The Platonic ideal of polo shirts were the polo shirts of my youth, the Izod Lacoste. You could buy these without a worry. They looked right, they felt right. Ironically, it is the knock-offs of those shirts, by Ralph Lauren, that remain the safest bet today. Now, as then, Ralph Lauren polos are soullessly derivative but solid.
Beyond that, when looking for polos across vendors, this is for what I look:
The fabric should be pique-knit, not jersey knit. It should also be 100% cotton, with no treatment, no stretch, no blends.
Tennis tails are key. Two button plackets only, and avoid polos with too narrow a placket. (When wearing, I button neither if worn alone. Button one if worn under a sweater if it positions the collar better. Never button both buttons.)
A good collar is not too tall. Ralph Lauren’s is a perfect height, while L.L. Beans’, for example, is too tall. A tall collar will not stand up at all. (I am often asked if the collar should be worn up or down. I generally put it up in the back and down-ish in the front when I first put it on, then forget about it. A polo collar worn up from end to end looks, well, you know.)
For colors, look at White, Light Pink, Hot Pink, Navy, Light Blue, French Blue (not Royal Blue), Kelly Green, Lime Green, Hunter Green. Some people, and I am not one of them, can look fabulous in a pure Red or brilliant Orange. Stay away from Pale Peachy Pink, Mint, Rust, Teal, Mauve. Never Black.
The issue of logos or not on the polo tend to get some people excited. I have found that people who want to play the purist insist on no logos. I think of them as I do car stickers. They can add both character and a nice contrast, if done well.
One other consideration if you are planning on buying more than one. Many polos shrink considerably. Before you buy a second, see how the first one launders. That will greatly influence what size you end up buying. Similarly, the dyes in polos vary greatly as well, and can change considerably, for better or worse, across washing, salt water, and sun. Your Ralph Lauren polos will often look different after a bit of time on the bay.
As with all clothes, don’t get anything too tight. But especially with polos, where the use cases include sporty endeavors, such as tennis (White for clay courts), sailing (White for crewing on a Herreshoff at Classic Yachts), and golf, or casual summer wear, relaxed is essential. The only exception may be under crewneck or v-neck sweaters, where a tighter fit can be preferable so as not to add excess bulk.
And while I am often a fan of androgynous clothes, this is a place where women will want to preferably find a Women’s version and not a Men’s. A Men’s will most always hang in an unflattering way.
Polos can last decades, and be a nice workhorse for your wardrobe.
Buy hard, wear easy,
Muffy
As golf shirts from the best pro shops are now all made from recycled pop bottles the cotton polo is more essential than ever. I’ve stayed loyal to Lacoste for fifty years in spite of the diminished tennis tail. However I ordered two in July and found their already nonsensical sizing is worse than ever. The formerly number 8 (xxl) is now a 7 and the 8 is xxxl. Of course there is nine and ten as well. As much as they shrink I may have made a mistake as the new 7 appears in size to be close to the decade old 8.
ReplyDeleteWith as much junk as Lacoste sells why wouldn’t they create a true classic with a tennis tail and the patron sizing of old?
Lacoste today is literally not the Izod Lacoste of the past, they are different companies. Lacoste today seems to target an increasingly young and urban customer base.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izod_Lacoste
I share the take of the original post that PRL is derivative and agree with Anonymous at 9:45 AM about Lacoste. In my experience, a number of years ago Lacoste lost its finer points and then adde complexity to sorting out sizes and such. I rarely wear polos for anything other than golf but have been very happy with everything about O'Connell's house brand. They offer a women's line, too.
ReplyDeleteThe emblematic Paul Stusrt polls are made of all cotton pique fabric, are generously sized and come in a wide variety of colors. Although pricey they can be occasionally found on sale making them merely expensive.
ReplyDeletePlus you get to answer enquiries about the logo by saying:'Why, Its Dink Stover sitting on the Yale Fence!'. People will then look at you as if you are insane.
I purchased a few Lacosts shirts after many years wearing other options and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, they’re a tad shorter than ideal, but I never tuck them in. The fabric is great. Just try a few on to get the size figured out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, damp dry them 10-12 minutes, then hang them to air dry the rest of the way. Takes out wrinkles and eliminates shrinkage.
Orvis makes decent pique polo shirts.
Prefer mesh or knit version. Have ancient B2, Polo, & Lacoste. Can't find my old Fred Perry. Hand wash always in sink with Persil & plastic hanger on clothes line. These relics are too valuable. Will hand iron if required. Agree on Lacoste sizes & lack of split lengths of tails. Apply the same business model to shorts, though hand starch immersion & iron. Knife edge crease says it all.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of Peter Millar for performance type fabrics in traditional cuts and colors. If you are in the south, the performance really does make a difference. For a trimmer fitting pique polo, Mosimo Dutti is a good value and great cut.
ReplyDeleteSoullessly derivative but solid, is a great description of shirt
ReplyDeleteBills Khakis Polo Shirts have substance, a nice grosgrain ribbon edging on the inside and no logo.
ReplyDeleteHave Rowing Blazers, Andover Shop, Polistas (London), Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Paul & Shark, Smedley, Zegna, Barbera.
ReplyDeleteLook into BOAST 1983 classic pique polos. Very well made with nice details such as triple bartack on the side vents. The shirts are a fuller cut with good room in the sleeves.
ReplyDeleteBoast's 1983 polos tick all the boxes above - 100 percent cotton pique from Peru (like Lacoste), tennis tails, 2 button plackets, great collars, great colors, with sizing right down the middle (not blousy and not clingy). The logo (japanese maple leaf) trips some people up, but the shirts are definitely worth consideration.
ReplyDeleteAgree on Boast mention above if you don’t mind the check out staff at the grocery store giving you a knowing grin and fist bump for solidarity. Was berated once by a mother of a Jr player when coming off court, as though she was on to me. What may be nostalgia for you (shorts shorts were all made by Boast when I was young), today becomes a statement about how you like to spend your free time - even if that is definitely not how you recreate. But their products - piques and performance - are very well made. I will also put in a word for J McLaughlin. The newer jersey knits are too light and they’ve gone the skinny pants way on fit, unfortunately. But their piques are perfect. And I prefer a practical pocket with no logo. Bean has needed an overhaul since forever. A single shirt weighs 10 lbs.
ReplyDeleteMy polos seem to be by Lacoste and Brooks Bros, but recently, most are by Musto.
ReplyDeletePolistas
ReplyDeleteM, what's wrong with a back polo?
ReplyDeleteblack
DeleteFor me, it fades poorly, doesn't flatter any skin tone, and absorbs a lot of heat for being a warm-weather shirt. As a color it has aggressive/alternative/staff connotations and it isn't typically associated with daytime fun outside the city.
DeleteI think men especially should stay away from black, while the color isn't necessarily as aggressive/alternative looking on women.
I have 2 black polos that I got on sale and are still in their packaging. However, I think there is one and only one instance where they look good. Outdoors on a summer evening, at a cocktail party, if you are tanned and relatively trim, and if the lights are not too bright. And that is probably why I have never worn mine, haha.
DeleteSt John's Bay at JCPenney. Logoless, all-cotton pique. Inexpensive but not cheap. Just classic and disposable after a season or two. American Apparel the same. Especially for tennis whites. And I grew up in Izod Lacoste. I'll buy Polo if it's at a Goodwill. Otherwise, I have never owned nor wore him. On principle.
ReplyDelete*worn (apologies, I type hastily)
DeleteYou're right about St. John's Bay. A few years back they had their polos on sale for $8 (!) so I ordered a dozen white and a dozen navy. Now each spring I break out a new one of each color to wear with the previous years. Great no-fade shirts as good as Polo and Lacoste.
DeleteI understand iTheodore. One can be in an excited rush and reply in Muffy's blog. ;-)
DeletePurchased my RL polos from eBay. Most are older and well loved. Do have one black one (sorry Muffy, but I did take note) and have one in deep barn red. Loved it so much, it became a work horse for the colder months. Have a bright orange one as well and it makes me smile. I did try and kept the buttons down to 3. The ones with more than 3 as well as one with a large logo (black one) are around the house ONLY. Did recently pick up a light pink RL polo. Washed well and loved the color. Thanks for the list!!
ReplyDeleteNone better than Polo, especially older, in navy. I must have twenty in various states of wear. Drives wife nuts.
ReplyDeleteWhile Brooks Brothers polos are my favorite (prefer the cut of them) - the Amazon Essentials Cotton Pique Polos are actually not terrible. Got a couple around prime day for about $12 each. Not the highest quality but logo free and 100% cotton!
ReplyDeleteI used to buy French made (Devanlay) and Spanish made (Basi S.A.) Lacoste polos in the 1990s and early 2000s. I wore some for 20 years and they were still in good enough condition to sell on ebay. I still wear two purchased circa 2005.
ReplyDelete