9 of the Most Stylish Male Characters on TV

In the past, TV shows focused on women's clothing to tell the story of the characters.

In Charlie's Angels and Sex and the City, for example, the mood of the female characters was set by their clothing.

However, with the rise of men's apparel sales and greater access to information about men's fashion, shows have increasingly focused on the style and costume design of the male characters.

Men's style inspirations can be found in all sorts of TV shows today, from superhero dramas to dark comedies.

That's why we have compiled this list of the 20 most stylish male characters of the recent past on TV.

Monroe Stahr (The Last Tycoon)

Amazon's TV remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel has been widely anticipated since it was announced that the show's main characters would be incorporating a more retro 1930s style of dressing.

In the series, Matt Bomer plays movie mogul Monroe Stahr in the early days of Tinseltown. Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant was brought on to add another layer of allure to the character's dressing. She is quoted as saying, "I am all about pleated pants, wide legs, broad shoulders ... what can I say? I am tired of the skinny suit. I am ready to change the world again. Let us do it."

Key outfits include a 1930s men's suit silhouette with pleated wide-leg pants, double-breasted jackets, white shirts and graphic ties.

Fitzgerald Grant (Scandal)

He is almost always well dressed and takes it upon himself to make sure he represents the U.S. well on the global stage.

His clothing choices are elegant because he is a picture of elegance in them.

That's a good description of Tony Goldwyn character Fitzgerald Grant in highly rated TV show Scandal.

"I spend as much time picking out a tie for President Grant as I do picking out the right shoe for Olivia Pope [Kerry Washington's lead character]," costume designer Lyn Paolo says of the Washington, D.C., drama. "I adore dressing men and am obsessed with male accessories and, of course, tailoring."

Paolo also has a particular fondness for Fitz's "Vermont country gentleman look," which she likens to an ad for Town and Country magazine.

Key elements for the iconic character in the are suits by Paul Smith and Brooks Brothers, accented with shoes from Ferragamo and Gucci.

Mike Ross & Harvey Specter (Suits)

This was a show called Suits so their costumes had to be impeccable. It was also a show about two lawyers with wildly different styles, and since the characters were constantly arguing with each other, their costumes had to be in dialogue with each other.

Costume designer Jolie Andreatta had a keen sense of how to dress the actors in the scenes they shared, as she worked with USA's character-driven formula.

She began by dressing actor Patrick J. Adams' character, Mike Ross, in vintage suits and ties before his paycheck grew, and then switched to brands like Tom Ford and Charvet.

For Gabriel Macht's Harvey Specter, she started with Tom Ford suits and then began designing her own, keeping the cut but changing the details, adding pockets and cutting the lapels tighter.

By the seventh season, Andreatta was dressing 30 actors. The changing world of men's fashion was one of the show's central themes.

She dressed the attorneys at Pearson Hardman's in slim suits with narrow shoulders and straight-legged pants.

She dressed them in three-piece suits with wide lapels and high waists and in raincoats cut to be worn buttoned or unbuttoned at the bottom.

She dressed them in color-block looks in their downtime - a T-shirt under a cashmere sweater under a plaid blazer - delivering exactly what fans wanted: aspirational menswear at its most stylish.

Tyron Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Game Of Thrones' Tyrion Lannister is a character who first appeared in the very first book of George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series, which was adapted by HBO into a critically acclaimed TV series.

But it is not until the fourth season of the show that Tyrion seems to grow as a character and take a more central role in the unfolding drama.

This is in part due to the acting of Peter Dinklage, who portrays Tyrion with a perfect blend of intelligence, wit and dry.

It's also a credit to the costume design of Michele Clapton. It feels like Tyrion's clothing clearly speaks to his character: understated leather vests, billowy shirts, pants and boots that show that money does not have to mean opulence. Clapton explains that some of Tyrion's looks are born out of practicality.

After all, he's been known to frequent dark bars and brothels, and he's also smart enough not to wear anything that could be poached.

The combination of color schemes used for Tyrion are also elegant, but dark: think gray or black leather or corduroy or wool coats or tunics, paired with muted but vibrant jewel tones.

John Watson (Sherlock)

John Watson is the Yin to Sherlock’s Yang: less grandiose and much more subtle.

The Haversack jacket and cable-knit jumper matched Sherlock’s grandiose stride, contrasting against the white fabric. They add up to an unmatched style nous.

With his dark colored military style jackets, button up shirts & sweater and dark wash regular fit jeans, John has a classic Mod look about him. Everything about him points to undeniable style.

Sorry Sherlock with your mind that’s too big for your skull and tongue that’s too big for your mouth, but you will always be second best to your assistant who is more stylish than you by a mile.

John Luther (Luther)

A grisly murder is not the kind of crime you would expect to see in the headlines of a glossy fashion magazine.

A crude gun used by a gangster or a deranged war veteran is not something you would expect to see at Fashion Week. But even in the most inhospitable environment, a great designer can make people look their best.

That's the strength of John Luther, Detective Chief Inspector. He is a man who fights crime with both of these skills.

While his demeanor is sometimes harsh and uncompromising, and the world around him is often cruel, his fashion sense is impeccable.

He may be dressed in plaid, jeans and an overcoat when he is fighting for his life against some deranged psychopath, but he never misses an opportunity to entertain or intimidate in a suit and tie.

The Silver-Eyed Man enters a room in tailored suits and stylish hats or thrown-together tuxedos with bold patterned vests.

His eyes are covered by black-rimmed glasses with dark lenses that reflect only the light of his soul.

Vincent Chase (Entourage) 

Although created in a fictional world, movie star Vincent Chase's life seemed to have as many ups as downs. He's struggled with alcoholism and got involved with women in the porn industry.

He is also constantly worried that his immense talent will be quickly forgotten by the public. That said, nothing can slow down his personal style. Entourage costume designer Olivia Miles is like an artist.

Like a musician who knows exactly which notes to strike to play the perfect chord. Vincent Chase's stylist has mastered the balance between art and science.

In each outfit, there is a balance of colors and textures between solid colors, patterns, details and plain colors.

Vincent Chase's style could be described as head-to-toe vintage with a touch of contemporary.

His style blends timeless and the most coveted trends of the season. Each outfit is perfectly edited and shows restraint when it comes to accessories.

Tony Montana (Scarface)

The inclusion of one film on a list focused on TV shows is to point to the fact you do not have to like these characters, to be enthralled by their stunning and unique sense of style.

Set on the vibrant streets of Miami, Florida, Scarface tells the tale of Cuban ex-con Tony Montana who lands on the shores of the US to find himself in the midst of the 1980s cocaine boom.

In true gangster style, he makes his way up the food chain, facing the trials and conflicts of mob life and unknowingly setting himself up for a fall from the top.

He's a self-made man who comes from the streets and whose clothes give off an air of swanky demeanor and aggressive power.

The Hawaiian shirts with their large floral patterns are loud and colorful, but they do not look like they would be too comfortable to wear.

His trademark look is the collar turned-up on the shirt and worn outside the suit jacket. You could be sure that he would always stand out in a crowd as he walked down the street.

Don Draper (Mad Men)

A glass of scotch, a cigarette, a silk tie: these are the three things that define Don Draper. The iconic TV show has spawned countless fashion editorials on how to get the "Mad Men look."

Naturally a list honoring the best dressed TV male characters without Don Draper would be sacrilege indeed.

Whether it's because of the suave suits, society's penchant to naval gaze or simply because they were allowed to light up the office at the time, Mad Men exudes class and every inch of the ever dapper Draper is a musk of sophistication and affluence.

It was not just because they all looked smooth, but also that they got to work in offices as stylish as their suits. From the oh-so-shiny shoe to the pomaded mop of hair, Don Draper is the embodiment of 1960s fashion.

His style of dress is particularly striking because it is so different from the way men dress today.