Little could Rene Lacoste have imagined that the shirt which he designed to help him play tennis comfortably would one day rule the world of mens fashion and be universally accepted as the shirt for all sporting activities. Today there are many variants of his basic polo shirt, worked on by designers like Ralph Lauren and his ilk.
Before these polo shirts were designed, players generally wore full sleeved shirts which they rolled up above their elbows when they played. But most often it was seen that the sleeves came down and it created a lot of discomfort and irritation.
Today the polo shirt can be worn with formal trousers or a pair of faded washed out jeans, each giving the wearer a distinctive personality and appearance. The sleeves come up just to the elbows with a comfortable fit. The collar can be turned up or down and is stiff enough to stand up by itself and the whole shirt has a snug fit that is also comfortable at the same time. Make it too loose and it feel droopy, too small and it might feel odd but a nicely snug fit polo short is comfort itself.
You might wear an ordinary pair of trousers, formal trousers, sweat pants, cargo pants, shorts or Bermudas, slacks, khakis, chinos or the ubiquitous jeanssimple or designer. Top it with a polo shirt and the image projected is an indefinable mix of casualness and sophistication. One of the good things about a polo shirt is that it can have a collar or it can have a V neck without detracting from its looks or its effects. In fact the slight modifications result in a quite different look and appearance of the wearer.
One could perhaps rate the Polo shirt as the latter day counterpart of the cardigan and the Raglan cut of upper wear made famous by the famous English generals during the Crimea wars. If polo shirts were in vogue at the time of the French revolution it is likely the Scarlet Pimpernel would have preferred them over other dresses. While those could be termed foppish, the polo shirt belongs to everyone. There are no social or class distinctions to a polo. However, when one gets a class polo shirt from Lacoste, Ralph Lauren,
Luke 1977,
Lyle & Scott or Vivienne Westwood or any other of a half dozen other designer makers, one can be sure that the fabric itself will be top quality knitted Egyptian cotton with a superlative finish, the stitching will hold and the cut and fitting itself will be just about perfect. Wear them in any weather and in any (almost) social gatherings and you will be comfortable, poised, radiate confidence and lan.
Tennis players may have started the trend but the whole world now follows it right from polo players, golf players to kids to students to workmen to executives to celebrities. A man in a polo shirt definitely exudes style. Polo shirts are so very popular items of mens fashion are because of the versatility and the comfort that is associated with them.
