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Nowadays, countless brands are offering fresh iterations of the classic rugby shirt. Though the designs offer new colors and patterns, the garment is essentially unchanged: the tough, long-sleeve shirt is still made with heavyweight cotton, reinforced at seams and finished with an unflappable collar.
“A rugby shirt should be knitted differently from a polo shirt, for one thing: a rugby shirt should be almost like armor, unlike the piqué mesh polo shirt. And it should be heavyweight. A rugby shirt should not be a glorified long-sleeve polo,” Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson explains. “Funnily enough, when a rugby shirt is properly made in a good heavy knit, it keeps you warm when it’s chilly out, but shouldn’t make you sweaty when it’s warm out: the heavyweight construction of the cloth should keep it from sticking to your skin. The other thing, of course, that makes a rugby shirt a rugby shirt is the crisp white collar and the rubber buttons.”
Where Do Rugby Shirts Come from?
Ruby shirts were originally designed to take a beating on the field — on the rugby field, that is. And modern rugby jerseys, if you will, do carry on a tradition set by their predecessor: a penchant for stripes, shields and other adornments. Here’s why.
“The earliest rugby shirts were, in fact, soccer jerseys, and like many old-school soccer jerseys they featured something akin to a mandarin collar in white,” Carlson says. “This developed over time into what we know as a rugby collar, and the shirts became heavier cotton knit as the sport developed into the rough game we know today. Those early rugby shirts were emblazoned with large embroideries and appliqués on the left chest with the symbols of Rugby School’s various houses: the crescent, the anchor, the lion rampant, among others — and the most famous, the skull and crossbones of School House.”
“Its mainstream entry into the American style vernacular really began in the ’70s, when Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, bought a bunch of Umbro rugby jerseys on a climbing trip in Scotland, brought them back to America, ripped out the tags, and sold them,” Carlson explains. “Patagonia soon followed with their own rugby shirts, and the style was really brought to the masses by the likes of Lands’ End and J.Crew through their catalog business in the ’80s. By the ’90s it was a staple of the American casual wardrobe: photos of Tupac and Chevy Chase can attest.”
How to Style a Rugby Shirt
Rugby shirts have been around forever, but they haven’t always been stylish.
“A rugby shirt is extremely versatile,” Carlson advises. “Depending on the colors, you can wear it under a sportcoat or a blazer — Mick Jagger, David Hockney, and Peter Schlesinger can show us how. I love to wear mine under a sweater when I wear a sweater because the collar is just the right size and shape to give you that flash of white poking out at the neck. But the great thing about a rugby is how good it looks on its own. The rugby lends itself very well to the Zoom era because the collar looks so good (and not too casual) when you’re appearing on a screen from the shoulders up. It’s much more put-together than a sweatshirt, but much less try-hard than a jacket and tie.”
What to Look for
Material
Traditionally, rugby shirts are made from tightly woven cotton. Unlike heavily guarded liquids like champagne, though, a rugby shirt need not be made from 100 percent cotton in order to be considered a rugby shirt. There are rugby shirts made from wool, polyester, nylon and other materials now.
Construction
All rugby shirts must have a collar, though, ideally with two or three buttons. They should also have a split hem and pronounced cuffs. They can have a pocket but it’s not necessarily common.
Colors and Patterns
Rugby shirts were rugby shirts because of the patterns and colors. Used first to signify teams and allegiances, they’re now simply a fashion statement.
Taylor Stitch’s slim-fitting The Rugby Shirt comes in a coastal blue-and-cream vertical stripe with visible stitches, rubber buttons and a contrasting collar. If you want yours to fit loosely, order up, meaning if you usually wear a medium, order a large. That’s an easy workaround for making this good-looking shirt work two ways.
And it’s well worth the sizing hassle if you ask me. Made from tightly woven cotton, this option will last a long time, while only getting softer and easier to wear each year. Plus, the kind of pre-faded color combo will lose its vibrancy with each subsequent wash (or day in the sun), but that’ll only add to its laidback vibe.
I wouldn’t hesitate to pin the rugby shirt’s revival to Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson. As he says above, it was 2017 when he launched his collection of history-referencing rugby shirts. Then, J.Crew sold one, and so did Ralph Lauren, but they weren’t top priorities.
Rowing Blazers turned rugby shirts into a highlight piece, one every brand had to ideate on in the coming season. Now, his brand’s collection rivals the best of them: loads of vertical stripes, some graphic options and a suite of solid colors, too. Made in Portugal from super-heavyweight cotton, these feel amazing on and look good no matter the chosen colorway.
Sold in three striking stripe combos, Gap’s rugby leans into the aesthetics set by rapper Tyler, the Creator — luxurious pastels. But this option stands out for more than just its pattern. The shirt itself is made from super-soft combed cotton with a contrasting cotton spread collar.
It’ll be a little big, especially if you’re barely your current size, but big shirts go really well with wide-leg pants.
If you told me you only had $100 to spend, I’d pick this one for you — it’s the best rugby shirt you can buy for under a hundred bucks. Sure, the Gap sells a cheaper one, but it’s simply the best affordable — the most viable option from the bottom of the barrel, if you will.
For $98, Everlane offers a premium-weight rugby in one of four colors. It hangs really nicely with slightly oversized sleeves, depending on your arm length, and has a collar that conjures spread-collar dress shirts, not the pullovers rugby players used to don.
The ’80s were a boon to rugby shirts, thanks in no small part to “perfect” renditions by brands like J.Crew. Perfect is how they’d describe J.Crew’s 1984 rugby debut, which was colorblocked, 100 percent cotton and, at the time, flying off the shelves. Now, though, they’ve dropped the 1984 from its name, even though it resurfaced as recently as last season.
This iteration is equally as good, though, albeit not the best overall. It’s still made from 11-ounce cotton with twill taping and a canvas collar, but the patterns nowadays are… subpar. They’re super preppy and pretty loud, in a way that’s unlike the other vibrant options on this list. They’re more magenta and less pale pink, if you know what I mean.
Washed hoodies with tiny Nike logos are all the rage; they often resell for three times their retail price. This isn’t a hoodie, but it has similar weight — and an equally sporty look to it. A black cotton-elastane body offsets both the white collar and the white Swoosh. The button placket is tonal but totally functional, too. Best of all, the embedded stretch helps this one actually perform, on the field, pitch, course or court.
Like Taylor Stitch’s, Reigning Champ’s Monogram Rugby Shirt runs rather small. Order up if you want a regular fit. For example, a standard large, which I almost always am, barely buttoned around my neck. Plus, the sleeves were a little short.
These are all valid complaints, but there’s plenty to like about the shirt, too, from the stark black color and lightweight construction to the back jersey logo and bold front left chest hit. This one has a twill collar and a concealed button placket with chunky, sweatshirt-like cuffs.
Studio Nicholson’s Tarak Rugby is made from a mix of merino wool and cotton, a mix that lends a luxe softness to a traditionally sturdy sportswear silhouette. The sleeves hang over tight, ribbed cuffs and an oversized white collar offsets the warm brown and black tones. This is your finest wool sweater refashioned into a sporty rugby shirt.
Battenwear based its rugby shirt of the style championed by Patagonia in the ’70s. It is cut from 12 oz cotton jersey and features a chest pocket, twill collar and reinforced seams.
