Polo Shirts--Do not Like.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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There is nothing ironic about my choice of hat.

I can't tell if you're being disingenuous or if you truly believe it. You're wearing that Stetson so far out of the context of its intended habitat that irony seems the only plausible explanation. If not irony, what then?

I find that polos are the perfect casual weekend daytime shirt if you're going out in public to do something and don't like to wear t-shirts unless you're exercising, doing yardwork, sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, at the beach, etc. But to the poster who said it reminds them of frat boys, I agree 100%. I'm a big fan of the fit of the Lacoste ones... they seem to work perfectly for me. I don't think they should ever be tucked in, so I don't see the point of buying ones with vents, especially with the backside longer than the front.

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

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I can't tell if you're being disingenuous or if you truly believe it. You're wearing that Stetson so far out of the context of its intended habitat that irony seems the only plausible explanation. If not irony, what then?

What "context of its intended habitat"? It's a hat. Its functional purpose is to keep the sun out of one's eyes, no? (And, yes, I realize he's also wearing sunglasses)

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

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I can't tell if you're being disingenuous or if you truly believe it. You're wearing that Stetson so far out of the context of its intended habitat that irony seems the only plausible explanation. If not irony, what then?
Yes because you can only wear what is practical. You can't wear Woolen Mills flannel if you're not choppin wood. Why wear boat shoes outside of a boat? http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=135523

I never really cared for the polo look either, one it is too casual for my taste and they never seem to fit me right. The always look too big on me even when I go down a size.

My biggest gripe with polos are teh sleeve length and they are wayyy to boxy. Banana Republic makes nice fitted polos that have nice sleeve length, and subtle branding if any.

I've had to go through various brands of polos to find the right one.

Originally Posted by NakedYoga

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What "context of its intended habitat"? It's a hat. Its functional purpose is to keep the sun out of one's eyes, no? (And, yes, I realize he's also wearing sunglasses)

Unless he's rounding up cattle on the back 40, sitting in the audience at a rodeo or engaged in a similar, "cowboy lifestyle" pursuit, he's wearing the hat out of context. Like it or not, it's called a cowboy hat for a reason, and removing it from that context, with all the attendant social signifiers, suggests an ironic approach to the thing.

That being said, I don't give a rat's ass if he wears one or not. But to deny that he's doing so ironically is either an exercise in self-deception or a deliberate obfuscation.

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

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Unless he's rounding up cattle on the back 40, sitting in the audience at a rodeo or engaged in a similar, "cowboy lifestyle" pursuit, he's wearing the hat out of context. Like it or not, it's called a cowboy hat for a reason, and removing it from that context, with all the attendant social signifiers, suggests an ironic approach to the thing.

That being said, I don't give a rat's ass if he wears one or not. But to deny that he's doing so ironically is either an exercise in self-deception or a deliberate obfuscation.

I don't think that Stetson is actually a Cowboy hat. I do believe Stetson made fedoras and the such as well, during the golden days of hats......

Mike

Originally Posted by MBreinin

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I don't think that Stetson is actually a Cowboy hat. I do believe Stetson made fedoras and the such as well, during the golden days of hats......

Mike

True, but it's a western-styled hat. Akin to the ones LBJ used to wear.

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

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Some of the folks here are so uptight about casual dress that if you shoved a piece of coal up their ass it would come out a diamond.

+1000

Polo shirts are one of those items that not everyone can pull off effectively. On an out-of-shape dude, a polo shirt will look billowy and nerdy. On a fit, fairly muscular guy, a polo shirt looks pretty sharp (especially if it's somewhat fitted and not tentlike). Then again, the fitted polo shirt is pretty much the uniform of the fratty douchebag, so there are negative connotations a lot of adults will associate with that look.

If the tailored suit is the great equalizer of men's clothing, the polo shirt is pretty much the exact opposite. It either lays bare your physical flaws or highlights your physical gifts. Tread carefully, and know yourself, before wearing.

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

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...
If the tailored suit is the great equalizer of men's clothing, the polo shirt is pretty much the exact opposite. It either lays bare your physical flaws or highlights your physical gifts. Tread carefully, and know yourself, before wearing.

Well said.

I have to admit, I do indeed believe that Polo´s are quite wearable. As pointed out by some it does not look very well if you are not somewhat "fit", but then again what does.
I regulary wear a Polo, mostly Lacoste because they seem to be / have the best quality / fit, at least for me.

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

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I can't tell if you're being disingenuous or if you truly believe it. You're wearing that Stetson so far out of the context of its intended habitat that irony seems the only plausible explanation. If not irony, what then?
It would be rare to find anyone wearing a dress hat these days that didn't have a self-referential ironic factor to it, whether they wanted to recapture some golden age or if they just think hats are proper for men to wear. The Fedora Lounge being a prime example of this. That said, the Open Road was never intended as a true cowboy hat. It seems a lot of dressy cowboy hats through history were worn by people who never roped cattle in their lives. Stetson purposefully called the hat The Open Road to evoke some mythological aura of America to male consumers in the '50s or so.

Originally Posted by kulata

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+1000

+100000000000

I actually really like polo shirts, as long as they fit properly (granted, they can look horrible as well, as evidenced by many of my colleagues' attire on casual-ty Friday).

Here are a couple of mine from old WAYWT shots.

First, Trovata (I have several of their polos and quite like the detailing):



Next, vintage Lacoste (I used to collect these but now have only a few):