The Best Mules Are Slippers With Range

Sliding into a pair of the best mules for men feels like whipping a drop-top down a long, open road: a little terrifying at first, and then wildly freeing. Something about a mule immediately shifts the mood of what you’re wearing. The backless silhouette is more casual than a loafer, but in the right materials and proportions, it signals a different kind of elegance — less effort, more intention. They’re slippers with a bit more social range. Wearable indoors, outdoors, off-duty or even under tailoring. They’re also one of the few genuinely functional summer shoes that don’t feel like a concession to the heat but rather an embrace of it.

Only a few years ago, mules (and all manner of freaky clogs, really) were the sole domain of line cooks and healthcare workers, people who appreciated the silhouette’s no-frills design and easy-wearing attitude. (And save for a handful of outliers, the space was largely dominated by names like Birkenstock and Crocs). But in the last few year, we’ve fully crossed over into the mule-niverse. Thanks to a wider range of price points, styles and subcultural takes — fashion-forward, normcore, post-workwear — there’s a version that makes sense whether you’re heading to a wedding, walking the dog, or just tired of laces.

Below, a tight edit of the best mules for men right now — from the perennial classics to new-generation shapes that prove the silhouette’s just getting started.

The Best Men’s Mules, According to GQ

The Best Mules Overall: Birkenstock Boston

The Boston is probably the reason you’re reading this list. It’s not just the most recognisable mule out there — it’s also the most versatile. Birkenstock’s signature slip-ons are a mainstay of Grateful Dead concerts and Michelin-star kitchens for a reason: they’re about as durable—and handsome—as a pair of mules can get. Recently, the comfort-focused German operation has cooked up high-flying collaborations with brands like Jil Sander and Rick Owens, but for our money, the OGs (in goes-with-everything sand suede) are still the coolest. Wear ‘em with swishy basketball shorts to take out the trash, wear ’em with baggy jeans on the weekend, heck, if you’re really feeling saucy (and your office skews relaxed), wear ’em with with a slouchy suit to work. For maximum fresh-out-the-box cushiness, opt for the ultra-soft footbed version spotlighted here.

The Best Budget Mules: Crocs Dylan Mule

Ignore everything you’ve ever thought about Crocs: The Dylan mule deserves a chance. that. Sleeker, more minimal, and closer to a pool slide-meets-leather slip-on than the brand’s usual bejibbited look, it’s the best inexpensive mule out there by some distance. Lightweight, rainproof, and shockingly easy to wear—especially in all-black—they’re a practical option that doesn’t scream “I’m trying.”

The Best Mules for Green Toes: Plasticana Hemp Mule

If you haven’t heard, garden clogs aren’t just for shoveling perfectly uniform holes in your backyard anymore. With their sleek, water-resistant profile they look just as good on the yard and as they do paired with the quintessential hoodie and denim downtown look. And this shoe is the mule equivalent of an heirloom tomato: simple, beautifully made, and locally sourced. Made from upcycled hemp, and worn across Dimes Square coffee shops and North Fork farms, these unisex hemp mules are breathable, biodegradable, and hand-sewn in New York. They’re quiet, in the best way.

The Best Dressy Mules: G.H.Bass Winston Mule

Can you do mules and tailoring? Absolutely, as long as you pick the right ones. These G.H. Bass Winston mules rework the classic Weejuns loafer shape into something more relaxed and backless, without losing the formality. The sleek vamp and leather upper give them the polish you want under a pleated trouser, but the slip-on shape means you can also wear them with no socks and a crisp, relaxed shirt. A no-brainer for summer weddings or after-hours drinks. (Bonus points if the suit pants you pair ’em with are actually… shorts.)

The Best Fashion-Guy Mules: Our Legacy Camion Mules

If you know, you know. Our Legacy’s Camion mules are the fashion-guy’s mule of choice: heavy, boxy, and built with that signature Scandinavian off-kilter elegance. These wear like a cross between a Chelsea boot and a cowboy clog—the squared toe, leather uppers, buckle detail land them just the right side of weird. Pair with slouchy trousers or jorts in good health.

The Best Futuristic Mules: Merrell Hydro Next Gen Mule

Mules likely won’t be your first choice of footwear for a cross country hike but if you’ve got an “easy” trek in the books—or need something to slip into once you’ve completed your descent—you’ll love these extra-grippy mules. Yes, they look a bit like alien tech, but that’s the point. Merrell’s Hydro mules are part trail shoe, part sculpture, and entirely waterproof. Not for the faint of heart — but surprisingly wearable once you commit.

More Mules We Love

How We Test and Review Products

Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.

Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.

How We Make These Picks

We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.

To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.

We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.

Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.

Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)