With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve determined to republish a traditional piece every Sunday to assist our newer readers uncover a number of the finest, evergreen gems from the previous. This text was initially printed in June 2017.
The polo shirt is a real males’s type staple.
But regardless of its ubiquity within the male wardrobe, it’s not a garment that sometimes is available in for a lot affection or enthusiasm.
Maybe that is due to the adverse associations with which the polo shirt is laden. It’s typically considered when it comes to a uniform — both actually, as within the required get-up of a pizza supply man or elementary faculty scholar, or metaphorically, because the go-to garb for company drones and preppy fraternity brothers. The polo is additional seen because the default of the sartorially lazy — one thing a man dons when an occasion requires a shirt with a collar, and he can’t be bothered to even button up an Oxford.
But the polo deserves slightly extra love than it sometimes will get. Falling between a t-shirt and a costume shirt, it’s the proper garment for the various occasions in life that aren’t in any respect formal, however aren’t outright informal both. It’s a terrific shirt for summertime first dates, yard BBQs, and if you’re unsure precisely the place the plans in your day or night will take you.
Even when it comes to informal on a regular basis put on, the cool, breathable polo shirt is simply as simple and cozy as a tee, however appears to be like a notch extra put collectively, in order that swapping the previous for the latter is a zero-effort solution to improve your summer time type.
And much from being blandly uniform, or solely worn by one kind of man, polos have been in style with broadly assorted teams, from Nantucket yachtsmen to West Coast skaters; there are various kinds of polos for various events, and they are often worn and styled in many various methods.
In different phrases, opposite to in style opinion, the polo shirt is sort of versatile and could be sartorially fascinating. Really, the polo shirt is clutch.
Right this moment we’ll check out the right way to elevate it past the realm of informal Fridays and suburban dad-dom — the right way to put on a polo with type.
A Temporary Historical past of the Polo Shirt
Regardless of the identify by which it’s now recognized, the polo shirt didn’t emerge from the “sport of kings” however from the sport of tennis.
In its early days, tennis had a contact of aristocratic flare and was performed in a get-up often called “tennis whites” — flannel trousers, a costume shirt (with sleeves rolled up), and even a tie. Thick, heavy, scorching, and cumbersome, these clothes clearly didn’t lend themselves effectively to taking part in an energetic, outside sport.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner René Lacoste determined to do one thing about this subject, creating his personal ideally suited tennis shirt. Fabricated from a cushty, breathable “jersey petit piqué” cotton, the white short-sleeved shirt eschewed buttons all the way in which down for a placket of three up high, and included a comfortable, unstarched collar that was nonetheless stiff sufficient to flip as much as shield his neck from the solar. The versatile, light-weight shirt additionally had an extended tail within the again to maintain it tucked into René’s trousers.
Lacoste debuted the shirt on the 1926 U.S. Open — which he gained in each consolation and elegance. The next 12 months, Lacoste, who was nicknamed “the Crocodile,” adhered the now well-known reptilian emblem to the breast of the shirt. And in 1933, the retired participant started to fabricate his garment for the plenty.
The “tennis shirt” caught on with other forms of sportsmen, notably polo gamers. These athletes had developed their very own “polo shirt” — the Oxford button-down (the buttons on the collar had been designed to maintain it from flapping in your face as you galloped concerning the subject) — a long time prior. However Lacoste’s short-sleeve garment proved much more appropriate to the sport, and was so broadly adopted that even tennis gamers started to discuss with it as a “polo shirt.”
Within the Nineteen Fifties, Lacoste started to supply the shirt, previously solely accessible in white, in a wider vary of colours and introduced the polo to America. It quickly gained widespread adoption by discerning sportsmen, notably golfers, after which moved into the realm of on a regular basis informal put on. The 50s additionally noticed the rise of a competitor to Lacoste; fellow tennis champion Fred Perry launched polos that had his soon-to-be iconic laurel wreath emblem stitched as a substitute of ironed on, and had been adopted by English scooter-riding mods.
An excellent fiercer competitor to Lacoste’s polo dominance emerged within the Nineteen Seventies. Designer Ralph Lauren named his line of WASP-y informal put on “Polo,” and a central piece of this assortment consisted of, appropriately sufficient, polo shirts. As Lacoste and Lauren battled it out for dominance, the polo gained much more reputation, and have become related to the “preppy” look of the Eighties.
The polo shirt started to lose a few of its cache within the Nineteen Nineties, because it turned the go-to get-up for informal Fridays, and firms made it the precise uniform for staff starting from customer support reps to waiters.
Nonetheless, the polo has maintained its endurance, and continues to be worn by everybody from U.S. presidents on the golf course to rap moguls on stage.
It ought to proceed to be a mainstay in your on a regular basis wardrobe too, so long as you put on it with type.
Easy methods to Put on a Polo Shirt With Model
Material
There aren’t too many technical particulars to know concerning the polo shirt, nevertheless it’s useful to have an understanding of the varieties of materials it is available in, notably its two primary varieties.
Polos can be found in a wide range of supplies from pure to artificial. The latter typically make up the efficiency blends utilized in polos particularly designed for athletic put on. Silk and silk blends are an choice, however usually are not beneficial, as they present your sweat simply, lose their shade as they turn into moist, and simply look slightly tacky. Polyester, or cotton/poly blends prolong the lifetime of the shirt, however are much less breathable, extra pungent, and cheaper trying.
Provided that polos are mostly a heat climate staple, 100% cotton — with its cool, comfy, breathable properties — is the most common and most beneficial material for these shirts. Cotton polos are available two primary varieties:
Pique. The unique polo material, pique is knitted in a woven sample that lends the fabric a textured floor. The material has some heft and heaviness, however the holes within the weave hold it breathable, and it resists displaying your sweat. The sleeves sometimes terminate in a ribbed band/cuff. With slightly extra substance and construction, the pique polo is a little more formal {and professional}.
Jersey. A jersey polo is made out of the identical type of material utilized in t-shirts, and has the identical flat, easy, comfortable, stretchy really feel. The sleeves of a jersey polo have a tendency to finish in a easy hem, slightly than a definite band. Lighter in weight, the jersey polo is cool however will present your sweat extra, and is much less sturdy. Its lightness and relaxed drape additionally give it a extra informal vibe.
Pique and jersey polos every have their very own appear and feel; general, I attain for the jersey sort for consolation, and pique once I’m doing one thing a notch up in formality.
Match
With regards to carrying a polo shirt with type, a very powerful factor, as it’s with all clothes, is to essentially nail the match. Listed below are two standards to test:
- Size: The underside hem shouldn’t hit farther than midway down your pants fly/again pockets — no increased than the hip and no decrease than a number of inches under your waistband/belt; the shirt ought to be lengthy sufficient that you could tuck it in and quick sufficient you may put on it untucked with out it trying like a nightgown.
- Sleeves: Ought to hit about halfway down your bicep, and run now not than 2/3 down your higher arm.
General the shirt ought to sit near your physique — fitted however not too tight. It may be slightly tighter in your chest and arms, after which taper all the way down to your waist.
The higher form you’re in, the closer-fitting the polo could be, however you don’t need it pores and skin tight. You must nonetheless be capable to stick a pair fingers underneath the sleeves.
Polo Shirt Dos and Don’ts
Don’t
Put on an undershirt. A polo is supposed to be worn as a base or single layer near the physique, and an undershirt provides extra bulkiness beneath it, and might peep out of the neckline/collar. In case you do put on an undershirt, select one with a neckline that gained’t be seen.
Layer polos upon polos. One polo at a time, please.
Pop the collar. This pattern has fortuitously receded, however in case you had been tempted, don’t. It nonetheless reads as douchey. If that you must pop the collar in a short-term circumstance to guard your neck from the solar, be happy.
Select a shirt with a pocket, except secured. A pocket on the breast of a polo can add a little bit of visible curiosity, nevertheless it hardly ever if ever will get used, and tends to easily sag and turn into misshapen, detracting from the shirt’s sharpness. So eschew pockets usually, the exception being ones which have flaps and are secured with a button to remain closed.
Put on a shirt with a big emblem. Whereas we sometimes advise staying away from company logos on clothes altogether, a emblem on the breast of polos has been one in every of its signature marks from the very starting, making them fairly typical and extra tolerable. If yow will discover one with out a emblem, nice; in any other case intention for these with logos which are tasteful and minimal in measurement, slightly than giant and garish.
Put on a long-sleeved polo. There are things like long-sleeved polos, and whereas it might be doable for them to look actually good, I’ve by no means seen ones that do. The polo’s heritage is that of a short-sleeved garment for heat climate and energetic pursuits; to then prolong the sleeves runs opposite to its type DNA and appears humorous, very similar to the ill-advised short-sleeve costume shirt.
Put on an athletic polo for casualwear. Polos designed for sports activities like golf or tennis are made out of artificial efficiency supplies and lower for ease of motion. They’re nice for the course or the courts, however shouldn’t be worn exterior of them.
Do
Button a minimum of one of many buttons. Having all of the buttons undone appears to be like floppy and sloppy. One is normally good. Having all of them buttoned-up adjustments the look of the shirt significantly, and is sarcastically slightly extra of an “anti-establishment” look, if that’s what you’re going for.
Be happy to tuck or untuck, relying on the event. A polo shirt can go both means. Tucking, after all, offers you a extra formal look, whereas untucking is extra informal. In case your shirt’s longer within the again than the entrance, then it was positively designed to be tucked.
Have a core assortment of stable, primary colours like blue, black, and white. You’ll be able to’t go fallacious with having a number of polos in these traditional shades. Polos with stripes or contrasting colours on the sleeve bands/collar aren’t all the time a nasty alternative however do learn as extra informal, stylish, and younger.
Increase into brighter and extra fascinating colours. You should have one thing slightly totally different too, like pinks, purples, reds, and greens.
Count on to pay $50+ for a superb polo. Polos can so simply look schlumpy and dumpy that it’s price paying further — sometimes upwards of $50 — for people who match effectively and evince high quality. After all, generally a giant price ticket is barely the results of advertising, slightly than high quality, so be sure to’re paying for a sturdy, top-notch garment, slightly than a model identify.
Dressing Up the Polo By Levels
The polo shirt is sort of versatile and might simply be worn from the seashore to an aesthetic day on the races. It’s all in the way you costume it up or down. Let’s begin on the most informal stage, and work our means as much as higher formality by levels.
The polo is slightly classier than a t-shirt, and could be worn in just about any state of affairs you’d put on a tee for a extra put-together look. For essentially the most informal get-up, pair your untucked polo with khaki flat entrance shorts, canvas sneakers, a subject watch, and a pair of flier shades.
To up the sharpness a bit, swap the shorts for darkish denim or chinos (it’s finest to decide on one other shade beside khaki to get away from the company/faculty uniform look). Sporting chukkas, boat footwear, or Chelsea boots slightly than sneakers will up this look one other notch.
To go up one other stage of ritual, swap a cotton polo for a retro-styled wool knit one. These sweater shirts typically include contrasting colours on the collar/arm bands, in addition to a banded backside (don’t put on them with low-rise pants, lest your high flip right into a midriff). It’s not a search for each man, however could be good-looking on some.
To maneuver up the formality ladder one other rung, hold the polo however swap the chinos/denims for precise trousers. Tuck your shirt in for higher professionalism, and pair with a pleasant belt and leather-based loafers. You usually need to persist with a stable coloured shirt slightly than one which’s patterned or striped. I confess I’m not loopy about this look; the casualness of the polo on high conflicts with the formality of the trousers on the underside. However it actually appears to be the go-to informal Friday get-up for legal professionals and different professionals round right here.
To decorate the polo up additional, it may be paired with a sports activities jacket and both good denims, chinos, or trousers. Sartorial purists poo-poo this look, asserting that the polo is simply too informal to be worn with a jacket, and {that a} sports activities coat will all the time look higher with a costume shirt beneath. However I truly discover the polo+jacket mixture much less jarring than polo+trousers, maybe as a result of the sports activities jacket, similar to the polo, was initially designed for sporting pursuits. And whereas it’s true {that a} costume shirt will virtually invariably look higher, on a extremely popular day, the quick sleeve polo will really feel cooler and extra comfy than a long-sleeve button-down.
In case you’re going to go for this look, hold the following pointers in thoughts:
- The comfortable collar of a polo can rumple and collapse behind the collar of your jacket, so be sure to hold it upright and straight with its factors contained in the jacket’s lapels; collar stays can assist with this (Criquet’s shirts include them).
- Solely pair a polo with a comfortable, relaxed, unstructured jacket, ideally in a pure material like cotton or linen. Structured wool jackets will jar an excessive amount of with the polo’s casualness.
- Put on a polo with a stable shade or refined sample; stripes or loud patterns are too informal and busy to be paired with a jacket.
- A polo with an extended placket/extra buttons (as much as 4) appears to be like particularly good underneath a jacket, because it harkens extra to the costume shirt.
Even should you observe the following pointers, the sports activities coat+polo look is tough to do effectively, so should you’re not sartorially assured, simply keep clear and persist with costume shirts underneath your jackets.
To formalize the polo to a higher diploma would imply carrying it with a full-on go well with, which is much more troublesome to tug off than pairing with a sport coat, and will solely be tried, if in any respect, by essentially the most sartorially daring and assured (slightly than the lazy and confused).
Dressed up or dressed down, the polo is a males’s wardrobe staple. However as you’ve hopefully seen, primary doesn’t must imply bland.
