This Is The One Style Piece Your Closet Is Missing If You Want To Look Younger But Still Chic
Makes getting dressed easier.
Image: Netflix
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by The Candidly Team
Here’s a little riddle for you. Name something sporty that’s also polished, classic but au-courant, quintessentially British but also made famous by Patagonia in the 70s.
Care for a visual clue?
Ah indeed, it is the rugby shirt.
We first noticed ourselves wanting a rugby shirt when we saw one on Joanne, played by Kristen Bell, in Nobody Wants This, whose whole wardrobe was kind of a masterclass in how to dress youthful and interesting after 40.
Image: Netflix
And why are we choosing to focus specifically on the rugby shirt today?
Well, we recently discovered that this item of clothing was actually a very significant thing missing from our closets as over-40 women who still want to dress cool and classic and chic. It toes the line between all three of these things, while also being one of those very rare pieces that make us look styled without effort, younger without seeming like we’re trying to look younger.
Also, they’re striped, which means we look like we’re wearing something expensive, when actually it’s just a t-shirt, so it’s not.
Rugby shirts happen to be having a big, fashion moment right now, as the kids say, (or maybe they don’t say that anymore), but the point is these shirts give us gorgeous, “cool girl” street-style, while still offering plenty of arm and tum coverage. The dream!
Oh yeah, and they also happen to work with every bottom in our existing closet.
All that said, we compiled a list of our favorite 5 rugby shirts in the 5 most critical categories of rugby shirt. Didn’t know there were 5, did you? But we do have a favorite. Do you?
1) Best Classic
WHAT: Aritzia Tna Mighty Cotton™ Lomu Polo*
Why we love it: The classic, oversized fit we’ve loved since the late 80s. It’s somewhere between a t-shirt and a sweatshirt but somehow, it makes everything we wear into an outfit. We probably get the most use out of the archetypal blue and navy, but there are so many good color and print combinations of this shirt, it took us 3 weeks to make our pick.
Price: $68
However, to recreate Kristen’s exact red and white look, seen here:
We love THIS ONE:
2. Best Cropped
WHAT: Superdry Athletic Essential Cropped Stripe*
Why we love it: As women over 35, we’ve been falsely taught to fear the word “cropped” when, in fact, a higher cut top actually makes our waists look smaller. It hits right at top of your pants, so you never have to fuss over tucking in your shirt to look styled. This one comes in thick stripes, thin stripes, and every color combination you could want.
Price: $67
One of our favorite brands in the universe for all things striped also makes THIS* not-too-long-or-too-short version. If you’re a fellow “stripes person,” you must check them out:
3. Best Fitted
WHAT: Solid & Striped Debra Top*
Why we love it: Sometimes we go the route of more fitted top, so we can balance it with a baggier bottom, and get a nice hourglassy silhouette. This tee is so sculpting and comes in two color combinations that both feel quite “New York fashion week.”
Price: $148
And if you’re style is more English countryside than NY fashion week, we are also not well over the embroidered detail on THIS ONE:
4. Best Short-Sleeve
WHAT: Z Supply Archer Polo*
Why we love it: Everything about this shirt sort of slants in to be more nipping and narrowing, which is very nice. The drop shoulder also covers the thickest part of our arms.
Price: $78
And for a color palette, we (once again) single-white-femaled straight from Joanne/ Kristen in NWT:
Images: Netflix
We, of course, love THIS ONE:
5. Modern Citizen Eames Organic Cotton-Wool Cardigan
WHAT: J.Crew Heritage Terry Rugby Sweatshirt*
Why we love it: Naturally, we want the sweatshirt version. The shape of this one (note the drop shoulder, thick waistbank, and low collar) make it extremely flattering with all our pants and jeans, so we don’t just look like sacks all day.
Price: $69.50
We’d be remiss not to mention THIS sweater version* that’s so classic and Carolyn-Bessette-Kennedy-esque. You’re going to say it’s a polo. We don’t care. We’ve tried it on, and now we’re buying it in both colors it comes in.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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