This Item Is Posh-Boarding-School Coded | Who What Wear

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Preppy style is in the midst of a renaissance, and not just because Ralph Lauren made us all want to invest in a Team USA Olympics blazer. Miu Miu has been one of the key drivers of this aesthetic, with models walking the spring/summer 2024 runway in polos, boat shoes, and baggy board shorts. It’s an artfully disheveled look that anyone who went to a British collegiate university in the Noughties will be all too familiar with. This scruffy version of “prep” is much less refined than the buttoned-up Ivy League stereotype, and has a whiff of a hangover about it. It was perfectly captured in Emerald Fennel’s Saltburn, by Jacob Elordi’s character, who shuffled around Oxford University in long-sleeved rugby shirts, baggy jeans, and an ear piercing.

Rugby shirts, along with boat shoes, signet rings, and padded vests have usually been considered more Prince William than street style. However, a rugby shirt has become the latest sportswear item to receive a high fashion treatment, with brands like The Row, Dries van Noten, and Miu Miu repositioning them as an unlikely cult buy.

It’s a look that you’ll currently see in every organic wine bar in London, however the key is to under no circumstances pair it with any other athleisure. This is not a top to wear with your Lululemon leggings and New Balance sneakers. Instead, you want this to be used as one off-beat, sportswear item within an otherwise polished look. Instead of the scruffy Saltburn aesthetic, pair your oversized polo with an embellished pencil skirt, puff-ball hem mini, or tailored pants.

As for trending styles, there are lots of boxy shirts with wide, horizontal stripes in rich collegiate colors, such as burgundy, green, and reds. Popular brands include &Daughter, who have a beautiful knitted long-sleeved polo shirt spun from lambswool and Gigi Hadid’s brand Guest in Residence. And no, you absolutely don't need to understand the sport to tap into this trend.

This burgundy hue is Ivy League-worthy.

The boxier, cropped shape makes this a more streamlined fit.

Free People has doubled down on this trend.

A wardrobe classic that will make so many weekend looks.

Sometimes simple really is best.

Of course Ralph Lauren has leaned into this collegiate look.

Miu Miu is one of the designers behind this trend.

The raspberry and baby blue is a beautiful color combo.

Gigi Hadid's label Guest In Residence has a luxurious spin on a rugby top.

The boxy shape elevates this sportswear staple.

This has a retro, nostalgic Americana feel.

Navy, white, and red is a classic color combo.

A playful twist on a rugby shirt from London-based brand House of Sunny.

Emma is a freelance fashion editor with over 15 years experience in industry, having worked at The Telegraph, Grazia and, most recently, British Vogue. Emma was part of the founding team of Who What Wear UK, where she worked for six years as Deputy Editor and then Editor—helping shape the team into what it is today is one of the biggest privileges of her career and she will always see herself as a Who What Wear girl, contributing to both the US and UK sites. Whether she's writing about runway trends or spotlighting emerging brands, she aims to write about fashion in a way that is democratic and doesn't promote over consumption.

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