The rugby shirt has been quietly having a moment and blue is the color that makes the most sense to start with. Navy, slate, washed indigo, pale chambray blue: there is enough range within a single color to build serious versatility without overthinking it. What separates a rugby shirt that looks considered from one that looks like you raided a college athletics lost property box comes down to a few things. Collar construction matters more than people admit. So does the weight of the cotton and whether the chest placket sits flat after a wash. The ones that look expensive tend to share a certain restraint: cleaner color blocking, better tipping on the collar, proportions that work tucked or untucked without looking accidental. We have been focused specifically on options that hit well below what they appear to cost, because this is a category where the value plays are genuinely good right now. These are the ones worth picking up before everyone else figures that out.