15 Affordable Flannel Shirts You Should Wear Into the Ground

When your fit could use some warmth and considerably more sauce, throw on a big, burly flannel that won’t bully your bank account.Courtesy of Gap, Huckberry, Nordstrom, Todd Snyder, Uniqlo; Design: Emily HanhanThere are those out there that would argue there is no bad time to wear a flannel shirt. Fine. But even those brave, presumably sweaty souls would have to concede that there is a best time to wear a flannel, and that time is now. I contend that a favorite flannel can improve one’s fall disposition by orders of magnitude, and fortunately you don’t need much funding to test the theory yourself. Because I went ahead and rounded up my favorites, with a hard cap at $150.And while the $150 isn’t what it used to be, we aren’t short on options: classic plaids, beefy buffalo checks, effortlessly styled solids. So, if you’re looking to reload a tired flannel rotation, need something to plug a recently-discovered hole or just think (correctly) that a tracking number tied to seasonally-appropriate shirting might boost your mood, we’ve got you covered with our favorite affordable flannels of the season.The Affordable Flannel Hit ListThe $50 HeaterUniqlo Flannel ShirtRead moreThe Lightweight FlannelMadewell Lightweight Flannel Button-Up ShirtRead moreThe No-Frills WorkhorseFilson Rustic Flannel ShirtRead moreThe Double-Brushed DelightGramicci Piled Flannel ShirtRead moreThe Unarchived ClassicAbercrombie & Fitch Vintage-Inspired 100% Cotton Flannel ShirtRead moreGapRelaxed Straight-Hem Flannel ShirtThere's a really good argument to be made that the best flannel on this list is also one of the least expensive flannels on this list, because for under $50 you get a loose-fitting, slightly cropped, super-soft, surprisingly-hardy 100% cotton shirt that can be worn anytime, while doing anything, without much discretion.UniqloFlannel ShirtAt just $50, Uniqlo’s flannel is an easy, low-stakes buy. A perfect candidate to thrash and wear into the ground.FjallravenSingi Flannel ShirtWe could get into the specifics here, or we could just acknowledge that Swedes know flannel.Banana RepublicRelaxed-Fit Flannel ShirtConsidering that flannels are one of the most layered shirts in the game, it's not a bad idea to get one that has a little extra room for padding. (But it doesn't hurt if it also looks good flying solo.)Todd SnyderItalian Double-Brushed Flannel ShirtA flannel soft that you'll be wondering if it's triple-brushed.J.CrewWallace & Barnes Brushed Twill WorkshirtBefore anyone gets concerned over the word "flannel" not appearing in the name of this shirt, most flannels are twill fabrics that have been brushed, so all our bases are indeed covered here.FilsonRustic Flannel ShirtA good plaid is a good plaid, but an earth-tone, solid-colored flannel will melt into an outfit a little more, almost like a winter oxford.GramicciPiled Flannel ShirtAll flannels are brushed—it's part of what makes flannel flannel and so gd soft—but not all flannels are brushed twice. This one is.MadewellLightweight Flannel Button-Up ShirtA beefy flannel is a lynchpin in any winter rotation, but a lightweight one will make for a great layer and also won't get too toasty in unseasonable warm indoor conditions.Polo Ralph LaurenClassic Fit Plaid Brushed Flannel ShirtIn the hands of the Ralph team, any color can be a fall color.Abercrombie & FitchVintage-Inspired 100% Cotton Flannel ShirtBased on designs in A&F's storied, century-old catalog, this is the sort of flannel you'll spend half a season trying to find on a vintage rack.PendletonFremont Flannel ShirtWhile you very much can stick to the standards when it comes Pendleton and never be led astray, a brand-new Board Shirt is a bit itchier than many of us (me) would like—a problem that's non-existent with the 100% cotton Fremont.Portuguese FlannelFlannel Teca ShirtThis type of solid, classically-tailored flannel is as amenable to a pair of slacks as it is to some jeans or cords.PatagoniaFjord Flannel ShirtOne of the season's better plaids on one of menswear's best camp-ready flannels.Quince100% Organic Cotton Brushed Flannel ShirtThis organic cotton flannel could've made lists with far stricter price requirements, but it still punches on par with shirts two and three times the price.Reed Nelson is a freelance writer for GQ Recommends covering menswear and gear. Before writing full time, he spent years working retail at Unionmade Goods, Gant Rugger, J.Crew, and Nike—experience that sharpened his eye for what’s actually worth buying. He’s also worked as an in-house copywriter for brands big and ... Read More