Rugbys can be to fall what polos are to summer. I’ve been looking for a good one for a while now, but I’ve never been able to find one that works. Most rugbys have floppy collars and elasticized cuffs, and I want one with button cuffs and a reinforced spread collar. My ideal is basically a slightly sharper version of a traditional rugby that I can wear with casual wool trousers and chukka boots (as pictured above).
Many companies have made ones that come close. Earlier this year, Brooks Brothers had a promising model, but it wasn’t slim enough. Zanone, a division of Slowear, sells something similar, but the collar wasn’t spread. I also once saw a perfect rugby by Orian, but it was too expensive for me.
Luckily, Kent Wang recently sent me one of his in navy. I’m fairly impressed with it. The fit is slim, like his polos, and the quality is quite good. There are also very thick mother-of-pearl buttons, which give an appreciable level of detailing that you often don’t find in stores nowadays. Most importantly, there are button cuffs and a reinforced spread collar. This is basically the sharper version of a traditional rugby that I’ve been looking for.
The only problem I found is that the cuffs are a bit too small. The sleeves start off normal but then taper to about a 8.5" cuff, which is about an inch smaller than my other shirts. The tighter cuff means that the sleeve is a bit tight starting around the elbow and my watch won’t fit underneath.
I talked to Kent about it and he said that this only seem to be an issue with the mediums and that the other sizes have bigger cuffs. He’s also doing another production run in November and will have the cuffs adjusted then. You may want to check back in November, or if you want one immediately, you can buy one now and mainly wear it with rolled up sleeves (assuming you wear a medium). Either way, Kent is sending me one of his new ones and I will report back when I get it. If it fits well, I think this will be my ideal rugby. It’s a bit sharper looking than others and can be worn with any number of casual pants this fall (corduroys, moleskins, chinos, jeans, casual wool trousers, etc). If you pair it with one of the “in-between” shoes that Jesse talked about, this can be a reliable go-to ensemble that’s casual, but still sharp.
