What makes an $80 Polo shirt worth it?

Nothing really.

If you go up to zanone and malo at discount at about 120 you notice a vast difference in the quality of the cotton etc. etc.

I wouldn't say nothing. RL Polo shirts are well made and last forever. I have Polo shirts that I wore in high school that still look good (I am 32).

RL uses good dyes that tend to hold their color and the collars on Polo shirts don't get misshapen like you will somtimes get from Lacoste, etc...

Whether they are worth $80 is a judgement call but I say that in my opinion any shirt which can last 14 years is worth it.

Try a zanone or malo, I would be suprised if you went back to RL again. There is a ruggedness to RL polo which definitely portrays an American style/look. However, quality of materials between say a malo/zanone is like Pontiac vs. Porsche. The slim polos have a decent cut.

rl's buttons suck, therefore i don't buy them anymore. however, the rlpl polo shirts and the pima prl ones are decent quality. i don't know how i justified the price when i bought them, though.

The gigantic pony.

i used to justify my purchase of Lacoste because of the cut or dye. I'm not sure that either aren't readily available at a lower price point and suspect the same of Polo.

The silly little Pony on the front, really. That Pony does nothing but scream out "look at me, I am wearing a middle-of-the road, overpriced, made in some 3rd world country garmet, and I think I'm pretty stylish."

YMMV

Your willingness to pay $80 is what makes it 'worth it'.

f--k a pony... avorite(so far) is the DUCK BOOT on my l.l. bean polo.

oh... the shirt itself is much nicer than polo too.

Sounds like you are becoming an Austrian there Alan.

Exactly, and same for absolutely any other high brand clothing. There's no difference between Dior and A&F when they're pushing 500$ jeans, because I promise you they couldn't cost more than $25 to make.

It should also be pointed out that RL Polo is available nearly everywhere at the $35 price point at discount stores(see your local Ross, TJ Maxx, Steinmart, etc...) or marked down even below that at the end of season in dept. stores. There is no reason anyone should ever pay retail.

I can definately tell a difference. I love my Loro Piana polo!