Rugby Shirts Are Back. Here’s How to Wear Them Now

• The rugby shirt is back: The once-preppy sports staple is having a modern menswear comeback, thanks to its structured silhouette and easy versatility.
• Fit and fabric matter: Keep the hem around mid-fly, shoulders clean, and match heavyweight jerseys with substantial bottoms while lighter versions work with slimmer trousers.
• Style it beyond prep: Pair rugby shirts with straight-leg denim, bomber jackets, or relaxed tailoring, and give the structured twill collar enough room to sit naturally.

Back in the game

For years, the rugby shirt lived an awkward double life. It belonged to muddy pitches and private school corridors, carrying the unmistakable energy of someone named Oliver who owned a boat.

This season, the rugby shirt has become one of menswear’s smartest wardrobe plays. Not because it has changed much, but because the way men wear it has. Styled with straight-leg denim or paired with relaxed tailoring, the heavyweight jersey has shed its costume-like reputation and entered the same conversation as chore jackets and perfectly washed jeans.

The trick is surprisingly simple: get the proportions right.

First, understand what you’re wearing

A rugby shirt is not a polo with better posture. Originally designed for rugby itself, it is built from heavyweight woven cotton with a sturdy twill collar, buttoned placket, ribbed cuffs, and a boxier silhouette made to survive considerably more than brunch.

While knit polos tend to sit closer to the body, rugby shirts hold their shape, creating an easy silhouette that feels relaxed without looking careless. Stripes are the classic choice, but solid colours and colour-blocked versions work just as well for a more minimal wardrobe.

Fit is everything

The best rugby shirts do not drown the wearer. The shoulders should sit cleanly, the body should have room without ballooning outward, and the hem should land around mid-fly rather than halfway down the thigh.

It sounds like a minor detail, but proportion changes everything. Too long and it starts resembling borrowed sports kit. Too oversized and suddenly you are dressing for nostalgia. Your goal is to have structure.

Let fabric weight lead the outfit

Heavyweight jerseys naturally demand heavier trousers. A traditional striped rugby shirt looks strongest with straight-cut denim, sturdy cotton pants, or relaxed workwear silhouettes that can balance its visual weight.

Lighter rugby shirts offer more flexibility. They pair easily with slimmer trousers or summer chinos, making them an unexpectedly useful alternative to the usual long-sleeved polo. Think of it as matching the energy of the fabric rather than the color.

Never fight the collar

The rugby collar deserves its own paragraph because it is responsible for ruining more outfits than almost any other detail.

That stiff twill collar needs space to breathe. When layered beneath a jacket, let it rest naturally over the neckline instead of forcing it underneath. Once it gets shoved down, it bunches almost immediately, and no amount of mirror checking will make it behave.

Straight-leg denim is its best friend

If there is one combination worth committing to, it is a rugby shirt with straight-leg jeans.

There is something reassuringly uncomplicated about the pairing. The structured cotton balances the denim, the stripes add personality without requiring accessories, and the silhouette feels current without chasing trends too aggressively.

Finish with athletic runners for everyday wear or leather loafers when the occasion calls for slightly more class. Either direction works because the foundation is already doing the heavy lifting.

Take it beyond prep

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the rugby shirt revival is how well it behaves outside its traditional territory.

A lighter jersey tucked loosely into trousers feels sharper than expected. Add loafers, and it edges into smart casual territory; swap them for clean sneakers, and it becomes an outfit that looks equally appropriate in a gallery, airport, or late dinner reservation.

The real reason why the rugby shirt is winning again is because of how versatile it is. It no longer belongs to one aesthetic. It borrows from sport, prep, and workwear without becoming trapped by any of them.

Dayne Aduna

Associate Editor

Dayne Aduna is an Associate Editor at VMAN Southeast Asia, specializing in fashion, grooming, film, television, and contemporary pop culture. With a strong editorial focus on menswear, his work explores how style intersects with shifting cultural movements across Southeast Asia and beyond.

His expertise spans fashion journalism, celebrity profiling, grooming and skincare trends, fragrance, runway reporting, and cultural commentary, with a particular eye for emerging creatives and youth-driven style.

Dayne has written extensively on fashion houses, seasonal trends, designer collections, and the evolving image of the modern Southeast Asian man, bringing both editorial depth and cultural relevance to his coverage.

See more stories by Dayne Aduna