Rank these designer brands polo shirts? - Page 4

Good point...
No. The Custom fits did not stretch much at all, whereas the regulars/Classic fits - both Big Pony/Multi color big Pony, Small Pony stretched.
Also, My last buy of regular small pony Custom fits also varied in length greatly, so much so, that 2 of them have to be worn tucked in because they are that long at the back!

FWIW, most of my polos are Lands' End. Primarily the pima cotton variety, with the banded sleeves. Once every year or two, I'll order a few new ones and retire a few older ones. If there's some sale going on and a "30% off" coupon code available, the shirts wind up costing me under $20/each, delivered.

There are a ton of colors from which to choose. They fit me the way I like. They're logo-free (which is a significant plus). Their construction quality is usually more than adequate (for all that LE quality is, overall, not what it once was). If I wind up unhappy with one - maybe just because I don't care for the color - I can return it for a quick, very easy refund at the local Sears.

I tend to regard polos as inherently casual and almost semi-disposable items, so I really don't care to drop 3-4x the price for some subtle stylistic nuance or minor increment in quality. So long as the polo is pretty good, it's good enough for me. I'm inclined to agree with MikeDT, that they're almost commodity items, and may be thought of in various ways as being similar to t-shirts.

Worrying about determining the best quality designer polo shirt? To me, that'd be like putting shoe trees in my Top-Siders. Kinda silly and unnecessary. Mind you, if the next guy derives some sort of satisfaction from it, more power to him. I'm a regular user of fountain pens and have been known to spend vast amounts of time pondering who makes the best brown ink (my money's on Private Reserve Chocolat), so far be it from me to pick on someone who considers it important to find the perfect polo. To each his own, right?
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Michael

You will find that most people on this forum do not like any form of "branded" clothing (polos, ties, shirts, belts, etc). We (well, at least most of us) are not "brand whores" wearing these items to show everyone how great we are because we are wearing brand XYZ.

oh god

Well, the point of buying nice clothing might be that it pleases you to wear nice clothing. The material, the fit, the details, etc.

If part of the point is to show others that you're wearing nice clothing, so be it, but I would think the best way of doing this is by letting them see the clothing. Not simply displaying for them a brand name/logo.

I would add that sporting a label strikes many (including myself) as being in poor taste. It's a form of flaunting one's wealth/possessions, whereas a gentleman ought to value quality, yes, but also refinement and understatement.

I've been known to say that there are people who buy a grand piano and put it in the living room, in order to impress visitors to their home with the fact that they own a very expensive grand piano. Then there are people who buy a grand piano and put it in the living room, because they love the piano, enjoy playing it, appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it, genuinely hear differences between it and a lesser piano, etc.

Either type of person has a right to buy whatever he likes. But thinking about the former type of person makes me rather sad.

However, I accept that my attitude is probably on its way to becoming archaic, given the age of "bling," and the idea that vulgar behavior should not merely be tolerated, but merits being admired and should serve as a model for the behavior of others.
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Michael

If I am getting complemented simply because of a designer logo on one of my articles of clothing, then I think I am getting complemented for the wrong reasons, and have no interest in receiving such a complement.

Apologies for drifting further off topic, but anyone interested in reading about how a label (well, of sorts) influences our perception of quality, should read the 2007 Washington Post piece "Pearls Before Breakfast." It may be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html