RUGBY STRIPES ARE HERE TO STAY…FOR NOW

The men’s fashion writer at the Wall Street Journal (Ray Smith) recently wrote a story about how knit rugby shirts are an important fashion statement. Called “Rugby Pitch,” the article says rugby shirts are selling very well at retail in both stripes and solids.

“Makers from Lacoste to Old Navy are pushing knitted rugby shirts, which have white collars and usually feature wide horizontal stripes called hoops. Bergdorf Goodman started carrying them last year and now stocks $85 Ralph Lauren rugbys and lightweight cashmere rugby-style shirts that go for $725; for fall, it plans to add heavier cashmere…

“It's a remarkable comeback for a look that was last popular in the 1980s. Rugby shirts were the big drivers behind a 10.4% increase last year in sales of men's knit shirts, a category that also includes golf shirts and T-shirts, says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at market researcher NPD Group.

Gant says it sold out of a slim-fitting version of its $100 classic rugby shirt that it introduced last fall. Other updates include solid colors, thin stripes and wild color combinations.

The resurrection of the rugby shirt, first worn in team colors by English rugby players in the 19th century, is part of a shift back to preppy style. Tom Julian, a senior vice president and director of trends at ad agency McCann Erickson, says it began this time in Europe.

A traditional rugby shirt like the Brooks Brothers model has broad stripes in two colors, with a white collar and a separate piece of fabric called a placket sewn in to reinforce the buttonholes. The buttons are made of rubber, rather than shell or plastic, so players won't get hurt if they crack, says Andy Gilchrist, author of "The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes."