Friday, May 21, 2010

School Supplies: Polo Hunting


-My wardrobe is pretty complete right now, and as I've mentioned previously, I'm trying to spend less on clothes in 2010 and save for some major purchases. But there are still a couple essentials I need to grab to round out my closet, one of them being a legitimate polo. My polo game is terribly weak; It consists of a $7 white polo from Wal-Mart, and an Abercrombie joint I bought in 11th grade (I still wear it though, buttoned all the way up a la Fred Perry.) For some reason I've never upgraded to a pricier polo. I know there are probably some workable polos from Gap, J. Crew or Rugby (shown.) But because I've loaded up on OCBDs as my go-to, I'll probably only buy 1 polo to last the next couple years, so I'm looking in the $75-150 range. If I'm going to spend that much on one shirt, I've got to do some thorough research. Here are a few initial favorites:
-Rogues Gallery,  Engine Red Faded Seam $88
-Band of Outsiders, Trapped Pocket Polo $135
-Fred Perry, Italia World Cup Series, $86
-Rugby, Sun-Washed Polo, $65
-I'm leaning toward a simple blue or red, or maybe grey, something that works for summer but could be layered and add some color in the fall. I included the Rugby because I'm really digging the sun-faded look, and I know that Rugby fit works for me. I'm going to keep searching until mid-june probably, and may end up settling with a monogrammed joint from Polo. Any suggestions?

11 comments:

Nicolas Lazaro said...

I have this old kid's polo from Ralph Lauren that I got when I was 11 or so, it fits me perfectly. Navy blue, sunfaded after all these years. I used to wear it caddying - my first summer job. I'd definitely go with something classic and timeless like that. Don't worry about the sun-faded look, just wear it to the beach a few times and it'll get that nice salt-washed, sun-faded patina.

Angelo said...

Word up, what I really need to do is get back to my thrifting roots and make regular trips to val villy like i did in high school.

Anonymous said...

Sunspel makes a great polo

Joshua Kissi said...

Interesting post on polos I have been indulging in different polos from 90s inspired pieces as you can see on my blog. Polos are the perfect piece for the spring/summer not too casual where you still have the ability to dress it up a bit tucked in with some great shoes.

I'm standing by the sun faded jcrew polo as far as quality/color and Uniqlos as far as fit.

Anonymous said...

The Fred Perry, Italia World Cup Series is a nice polo for sure!

raz said...

thanks for all the tips and keep them coming :)

how many pieces would you say a wardrobe should have ?

BadScene said...

I'm a sucker for Fred Perry, myself. Add the World Cup color-ways? Sold.

Angelo said...

J. Kissi, The post you guys did on 90s Hilfiger polos was great, I really do need to make a trip to the thrift shop.

raz, there's no specific number of pieces a complete wardrobe should have, that all depends on your tastes and lifestyle, but in the interest of not promoting reckless consumption I'd say to look for versatile, quality garments you can use in various looks.

raz said...

Thanks for the reply Angelo..that's what I want to do, to move from a lot of stuff to a few great quality ones

Junctioned said...

Really can't go wrong with Polo,Lacoste, or Fred P. What I would suggest is looking out for some vintage Lacoste Izod era joints that fit well. That way the work is already done for you. There's still a ton out there in unique colorways from back in the day.

Anonymous said...

Ben Sherman. I hunted for a great slim fitting polo endlessly until I found Ben Sherman's polo shirt. They fit fantastic (even come in XS) and aren't to pricey $60-$70ish. I think I have 5 or 6 of them.