Amazon Basics aren’t cool – trust me, I know. If I told you that I spent more time scrolling Amazon Basics on my phone than any other website besides this one, my style editor would fire me immediately. The menswear mafia would hunt me down, find me in my mum’s basement, and force me to gouge out my own eyes with a_PTR_Link_Tooltip Shopping for Mens Trousers .
Yet here we are. It all began three years ago when I was sent to Portland for a week-long feature – ugh, feel sorry for me – and my luggage got lost on the way there. Thirty minutes before I was scheduled to interview the founder and craftsman behind an amazing heritage bootmaker (ironic, I know), I ordered Amazon Basics: a pack of t-shirts and a button-down – with Prime same-day delivery, of course.
I spent less than I would’ve normally on lunch at a standard Manhattan work cafe. And when that sweaty hot-package arrived four hours later at my hotel room door, I was prepared to hate – ugh, feel sorry for those poor, defenseless basics.
Thin material that sheds like every other “budget” t-shirt?
Cheque. Boxy silhouettes and weird armholes? Cheque.
Colours that didn’t match a single picture on Amazon’s website? Double cheque. But when I tore through the smile-stamped packaging (lol Amazon ), I paused.
They weren’t bad. Not by basic standards, anyways. The cotton tees were surprisingly thick with a soft hand that actually felt like Amazon cares about their basic mystery factory where they produce their infamous tees.
And while the button-up wasn’t groundbreaking, it fit my shoulders and didn’t balloon out at my stomach like I was four months pregnant with quadruplets. “Hmm,” I muttered in slight disbelief as I scrutinized the stitching like it was a €5,000 tailor-made from Scabal. “This is actually kind of decent.” And since that magical day, I’ve been on a mission to find as many winners in Amazon’s massive minefield of terrible clothes as I possibly could.
Whether you don’t have time to live in NYC and scope out the endless shopping or simply live outside the city (I see you, suburbs! ), scrolling Amazon Basics becomes a necessary part of your shopping routine. My dresser is filled with an obscene amount of Amazon Basics items, peppered in between $400 Japanese selvedge denim and grandpa-from-Ireland knit jumpers. It’s kind of embarrassing, really.
But while I was cleaning out my closet last week (thanks for footing the bill, apartmentmate Trevor; you know nothing of my Amazon problem), I realised many of these cheaper items were still in rotation – right next to big-ticket splurges. In fact, most could pass as something far more expensive if you weren’t staring directly at the tag. So it was time to shine some light on Amazon Basics’ best pieces that actually look high-end when styled correctly.
Scroll ahead for my full review and guide on how to recreate these looks for yourself. Shop Teo Kemp Jersey Strap Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirt The Oxford Cloth Button-Down That Saved My Wedding Day Let’s kick things off with their Oxford cloth button-down shirt ($25, sizes XS-2X), available in several colours – but only-navy, white, and light blue because Amazon Basics probs don’t want you to accessorize with a colourful shirt. The material feels amazing – not thin like their v-neck tee alternative, but also not so thick that you’ll melt into a sweat puddle if you wear it indoors.
But where this shirt really came to save the day was last summer at my friend Eric’s wedding. Eric’s cousin – who shall remain nameless because he definitely has a soul and this will haunt him forever – arrived to the rehearsal dinner with no shirt. Like, literally.
His shirt. The wedding was in rural Massachusetts where the nearest shopping “mall” is 45 minutes away, and most places close at 6 PM because “who does grocery shopping after sunset???” Amazons to the rescue. There’s a fulfilment centre literally ten minutes from where the wedding was, and Prime Now (2-hour delivery) was still available.
Twenty minutes and $26 dollars later, I handed our newly shirt-less friend a crisp, white Amazon Basics Oxford that looked nearly identical to the Brooks Brothers shirts every other groomsman was wearing. Bonus styling tip: Tuck into some slim-fit chinos and throw on a blazer. You’ll pull together a casual New England prep look that’ll make your guests think you shopped at Anthropologie.
Trust. Shop Amager Jersey Plain Classic Merino Wool Jumper The Merino Jumper That Made a Fashion Director Stare Amazon Basics’ merino wool jumper ($35) is another classic wardrobe staple they actually get right. Amazon has them in charcoal, navy, burgundy, olive green, and grey.
I own them all except for the olive (colour matching? ), and regularly cycle through them each season. Heck, I even have the discontinued rust colour that Amazon Basic shamefully took off their site back in August. Don’t worry, I bought multiples to last me winter…..
Alright, full rant on these comes later. But I was wearing this exact jumper when I met with the fashion director of a luxury brand last year. She stopped me in their SoHo showroom and – eyes bulging out of her head like Marilyn Manson meets Grace Coddington – complimented my “unique jumper.” When I asked her where she got it, I stumbled some ridiculous lie about how I got it from some super-secret, tiny-online shop that no one’s ever heard of.
Lies. All lies. Here’s my styling hack for this jumper: pair it with a blazer and make sure your sleeves are slightly rolled up, showing a hint of your shirt cuff underneath.
Throw on a watch to really break up the material and BOOM. You just look twice as expensive as the shirt actually is. Shop Amazon Essentials Classic Straight Fit Jean Trousers The Chinos That Got Me Through Milan Fashion Week Warning: these may be the only Amazon rec you’ll see.
Good men’s trousers are hard to come by at this low of a price point, and you have to sacrifice something with off-the-rack chinos. Fit? Texture?
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Countless other things, obviously. But Amazon’s basic cuff jean (@AmazonBasics)September 26, 2019 at 10:17am PDT Amazon’s straight fit chinos, however, are on-point starters. The colour “caramel” is essentially the perfect khaki that can be worn anytime of the year, and honestly holds up against some of my more expensive pairs.
But the life-saver for me was during Milan Fashion Week two seasons ago. After packing *too many* pairs of designer jeans to “make sure I have options,” one of them ripped right up the seam of my butt (don’t worry, tailor Jedi mind trick is strong with this one) during my first showroom meeting – straight past the seam!! In front of NONE OTHER THAN Two towering Italian menswear icons who I’ll leave unnamed because humiliation is enough of a punishment , but you know who you are STEVE – STEVE!!!!! !pleading eyes With three back-to-back appointments that afternoon and dinner with my team at one of Mario’s dining establishments that night, I literally ran up to my hotel room and Amazon Prime’d another pair with the expensive Prime Now two-hour delivery.
They arrived with 40 minutes to change, RUN to my next appointment, and pray to every street style blogger out there to forgive my decisions. Needless to say, they fit fine straight off the rack (size down if you’re in between!) and were an extremely close colour match to my lucky trousers. I even wore them to dinner that evening at a place where the cheapest bottle of wine was $95, next to an English editor who spent the entire night wearing ONLY bespoke – and didn’t feel underdressed one single bit.
And that, my friends, is how you spot-proof basics. Styling hack: Break your trousers slightly over your shoe and iron that front crease like your LIFE depends on it. Also, wear a f*cking good belt.
Ever notice how people wearing cheap chinos from Target always have a plastic, choking belt? Fixes everything. Shop Oak Knit V-Neck T-Shirt2-Pack,Pima Cotton The Pima Cotton Tees That Are My Biggest Secret I may or may not be addicted to buying t-shirts .
It’s a problem I share with my past three girlfriends and current roommate. I know I’m supposed to care about suits and blazers and “grown-up” clothing, but basics are where my heart truly lies. I’ve shopped almost every brand that sells men’s shirts, from Old Navy to Bonobos to J.Crew and everything in between.
I’ve held more t-shirt fabric in my hands than is morally acceptable, weighing each piece in my hands like they’re the next NASA spaceship about to launch into orbit. So when I stumbled across Amazon’s two-pack of pima cotton tees ($18) in white and navy, I nearly shipped twelve boxes to my address. Amazon They’re heavyweight enough that they sit properly on your body without stretching out, but thin enough that you can tuck it into jeans or chinos without creating a sack near your calves.
The crew neck is also cut just right – not too high where it hugs your neck like a toddler, but not so low that you look like you raided your dad’s pajama drawer. I wore one under a designer blazer at dinner parties last month and received THREE compliments on how “nice” my t-shirt was. You guys.
I may or may not have blacked out and cried when my dinner companion (who works in luxury public relations) almost spit out his food when I told him it was from Amazon. No shame. Shop Amazon Basics Durable Cushioned Cotton Dress Sock ,Hosiery,White,6-Pack The Socks That Lasted Longer Than My Last Relationship Okay, this is grossly specific.
But Amazon Basics’ six-pack of dress socks ($15) are the only pair of socks I’ve ever owned that may actually outlast any relationship I’ve ever had. That’s right. I bought these the same month I started dating “the one,” if you catch my drift..
All four months of it. And these socks still look brand new with zero holes at the toes, heels, or ball of my feet. Wear them enough and they’ll probably also outlive me.
Sizing hack: Get the big socks , obvi. Shop FearOfGodEmbroidered SS17 Cotton Bomber Jacket The Bomber Jacket That Fooled Every Instagram Commenter Amazon Basics’ olive green bomber jacket ($40) is the single biggest wildcard on their website. The fit is surprisingly great!
It hits right at your waist (major bomber jacket pet peeve ), sleeves aren’t too long nor too short, and the collar actually lays flat instead of poking up like most entry-level bombers love to do. I wore this to a casual work happy hour in autumn and posted the picture on Instagram. My DM’s filled with coworkers asking where the hell I got it; guesses included “vintage military,” to high-end designers known for their bomber jackets that start at $450+.
When I eventually told people it was Amazon, you guys…. Never underestimate the power of a good jacket. Hack for styling this beauty: grab a leather cord or small tassel from your local craft store and replace the cheap-ass plastic zipper pull.
Takes five minutes and makes it look 10x more expensive.
Shop Nike Unisex-Kids React RunIng Shoe – Trainer White Trainers That Made It Through Paris Fashion Week Last but not least, Amazon’s white leather trainers ($50) are here to wow you. They’re not busting through vestiges of a Common Projects rip-off ; I get that now.
But these trainers have a clean shape that can go from dressed up with a suit to dressed down with shorts. I packed them as my “just-in-case” shoes to Paris Fashion Week last year, thinking I’d be too scared to wear them during any public appearances. Sure, they’d make great backup walk-to-the-show hotels shoes…
But four days of Parisian streets, two rainstorms, and one night of clown-car-breaking epic industry party later, my go-to white trainers had completely fallen apart – while the Amazons looked as good as new after a quick wipedown with baby shampoo. Come Sunday, I was wearing them to meetings with top luxury brands and either nobody noticed or nobody cared. Wins all around if you ask me.
White trainer hack: swap out the default shoelaces that come with boring white trainers for white waxed cotton ones . About $8 on Amazon and changes the entire look of the shoe. Just remember to clean these bad boys religiously with a Mr.
Clean Magic Eraser or they won’t look nearly as good.
