What's Your Go-to Polo Shirt?

[Rowyourboat]

I was drawn to Sea Island due to the supposed softness, and in my opinion:

1. Sunspel + John Smedley sea island knits are incredibly soft and fitting.
2. Niccolo P, Zimmerli seem to have more of a jersey knit. They are silky and cool but not as soft as Sunspel/JS.

I think the JS Adrian polo is my favorite polo, but Giza45 and other ELS fibers seem just as soft and reliable as SIC.

 

[josepidal]

This thread is hard to follow because people are talking about Fred Perry and Sunspel Sea Island Cotton all in the same thread.

Is there a consensus on which polos are at the tier of Sunspel Sea Island Cotton? Anyone tried the Archibald London Classic Polos, which are definitely in that price tier?

 

[Concordia]

Smedley Sea Island are also very nice. Long and short sleeve— and they have two levels of slim/easy cut.

 

[josepidal]

Does anyone have experience specifically with Sunspel "linen polo" shirts? The material is all linen and is very different from the usual cotton shirts.

A friend bought a couple but the sizing seems totally different. The shoulders are dropped on my friend and the shoulders are 2 inches wider on each shoulder than the normal shirt, so the polo looks like it's 2 sizes larger and extra baggy. I'm wary because making something looser doesn't usually mean making the shoulders wider and getting that extra baggy look.

Is this intentional because it's a summer shirt, or is the sizing different even if it's from the same brand?

 

[Concordia]

I am wearing the same size of those as the other non-Riviera polos. Probably a little looser. But no problem with that.

 

[josepidal]

but Riviera is tighter than normal, no?

can you comment on the shoulders, as there's a difference between being looser and being two sizes too large?

 

[Concordia]

The linen, toweling, and knit are the same across the shoulder. Not so different from Sea Island, IIRC. Wouldn’t matter so much for the linen anyway, as it is featherweight.

 

[Concordia]

I wear the same size in each and have noticed no difference.

 

[josepidal]

Odd I saw my friend wearing both and swear the shoulders are different on the linen, and thought the way they look on the model in the website also looked different.

 

[Concordia]

Maybe the linen stretches after a few washes. Either way, it is so light a fabric that it won't cause too many problems that way. It is clearly built more for comfort than for structured grandeur about the torso.

 

[NadalRG]

I bought two pairs of John Smedley polos made from Sea Island Cotton on my last trip to Japan recently and I must say without sounding hyperbolic, it is the finest polos my skin has come in contact with. I think I found my go to polo brand, and the fact that it is made in England is a HUGE bonus in my book.

 

[Concordia]

They are good. And they have two kinds of fit per chest size.

 

[masernaut]

I like how S&M polos perform.

How's the shrinkage on those knit ones in the first two pics?

 

[William Kazak]

I wear Lands End pique type polos in blue, coral and yellow. I have them both long sleeved and short sleeved. US Polo Assoc. pique polo in blue also. They fit slightly looser than LE. They come in various colors as well but mine is blue.

 

[Kappelan]

How's the shrinkage on those knit ones in the first two pics?

i wash them in delicate cycle and air dry. The will shrink otherwise. Or get a size bigger.