What's Your Go-to Polo Shirt?

[te0o]

What do you folks think about the PS short-sleeve merino wool and long-sleeve Dartmoor sleeve polos?

I love the look and the collars in particular, but they're really expensive. Wondering if anyone has tried either?

The Finest Polo

The finest polo shirt, both in style and in make. This merino knit was designed to be the most elegant option for a polo in warm weather. The high-performance material retains a smooth, smart look, while the collar is cut like a shirt to create a smarter look. Worn with tailored linen trousers...

shop.permanentstyle.com

The Dartmoor sweater

The Dartmoor is a recreation of a collaboration first undertaken by Permanent Style in 2014. The updated version of the polo-collar sweater is made by Italian factory Umbria Verde, and has had its collar completely re-worked to make it better able to sit underneath a tailored jacket. Simon...

shop.permanentstyle.com

I've got three of the Finest Polos, with a fourth one in charcoal en route. Ever since I bought them, my Smedleys have been collecting dust. I haven't tried enough polos to say they're the best out there, but in any case they come pretty close. Just be careful when washing, I'd hand wash them instead of putting them on a wool cycle in washing machine.

Anything in particular you wanna know?

 

[LKittelb]

I've had two of the PS Finest Polos for 2 years now, living in the Arizona desert. its a bear to find clothes that look good when its 115f out. I like them quite a lot, they are probably my go-to for short sleeves when i am trying to be well dressed. the two high points are the material and the collar id say, having a collar that looks good and is versatile enough to be worn with a jacket is very nice. not the most ideal always, as it does tend to bunch up.

i concur with hysteria above, i always hand wash or dry clean, but i get quite a few wears out of them between cleans. i would recommend sizing up, as i noticed pretty considerable shrinkage in both of mine after a first hand wash. they fit tighter than id like now, although they were great out-of-the-box

 

[rjc149]

Another vote for Land's End for a good, non-designer polo. I have two of the banded-bottom ones in Supima cotton (which they seem to have discontinued, unfortunately -- I would have gotten more). Sizing was inconsistent between the two, however, so QC is going to be a function of the price point.

I like my Banana Republic pique cotton polos -- they generally flatter my body and have held up well to many launderings. They are a little billowy around the waist, however. I wear these polos tucked.

I bought a S&M long-sleeved polo on a 'final sale' and figured I would be safer getting a large, since S&M tends to run small (I wear medium in basically everything). The large was skin tight, and I couldn't exchange it. Hard to believe I would need an XL in anything (5'10 165lbs). Made me very wary of S&M's S/M/L sized casual clothes and buying anything from their 'bargain bin.'

 

[hysteria]

I've got three of the Finest Polos, with a fourth one in charcoal en route. Ever since I bought them, my Smedleys have been collecting dust. I haven't tried enough polos to say they're the best out there, but in any case they come pretty close. Just be careful when washing, I'd hand wash them instead of putting them on a wool cycle in washing machine.

Anything in particular you wanna know?

I've had two of the PS Finest Polos for 2 years now, living in the Arizona desert. its a bear to find clothes that look good when its 115f out. I like them quite a lot, they are probably my go-to for short sleeves when i am trying to be well dressed. the two high points are the material and the collar id say, having a collar that looks good and is versatile enough to be worn with a jacket is very nice. not the most ideal always, as it does tend to bunch up.

i concur with hysteria above, i always hand wash or dry clean, but i get quite a few wears out of them between cleans. i would recommend sizing up, as i noticed pretty considerable shrinkage in both of mine after a first hand wash. they fit tighter than id like now, although they were great out-of-the-box

Thanks for the input. Good to know that the quality and experience matches the hefty price tag. The main attraction of these polos is the collar, which is why I was looking at them. No one else really does it this way. I was wondering how the Merino wool would feel in hot weather but it sounds like it feels pretty good?

Other than that, the only other thing I wanted to ascertain was how it holds up under washes. Sounds like sizing is a bit tricky as they may have changed how these fit and now they're apparently looser than before, but then...having to account for post-wash shrinkage, that's a bit challenging.

Seems like you both feel that the polos were worth the price.

 

[te0o]

Thanks for the input. Good to know that the quality and experience matches the hefty price tag. The main attraction of these polos is the collar, which is why I was looking at them. No one else really does it this way. I was wondering how the Merino wool would feel in hot weather but it sounds like it feels pretty good?

Other than that, the only other thing I wanted to ascertain was how it holds up under washes. Sounds like sizing is a bit tricky as they may have changed how these fit and now they're apparently looser than before, but then...having to account for post-wash shrinkage, that's a bit challenging.

Seems like you both feel that the polos were worth the price.

They're worth it, there's no direct equivalent out there. The merino is no hotter than cotton in hot weather. They're perfect for summer nights. The collar is excellent.

I recently got mine out of storage (after a wash) and noticed a fair bit of shrinkage. More than SC describes on the website. Given it's wool, I'm betting it will be fine when I stretch it after a soak or a steam. But I'd only hand-wash them from now on. If you don't sweat a lot, pretty sure you could go multiple wears without washing them - that was my experience last summer.

 

[hysteria]

They're worth it, there's no direct equivalent out there. The merino is no hotter than cotton in hot weather. They're perfect for summer nights. The collar is excellent.

I recently got mine out of storage (after a wash) and noticed a fair bit of shrinkage. More than SC describes on the website. Given it's wool, I'm betting it will be fine when I stretch it after a soak or a steam. But I'd only hand-wash them from now on. If you don't sweat a lot, pretty sure you could go multiple wears without washing them - that was my experience last summer.

Would like to hear an update on how it wears the next time you put it on - if indeed it has shrunk a bit

 

[acconrad]

wearing my kent wang polo right now and its perfect

 

[hysteria]

I also wonder if it's just better to stick to dry cleaning with merino knits and avoid the shrinkage problem altogether. Although, over the long-run, dry cleaning could wear down the natural characteristics of the fabric as well.

 

[creynolds]

Hey everyone, big guy here looking for a "fancy" polo. I have a few Psycho Bunny, in size 8 that fit well and a bunch of Lacoste slim in size 8 and some RLs. These are great for casual wear, with jeans, shorts, etc. Wanting to up my game, however, I would like some knit polos. These would be for chinos and trousers and occasionally with a sport coat. I would love to grab a Fedeli or other similar polo, but it appears I am too big as their XXL is more like an XL here in the US. So, there are many great suggestions here, but what about for a big guy?

Thanks!

 

[te0o]

Would like to hear an update on how it wears the next time you put it on - if indeed it has shrunk a bit

Just ironed the polos in my attempt to remove the shrinkage. It was hard work but I managed to get them back to the original shape. With a lot of steam and a fair bit of pulling and holding while pressing down with the iron. Expanded a good couple of inches in the chest and waist. The iron was quite hot but the merino took it very well, no shiny spots afterwards even on the navy one.

So it's certainly possible, but it would be a whole lot easier to pull them into shape while they're wet.

 

[Spark]

Depends on the application….

- Bottom end is tried n‘ true Lacoste. Ebay is your friend here at $15 apiece. I treat these like tees, but the collar adds a bit to the presentation. Comfy, cool wearing, always acceptable, I usually travel with a navy or black one rolled up somewhere as a “just in case” option. Goes with everything. I think the “made in France vs….” debate is a bit overblown. I have those and a pile of the Peruvian ones and, while the French ones might have a very slight edge in denser fabric or knit quality, it’s just not that big of a delta. I mean, it’s a polo shirt….let’s not overthink this one

- Go to option winner is Kent Wang. Great material, solid collar, no logo, well cut, can’t kill ‘em no matter how you wash em, really holds onto the color. Excellent value compared to competitors. I have both long and short sleeve and have bought at both retail and on ebay (grail deal: 4 new for $35!). As noted, Kent’s sizing is not reality based and you need to go up at least one, but you can’t go wrong here.

- New player is Natalino, but only on the (quelle heresy) long sleeve button down ones. I got into these during the pandemic as they were super comfortable and the collar has the size and an awesome roll that is redolent of the classic BB collar and was more than suitable for ZoomLife. Very similar to Kent in terms of cut (size up at least one, maybe two for shrinkage) and material. Nice details, works really well with a sports coat, great option if you are in high-tech where ghetto leisure is the order of the day. I find the spreads to be a bit of a fail though - collar is just too stiff and boxy and seems a bit out of proportion. Shipping to states quite quick and service/communication is solid.

I also have a few cashmere ones for winter in black, charcoal, gray, and navy. Can’t recall the maker as they are at least a dozen years old, but great with sports coat and flannels or for a monochromatic look.

 

[hysteria]

Just ironed the polos in my attempt to remove the shrinkage. It was hard work but I managed to get them back to the original shape. With a lot of steam and a fair bit of pulling and holding while pressing down with the iron. Expanded a good couple of inches in the chest and waist. The iron was quite hot but the merino took it very well, no shiny spots afterwards even on the navy one.

So it's certainly possible, but it would be a whole lot easier to pull them into shape while they're wet.

But, don't you just hang or table dry anyways? Which would force the item to remain in shape?

 

[hysteria]

Depends on the application….

- Bottom end is tried n‘ true Lacoste. Ebay is your friend here at $15 apiece. I treat these like tees, but the collar adds a bit to the presentation. Comfy, cool wearing, always acceptable, I usually travel with a navy or black one rolled up somewhere as a “just in case” option. Goes with everything. I think the “made in France vs….” debate is a bit overblown. I have those and a pile of the Peruvian ones and, while the French ones might have a very slight edge in denser fabric or knit quality, it’s just not that big of a delta. I mean, it’s a polo shirt….let’s not overthink this one

- Go to option winner is Kent Wang. Great material, solid collar, no logo, well cut, can’t kill ‘em no matter how you wash em, really holds onto the color. Excellent value compared to competitors. I have both long and short sleeve and have bought at both retail and on ebay (grail deal: 4 new for $35!). As noted, Kent’s sizing is not reality based and you need to go up at least one, but you can’t go wrong here.

- New player is Natalino, but only on the (quelle heresy) long sleeve button down ones. I got into these during the pandemic as they were super comfortable and the collar has the size and an awesome roll that is redolent of the classic BB collar and was more than suitable for ZoomLife. Very similar to Kent in terms of cut (size up at least one, maybe two for shrinkage) and material. Nice details, works really well with a sports coat, great option if you are in high-tech where ghetto leisure is the order of the day. I find the spreads to be a bit of a fail though - collar is just too stiff and boxy and seems a bit out of proportion. Shipping to states quite quick and service/communication is solid.

I also have a few cashmere ones for winter in black, charcoal, gray, and navy. Can’t recall the maker as they are at least a dozen years old, but great with sports coat and flannels or for a monochromatic look.

I found the Natalino cotton so stiff, I had to return it.

 

[te0o]

But, don't you just hang or table dry anyways? Which would force the item to remain in shape?

I'd dry them on a flat surface after reshaping them while still wet from the wash. I don't think hang drying would help with keeping the shape (unless I've misunderstood your question).

By the way, this is how the size large charcoal looks like. Paired with a pair of tailored trousers, it's a great summer look IMO.

 

[Bankers_Stripes]

I’m a big Brooks Brothers fan when it comes to polos. Nice classic colors and designs. I buy them for usually $20-30 on eBay so if they get worn or stained I don’t mind, I just replace whatever needs replacing with some more.