Rugby Shirts Become Key to Athleisure's Preppy Transformation
Stylist: Melanie Wilkinson. Photograph: David Newby/The Guardian. Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: rugby shirts are central to athleisure's preppy new makeover. No longer dominated by compression fit leggings, today's athleisure adopts a looser silhouette with a nostalgic nod.
Athleisure should not be mistaken for serious fitness wear. It is fashion, not kit, designed for leisure rather than intense physical activity. The term itself, a blend of athletics and leisure, emphasizes comfort over performance, focusing on optimal relaxation rather than personal bests.
This fashion category evolves with trends, shifting significantly from a few years ago when outfits were anchored by snazzy leggings. Tight legging sets with dazzling graphics represented the imperial age of Lycra, under the cheerful tyranny of compression fit. These outfits, often perky and sculpting, were like lingerie in their matching sets and mirror-focused designs.
From Tight Leggings to Looser Styles
While such clothes remain functional for classes or treadmills, they no longer serve as a style statement at coffee shops. That version of athleisure now appears dated. In its place, a looser aesthetic has emerged, infused with nostalgia instead of the earnest modernity of graphic-print leggings.
Today's athleisure draws inspiration from the bracing, outdoorsy world of organized sport. Key pieces include rugby tops, roomy tracksuit bottoms, windbreakers, and fleeces. These items suggest teams, institutions, and muddy sidelines rather than sleek individual optimization.
The rugby shirt is a pivotal item, bridging sport and corpcore with its stripes and white collar. Loud and bulky, it occupies a space between sportswear and uniform. When paired with baggy tracksuit bottoms, straight jeans, or tailored trousers, it brings a similar energy to the hoodie layered under a Crombie coat a decade ago.
Preppy Chic Reasserts Itself
Spanish influencer Nina Urgell Cloquell exemplifies this preppy trend. Photograph: Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images. Both hoodies and rugby shirts have sporting affiliations, but of different stripes. The rise of the rugby shirt reflects how preppy chic has reasserted itself after years of anti-establishment streetwear dominance.
This shift occurred partly because hoodies became logo-driven and trainers entered an impenetrable limited-edition loop, diluting their oppositional charge. As a result, athleisure has turned towards older, more legible codes: preppy styles, collegiate references, and clothes associated with institutions.
Rugby shirts, cricket jumpers, boat shoes, loafers, and pleated trousers carry a whiff of inherited structure, suggesting rules and hierarchies. Even when worn ironically, they retain the shape of authority.
Fashion Aligns with Conventional Power Structures
This trend extends beyond athleisure, as the whole of fashion becomes more comfortable aligning with conventional power structures. The irony-soaked distance that once defined casual dress has faded, with clothes implying stability and order gaining fresh appeal.
For instance, wearing a tie is making a comeback in menswear shows, highlighting a renewed interest in formality and hierarchy. A rugby shirt still possesses bull-in-a-china-shop energy, borrowing the cultural weight of organized sport with its tribal loyalties and long history.
Paired with slouchy track pants and trainers, the look feels relaxed but intentional. Worn with tailored trousers and loafers, it takes on a sharper, more ironic edge. Layered under a blazer or over a rollneck, it appears comfortable yet not careless.
Athleisure Grows Up
Athleisure has matured, no longer pretending that leisure is merely a pause between workouts. Leisure is now the point, with post-class coffee serving as the core activity rather than a reward. The message is clear: step off the treadmill and embrace life at a walking pace.
Model: Daria at Milk. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using Bumble & Bumble and Dermalogica. Stylist's assistant: Charlotte Gornall. Earrings, £315, Thomas Sabo. Top, £35.99, Zara. Rugby shirt, £34, Topshop. Bag, £115, Charles & Keith. Corduroy trousers, £126, Varley. Heels, £65, Charles & Keith.
