TAKE TWO: RUGBY SHIRTS

Take Two is a series in which we identify specific garments that can be sourced vintage or sustainably instead of buying new. The goal of this series is to inspire the purchase of a second-hand, deadstock, or re-worked piece in the place of virgin garments.

Perhaps the easiest way to add sophistication to any outfit is to throw on a rugby shirt.

Certain garments fascinate us because they have a history of connotations behind them. The rugby shirt particularly charms us. You're not just wearing the shirt: you're wearing the culture, characters, lives, memories, and lore behind it. A rugby shirt may have subtle suggestions of Oxford students, distant Kennedy relatives, Ivy League intellectuals, all-American athletes, and fetching models from late 90's J.Crew catalogs. Each time you wear a rugby shirt, you're borrowing pieces of its past and re-contextualizing them into your own present.

Worn with low rise jeans and sneakers, you have a youthful outfit. Worn with sport shorts and ballet flats, you may look like you have a stylist specifically for your streetwear. Worn with a mini skirt or tailored shorts, you might be mistaken for a walking Miu Miu ad. 

For work, for class, for running errands, for meeting up with old friends, the rugby shirt is a go-to for so many occasions. In fact, I might just wear one to work tomorrow with denim and ballet flats. 

Cheers to a shirt that's withstood the test of time and has championed various cultural nuances. 

You can buy designer rugby shirts like this one from Miu Miu, or this one from JW Anderson. Or, you can buy a secondhand rugby shirt in our vintage collection, all of which have lived a life before yours.

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