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A Classic Ringer Is the T-Shirt You're Missing

The throwback athletic basic is having its moment (again).
By Gerald Ortiz
Photos courtesy of MediaPunchBauerGriffin Getty Images Everybody World Amazon Mr Porter Nordstrom Design by Mari Herrema
Paul Mescal Image: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin; Images: Everybody World, Nordstrom, Mr Porter

If you took a walk through San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood today, you’d think the hippie era never ended. The neighborhood remains rife with free-spirited, wandering souls, straight out of the grooviest decade. But increasingly, various other remnants of the late 1960s and '70s are surging back into vogue, and showing up far outside S.F.’s city’s limits. Trucker hats and flared jeans come to mind (thanks Kendrick), but perhaps the coolest thing to resurface—with help from the likes of Paul Mescal—is the ringer tee.

With its contrasting collars and sleeve hems, tinted in a variety of splashy colors, the style first took off with the youth and countercultural movements of that time. (Whether or not your shirt had a graphic or pattern on it, those little hits of color gave the ringer tee a playful, subversive quality that icons like John Lennon seized upon.) Today, the ringer tee has re-emerged—thanks to assists from Kapital, Bode, Celine Homme, and other leading designers—as a strong and simple route to upping your style while still keeping your look under control.

Where to start? Any of the ringer tees below are worthy pick-ups, but a simple white ringer tee is probably the perfect place to begin—dip your cautious toes and add just a touch of visual interest to an otherwise dusty outfit. To start, rock the ringer solo with a pair of your best-fitting jeans. Then, once you’re ready to level up, take it a step further and layer it under a casual button-up shirt, maybe even one with dizzying patterns or funky graphics. Go ahead: Your fit-pic mirror awaits.

The Men's Ringer Tee Hit List

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    1/13

    ERL

    I Did What Last Night? Ringer Tee

    $200

    Nordstrom

    Vintage fiends would kill to find a tee like this at the flea market. With its teenage aura, ERL's ringer feels like it came straight out of an Abercrombie & Fitch campaign circa 1998.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    2/13

    Abercrombie & Fitch

    Shrunken Tee

    $25

    Abercrombie & Fitch

    Speaking of, Abercrombie's shrunken ringer tee fits close to the body and short, making it one of the most on-trend tees you could wear right now.

  • Image may contain Clothing TShirt and Sleeve
    3/13

    Zara

    Basic Ribbed Contrast T-Shirt

    $30

    Zara

    Big, boxy, and an earthy shade of brown to cleanse the palate.

  • Tshirt on a flat bakckground.
    4/13

    Wythe

    Tubular Peace Ringer T-Shirt

    $68

    Huckberry

    Vintage-inspired graphics and old-school tubular construction make Wythe's ringer a true blast from the past.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    5/13

    Rhythm

    Everyday Short Sleeve T-Shirt

    $45

    Huckberry

    It feels like this is something one of the kids from The Sandlot would wear, and we're totally here for it.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    6/13

    J.Crew

    Sueded Cotton T-shirt

    $45 $27 (40% off)

    J.Crew

    J.Crew's preppy, nautical-leaning ringer feels like it strolled straight off an East Coast schooner and into a quaint little cafe.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    7/13

    Adidas

    Adicolor Classics 3-Stripes Tee

    $35

    Adidas

    Okay, so this may be more of a jersey, but the ringer DNA is definitely there.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    8/13

    Kapital

    Printed Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt

    $150

    Mr Porter

    Referencing the iconic Woodstock music festival, Kapital's riff on the ringer tee is a cute addition to any closet.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    9/13

    Bode

    Scottie Striped Cotton-Jacquard T-Shirt

    $335

    Mr Porter

    Bode doesn't often do T-shirts, but when they do, it's a really good one.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    10/13

    Everybody World

    Ringer Trash Tee

    $46

    Everybody World

    Made entirely of recycled and waste cotton, this ringer could be made from a bunch of other ringers and we think that's beautiful.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    11/13

    Puma

    x Kidsuper Ringer Tee

    $55

    Nordstrom

    Tap into the sportier side of the ringer tee with this football-inspired rendition courtesy of Puma and Kidsuper.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    12/13

    Joe's

    Soft 5.4-Oz 100% Cotton Ringer T-Shirt

    $13

    Amazon

    Collegiate-coded, minus the actual degree.

  • Tshirt on a flat background.
    13/13

    Celine Homme

    Cropped Logo-Print Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt

    $640

    Mr Porter

    Ah yes, my alma mater, University of Celine.

Gerald Ortiz is a style commerce writer for GQ covering fashion, grooming, and occasionally lifestyle. Previously, he was the style writer for Gear Patrol and the managing editor at Heddels. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with three degrees, none of which directly relate to fashion (so it ... Read More
Style Commerce Writer
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