Mod to Suedehead - Page 398

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gramps 

I think you're missing the point a little here, no one is calling them a polo neck at all, but Polo shirt. Theres a Huge difference.

 

Dont know of many Enlgish men who call trousers Slacks (and Pants too) though, I think thats very much another one of those americanisations thats crept into our language.

 

 

I'm not missing any point at all, read the whole discussion!  I was simply pointing out that the name polo is used for a collar as well

As regards the word "slacks" you must be very young not to have heard it being used in England.  In the 60s and 70s We had several English First World War veterans living in our house in London who called casual trousers "slacks" . My grandfather born in Ireland (1894-1969) also a First World War veteran and my father born in Ireland (1936-1989) also called casual/informal (i.e. non-suit) trousers slacks, it is not an Americanism at all, it has been in British Isles English usage since the earliest years of the 20th century.   "Pants" on the other hand IS an Americanism for trousers. 
 

............

Quote:

Originally Posted by buttons 

Settle down - it was Gramps that said "top" in reference to a shirt.
I was commentling on how the use of the word top to describe any upper garment was a more modern (post 70s) expression.

Oh ,okay, sorry, didn't mean to sound defensive if I did

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brideshead 

Just another bit of intelligence about the birth of the name polo shirt when applied to a tennis type of shirt. In his witty and erudite guide from 1987 'A Gentleman's Wardrobe' Paul Keers uses the term polo shirt freely in this context and carries a picture of JFK sporting one.

Diana de Marly in 'Fashion for Men - An Illustrated History' of 1985 on the other hand calls this type of shirt simply 'a knitted shirt'.

This seems to confirm that it was during the 1980s and not 90s that this term began to be genreally accepted in England. I say generally as I believe in clothing circles it pre-dated this.

Interestingly Keers calls a roll neck/Polar/polo sweater a 'turtle neck'. My understanding has always been that the correct term for this type of sweater (or its lighterweight cousin as made by Sunspel until recently) is turtle, with the shorter type of collar that does not roll being a mock turtle. John Smedley - http://www.johnsmedley.com/uk/mens/mens-pullovers/ss12-oxford


 

But isn't that all very much to do with the way it was in the US rather than the UK. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by buttons 

Settle down - it was Gramps that said "top" in reference to a shirt.
I was commentling on how the use of the word top to describe any upper garment was a more modern (post 70s) expression.

What did I miss????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gramps 

Quote:

Originally Posted by buttons 

Settle down - it was Gramps that said "top" in reference to a shirt.
I was commentling on how the use of the word top to describe any upper garment was a more modern (post 70s) expression.

What did I miss????

 

Nothing really, buttons doesn't like people using the word "tops" to refer to shirts. I thought he was referring to my use of it, turns it it was your use he was referring to.  
 

Top!

Top, toppy, top top.