I Can’t Stop Thinking About Rugby Shirts
I Can’t Stop Thinking About Rugby Shirts
Going long on my latest obsession.
For some reason, the clothes demon that resides in my brain won’t stop whispering to me about rugby shirts. Every so often, a desire will rise up in me that feels so ancient and deep its almost as if it has no origin, it’s simply been there all along. Recently, this fixation has oriented itself towards rugby shirts. I first started thinking about them passively in 2021, as evidenced by the below screenshot of a very cheap polo that I definitely should have bought.
But over time, the thoughts have grown stronger and stronger to the point where they inhabit full-blown obsession territory. I love the preppy Americana J. Crew catalog (it’s back!) vibes they give off, as if anyone who dons one is instantly transformed into a trust fund kid at a private boarding school and summers—as a verb—at Cape Cod. I love nothing more than cosplaying as a crusty old rich person (see: Hermes scarves) so it makes sense that I would go down a rabbit hole into an item of clothing that is one of the main signifiers of the old money aesthetic.
(Left: Poshmark, Right: Poshmark)
In any event, I’ve been tracking rugby shirts on resale sites the way some kids track Santa Claus on the NORAD website everyChristmas Eve. They’re not remotely hard to get your hands on but there are seemingly endless variations of rugby shirts that run the gamut from preppy to clownish, making it tricky to find the RIGHT one.
My platonic ideal version of a rugby shirt has navy and yellow stripes, a white collar and placket, and an oversized, slouchy fit. I’m almost certain this particular shirt has been embedded in my mind since 2004, the year Ralph Lauren launched a diffusion line called Rugby. The logo was a skull and crossbones (oooh edgy!) and they ran a ton of ads in Teen Vogue, which I was obsessed with at the time and would pore over like I was studying for the bar exam. I loved the subversive take on school uniform styles and I’m almost certain that my fondness for this particular colour scheme can be traced by to this exact ad.
To me, the only brand of rugby shirt worth buying is by Barbarian, the Canadian sports apparel manufacturer. They make all of the heavy-duty rugby shirts for varsity teams and their logo is a Neanderthal-looking dude carrying a spiked club which I find deeply charming.) They’re made from incredibly heavy, thick cotton—all the better for getting tackled by the opposing team— and I appreciate their borderline indestructible quality. The only other acceptable option is by Polo Ralph Lauren. They may not be an authentic sports jersey but I have to give them credit for being the ones to bring the style off the field and into a fashion context. There are plenty of new versions on the market, but I don’t see why you’d buy one when there are an umpteen number of perfectly worn-in secondhand ones to buy.
After months of scouring Poshmark, I ended up going with this version. It fulfils my basic colour scheme and I’m hoping the size will be just the right amount of slouchy. I’m excited to wear it with vintage jeans for a low-key look, midi skirts for a more prep school vibe and if I can ever find them — the perfect pair of pleated khaki Dockers so I can cosplay as a middle manager.
