There’s a fair bit to think about when buying a football shirt – which team to pick, among them – but buying a rugby top is a little more straightforward. With a rugby top, you needn’t pledge allegiance to a club (or false allegiance, if you’re not a true fanatic), since in lieu of emblems they’re striped or block-coloured. You can easily embrace this trending sporty mood as a fashion fan, rather than a real one.
Rugby tops were a standout item from the spring/summer 2024 runways, where directional takes were paired with embellished skirts and outerwear at Dries Van Noten and were seen styled with lace-up trousers at DSquared2. Even The Row, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s label renowned for “quiet luxury”, put its own spin on the silhouette with a pale pink cashmere polo (look 13) and an optic-white sweater with matching tracksuit bottoms (look 76).
While there are plenty of new-season options available, the second-hand market has an abundance of vintage styles, which you can find on eBay, Vestiaire Collective, Vinted and Depop. Looking to invest? Pay particular attention to the sizing – oversized fits have proven popular, but you want to ensure that the sleeves aren’t too long (you can also get these altered if something fits well everywhere else). Scroll on to see some of the best rugby tops for women available now.
