most stylish weddings we’ve ever seen.
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Drake almost went to Adidas, and then he didn’t—and while we were all worrying about that, he just went out on tour and looked righteous every night. Pete Davidson, meanwhile, was a genuine out-of-left-field fashion newcomer—and a genuinely supportive shopper, to boot.
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Virgil Abloh continued his not-particularly-slow climb to the top of all things fashion, mounting his first show for Louis Vuitton and churning out reams of ever-hyped Nikes. And Ezra Miller turned in this gem of a fashion story for our pals over at GQ Style. People have won presidential elections with less.
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Honestly, the Black Panther suit was enough to get Boseman a slot, but he killed every red carpet he saw after that film’s release. Diddy, meanwhile, flexed as only he could on his GQ cover. A regal pair, indeed.
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The dripping, bedazzled, Bugatti-driving Migos are purveyors of truest Atlanta style. That’s tough to pull off. Seth Rogen? He did something possibly even harder: with a couple smart closet picks (and one or two good haircuts), he turned himself into one stylish dude.
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Rockets point man Chris Paul and actor-of-a-generation Robert Pattinson are repeat entrants on lists like these, and for good reason: Paul leans suited, and Pattinson leans grungy, but they both know exactly what they’re doing.
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We’ll say it: these are just a couple of sexy dudes. Miguel figured out that the perfect tour wardrobe is one heavy on neon and leather. And Cho kindly decided to teach all of us how to wear sweatpants this year.
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Mendes is the young upstart, dragging ‘90s hair vibes into the 21st century. 2 Chainz, meanwhile, is at least partly responsible for Versace’s Chain Reaction, one of the wildest sneakers we saw all year.
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