The polo shirt is a style that had it’s beginnings in the mid 1920’s and has never lost favor with its demand.  It was the French 7-time Grand Slam tennis champion, Rene Lacoste who designed the polo shirt, then called a tennis shirt, after realizing a need for more comfortable attire to play tennis in.  He first wore his newly designed shirt at the 1926 U.S. Open.  A year later, he placed a small embroidered logo on the left breast and the shirt became known as the “alligator shirt.”

A few years later, John Brooks of Brooks Brothers took the Lacoste design and added the feature to button down the collar and marketed the shirt to polo players, who also needed more comfortable play attire.  It was effectively, the same style of shirt with a cuffed sleeve and collar, and made from a knitted cloth instead of a woven cloth.

Almost 40 years later, Ralph Lauren incorporated the popularity of the, now called polo, shirt into his line of clothing.  He changed the embroidered logo to resemble a polo player on horseback and changed the collar a bit.  Laurens built this line on the popularity of the polo player’s attire and the term “polo shirt” took off and people even refer to Lacoste’s “alligator shirt” as a “polo.”

Polo shirts are now a very popular and stylish line.  All of the biggest names in clothing design some form of polo shirt. Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks Brothers, Lacotse, Izod, Nautica, and Brioni are some of the most well known brands.

Large polo shirts are the most popular size.  The knitted cloth allows for air to pass through making it comfortable in any season.  The cuffed sleeves give the profile a neat appearance, and the collar gives this shirt the perfect mix of luxury and leisure.  It is just as comfortable alone as it is under a blazer.

Check out some of the polo shirts on this page and I’m sure you will find something to match your wardrobe style.