Shopping for the best wallets for men is a lot like that one time you actually managed to clear out your garage. You could see the floor in there for the first time since 1997! There was room to park your car! All of the boxes were accurately labeled and easily accessible! The right wallet will give you that blissful feeling of organization every day of your life, when you head out into the world unencumbered by all the needless junk currently polluting your pockets. If you elicit gasps at the dinner table when you haul out your overstuffed behemoth of a bifold (and it’s not because your friends are jerks who think you never pick up the tab), it’s probably time to trade in for a newer, fresher model. And given that there aren’t any restaurants open to even hear those gasps in at the moment, this is a great time to track down the wallet of your dreams and fill it as selectively as possible.
In 2020, the best wallets for men are uniformly leaner and cleaner than you might be accustomed to. They’ve got plenty of storage space for the things you truly need, but if you’re the kind of guy who opts in to every rewards program at every coffee shop you frequent, they’ll force you to pare down your everyday carry in a very healthy way. Plush leather is still the standard for top-end wallets, but what we’re really looking for is something that’ll make onlookers gasp for all the right reasons: striking good looks, superlative functionality, uncommon details. From best-in-class bargains to old-world heirlooms to wild-style swerves, the 23 we’ve chosen here hit the bull’s-eye in all of those categories and more. Regardless of your budget or taste or which pocket you keep ’em in, these are the very best wallets for men.
The Best Old-World Wallet
What stationery and leather-goods brand Smythson lacks in season-to-season hype, it makes up for in sophistication—and quality. The brand has been around for over 125 years and is a favorite of the British Royal Family; needless to say, they make some of the best wallets around. This navy crocodile embossed style hits all the marks of a keep-forever wallet: supple Italian leather that only gets better over time, just enough storage (on the inside and outside), and a satisfying snap closure that you’ll try—and fail—to find elsewhere.
The Best Barely-There Wallet
If you really, really can’t stand having too much stuff in your pockets, this ultrathin card holder is the move. It’ll keep your bare-essential cards in place, maybe a folded bill or two at most, and that’s it. It’s handsome and functional, sure, but it’s really more to keep your loved ones off your back for keeping a loose wad of cash and cards floating about in your front pocket wherever you go.
The Best Slim Zip Wallet
A tiny workshop of artisans in Rhode Island, Lotuff makes some of the finest, heirloom-quality leather goods in the country. (For proof, see our Best Leather Weekender and Best Leather Tote Bag lists.) Their tumbled leather wallets come in a dozen rich tones—we’re fans of this peppy orange in particular—with a couple of sneaky-deep front slots that hold up to 10 cards, and a handy zipped pocket to hold cash and coins. And, for an extra $50, you can have your monogram embossed on the back to really make it yours.
The Best Not-So-Slim Zip Wallet
Maybe you’ve got more to haul around than a measly card case can accommodate, or maybe you just want a larger standout wallet for, you know, the flex. In either instance, we’d direct you to Comme des Garçons’ signature zip wallet. For years now, the square-ish icon has been the go-to for style-minded folks looking for a sizable and practical pocketbook, as well as CdG stans looking for something, anything they can afford at Dover Street Market. They come in a seemingly infinite range of colors and patterns and sizes, but if you ask us, this trimmer model in a fun solid hue is right on the money.
The Best-of-Both-Worlds Wallet
Like the size and style of the Comme des Garçons wallet, but want the ease and convenience of a card holder on occasion? Hedi Slimane has the answer. Celine’s zipped wallet comes decked out in the label’s freshly reinstated Arc de Triomphe monogram, with a lush lambskin lining, a spacious interior with a built-in pocket, and a removable leather card case to make your nights out a little less bulky.
The Best Affordable Wallet
You won’t find a better bang-for-your-buck wallet anywhere than Il Bussetto’s bifold card case. Crafted in Italy from buttery hand-painted leather, it’s deceptively roomy, with a half dozen slots—including an expandable pouch—to store everything you need.
The Best Low-Key Luxe Wallet
The combination of Louis Vuitton’s 160-year history of legendary prints and Virgil Abloh‘s surrealist bent has already delivered a handful of explosively flashy textiles, like the iridescent holdall that landed on our Best Stuff of 2019 list in December. But the Parisian house remains at the top of its game when it comes to understated luxury, too, like in the case of this beautifully textured wallet. A compact take on a traditional bifold, it’s loaded with card slots and pockets but is still slender enough to slip into your jeans without much trouble.
