SHOP $185, rowingblazers.com

Welcome to The Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.

I used to hate rugby shirts. Wait, that's maybe a little harsh. But I used to believe—emphatically—that rugby shirts were Not My Thing. I honestly can't put my finger on why, exactly, except knowing that I never really wore them and therefore developed no affinity for their potential. Probably, that's because of the unfortunate one I wore back in fifth or sixth grade, which was adorned with super-thick stripes in primary colors and became the butt of more than a few jokes. Kids can be so cruel.

I tell you this not because I'm trying to exorcise any elementary-school demons, but to demonstrate just how drastically my attitude shifted when I encountered Rowing Blazers' take on the rugby. Holy. Shit. How have I been so wrong for so long? That's about how it went. The hefty, heritage-inspired styles offered up by the NYC-based brand were a genuine revelation. Here's why you should see the light, too.

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This Thing Is Serious.

Rugby shirts were initially designed for a game played by men who seem to genuinely want to kill each other in pursuit of moving a ball from one end of the field to another. Rugby players do not fuck around—they don't even wear pads!—and their uniforms couldn't either. So when I say serious, I mean this shirt is super heavy-duty. The 14oz cotton feels like armor, if armor were actually pretty comfy and pleasing to the touch. The rubberized buttons won't snap, even if your collarbone does. And, as a bonus, it's all handmade in Europe. Who says traditional craftsmanship has to be delicate?

SHOP $185, rowingblazers.com

Graham Pollack

It's Incredibly Versatile.

Even though rugbies are rooted in sport, they can be worn pretty much any way you like. Rowing Blazers' version looks incredible over a pair of indigo jeans and moc-toe boots, leaning into the utilitarian vibe of the garment. (Bonus: Until it's pretty damn cold, you won't need a jacket.) It also looks great underneath a suit jacket or a topcoat to dress things up a bit. And if you want to swerve a bit, why not try it with cropped trousers and a pair of classic sneakers. In every instance, it just works.

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It’s Just Plain Cool.

You know what's cool? Big cats. Tigers are cool, jaguars are cool, and pumas are cool. There's nothing you can say that'll convince me otherwise. Want to make a puma even cooler? Turn it into a big, perfectly executed embroidered logo and put it on the chest of a serious rugby shirt modeled after the one worn by the 1965 Argentinian national team. I don't know exactly why this equation works, but I do know that when other style-minded guys see this shirt, one of the first things they do is ask how they can get one for themselves. And that's exactly the kind of co-sign we can all get behind.

Furniture by and special thanks to Kalon Studios

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