What Is A Polo Shirt? 7 Ways To Style It

Table of Content

• Introduction
• What Is A Polo Shirt?
• The History of the Polo Shirt
• Polo Shirts vs. Regular Shirts & T-Shirts
• Choosing the Right Polo Shirt for Your Body
• 7 Ways to Style a Polo Shirt
• FAQs

Unfortunately, most people tend to underestimate polo shirts when it comes to choosing good summer clothing. People just don’t understand why they need this treasure in their wardrobe.

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They either think that it’s too formal and suitable only for some official events or some the people associate polo shirts with older people or nerds. But what if I say you that it’s not 100% true?

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A polo shirt is a great part of your wardrobe if you know how to style this item. They can create many good looks, but a polo shirt itself looks semi-informal, which gives us a whole bunch of ways to style it and enjoy our majestic look. I encourage you to try all the ways to style it and see how it comes out.

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In this article, we will discuss “what is a polo shirt” in general, we will dive into its history and figure out why and when it became extremely popular in world fashion.

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We’ll also talk about how to choose the right one that will suit your body look and discuss seven different ways to style it so that you can use this knowledge in practice. But before, check out our Oversized T-shirt Styling guide and 15 Best Streetwear Outfits For Men in 2023 post.

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I know you can’t wait to get started, and I can’t too, so let’s get into the world of polo shirts together, guys!

What Is A Polo Shirt?

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We all have some kind of idea of what a polo shirt is. Generally, when we hear that word, a casual shirt with short sleeves pops up in our minds. Essentially that’s true. You know what it is, but there are some other characteristics that make it unique.

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It’s made out of soft, breathable fabric, like cotton or polyester, which makes polo shirts very good clothing to wear during hot weather, when our body needs more ways to breathe. 

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The polo shirt is perfect for some semi-formal events or just for going out in casual outfits. But what’s its history and when it became especially popular?

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The History of the Polo Shirt

So, guys, you will probably ask me why is it called “a polo shirt”?? Well, it’s not a hard question to answer, because it relates to Polo sport, which has its roots in another sports game in ancient Persia.

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British soldiers brought it back to England in the 19th century, but polo players wore long-sleeved, button-down shirts back then. They don’t remind our modern polo shirts too much.

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But in the 1920s, René Lacoste created a way more comfortable and practical shirt, that was supposed to make the lives of athletes easier. He designed a shirt with a collar, a short placket with buttons, and shirt sleeves – and this is something that we call “a polo shirt” nowadays.

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Plenty of people were really excited about this kind of clothing, and polo shirts became extremely popular, especially among other sports players. By the way, gold players like it the most, and now it’s very popular among them, so you can usually see it in the golf yard, exactly because of this semi-formal style this clothing has.

Polo Shirts vs. Regular Shirts & T-Shirts

So now that we covered all the basics, let’s understand what is the difference between a polo shirt and other types of clothing that remind us of it. It might seem really weird that the polo shirt has some parts that relate mostly to T-shirts, and others remind us of regular shirts.

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Let’s start with a comparison of a polo shirt and a regular shirt. A regular shirt has a full-length button placket, long sleeves, and an appearance that is more formal than a polo shirt. A Polo shirt, on the other hand, has a shorter button placket and short sleeves, which gives a more sporty look and some casual touches to it.

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Now, let’s compare them with T-shirts. T-shirts are collarless, and typically made from lighter materials. But a polo shirt might be a good alternative to T-shirts, just because it looks interesting and this formal look is something less common than a T-shirt.

Choosing the Right Polo Shirt for Your Body

You probably already wanna buy one for yourself, or a few for your friends as well. But how do we know how to wear it properly?  Fortunately, there are a few criteria for measuring the right fit:

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• The first one is Lenght: The bottom hem shouldn’t be higher than the hip, and shouldn’t hit lower than the belt line. If it’s long enough to wear untucked and short to tuck in – it’s your ideal size! Don’t hesitate to buy it!
• And the second one is the sleeve length, which should end midway down your biceps. Make sure you have it, and then you’re good to go.

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Generally, this shirt should be close to your body, but without looking too tight.

7 Ways to Style a Polo Shirt

Finally, we are here! Now we are gonna try to have the best out of our polo shirt to look stylish!

1. Casual style

You can pair your polo shirt with jeans or chinos. it’s gonna make sure it looks great and doesn’t require plenty of time to figure out how to style it. Finish the outfit with sneakers or loafers, and you’re good to go!

A timeless classic, but doesn’t look too special, right? It’s perfect for going out or just going to a good party!

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2. Business Casual style

A polo shirt might also be great while wearing it with some formal and informal elements at the same time. Consider trying to wear your polo shirt with dress pants or tailored chinos. Add white minimal sneakers and shine outside!

This one is my favorite and I want you to try this one out!

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3. Summer Style

Remember when I said that it’s great for hot weather? Yes, you can wear a polo shirt in the summer, and I promise you, it’s an excellent decision. The only thing you should do is to find some shorts and sandals, you might also try to use boat shoes, this will help you to accomplish your summer look.

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4. Layered Look

Wanna look more stylish and even more casual during fall or cold spring? Layer your polo shirt with a minimal jacket or sweater. I’m sure you’ll be completely fine with this one.

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5. Even more formal

If you want to have an even more formal outfit than business casual? You can surely do it, and this will not be a hard task for you to handle. Tuck it into dress pants, and add a blazer or sports coat. 

The great thing about this is that you still look relatively casual, but you can visit some formal events with this look since it still looks formal.

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6. Play with patterns

Polos might not only be colored by one color. They can have patterns as well. I love striped patterns, so I want to share with you one of my favorite outfits!

Match a striped polo shirt with plaid shorts or pants. Cute, and fun look to wear, I like it, and know you will like it too.

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7. Monochromatic

A monochromatic color scheme is the simplest one, because, creating an attractive outfit isn’t hard at all. I recommend you match a polo shirt with pants or shorts from the same color family.

For instance, you can pair a black polo with black dress pants, you can add either black or white shoes for contrast. 

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FAQs

Q: Can you wear a polo shirt under a suit?

It’s not traditional, but you can wear a polo shirt under a suit for a smart-casual look. Just make sure your polo complements the suit and everything looks natural and good. It’s very important to draw on your experience and perception while creating your look.

Q: How should a polo shirt fit?

As I said before, a polo shirt should fit comfortably, but not be too tight or loose, pay attention to it. The sleeves should hit around the mid-bicep, and the shirt's hem should fall just below the waistband of your pants or shorts. The collar should lie flat against your neck without constricting. 

Q: Can you wear a polo shirt with a tie?

It's generally not recommended to wear a tie with a polo shirt. The polo shirt's casual and sporty nature doesn't lend itself well to the formality of a tie. 

Wanna dress up your outfit? Look for a button-down shirt instead, this is a natural replacement that will match a tie perfectly!

Q: How do you care for a polo shirt?

To maintain the quality of your polo shirt, follow the care instructions on the garment's label. Generally, you should wash polo shirts in cold water on a gentle cycle and avoid using bleach. To prevent shrinking and maintain the shirt's shape, air dry the polo shirt or tumble dry it on low heat.

Q: Can you wear a polo shirt to a wedding?

You see, it depends on the dress code essentially, it might be acceptable for a beach wedding, or a wedding with a casual dress code. Pair the polo shirt with dress pants or tailored shorts and dress shoes. However, for more formal weddings, opt for a button-down shirt or a suit instead.

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