How to Style a Polo Shirt?

In the daily wardrobe of contemporary women, polo shirts undoubtedly occupy an important position. Although they have the same lapel design as shirts, polo shirts are more diverse in fabrics, colors and styles, which are conducive to creating a relaxed look instead of a serious and formal look like a shirt.

Although polo shirts were worn on sports occasions in most cases both originally and now, polo shirts will not be out of place on many other occasions. Especially when paired with the right bottoms and accessories, you can create a dynamic or decent look with a polo shirt.

A Guide to a Polo Shirt

Because of its name, you might believe that the polo shirt originated from the sport of polo. But, in fact, what may be beyond your imagination is that the polo shirt originated from the sport of tennis. Before the polo shirt came into being, tennis had been played in shirts and leggings, but as you might expect, the rigid shirts hinder the movements of the athletes. Therefore, the tennis champion Ren Lacoste launched this collared sports shirt in the brand he founded. After it came into being, people found that it was not only suitable for tennis, but also for almost all sports. Therefore, this kind of clothing was promoted to polo sports and became known to more people, so it got the name of polo shirt.

But of course, the polo shirts that the aristocrats wore when playing polo in the 19th century were very different from the polo shirts we wear today. Initially, polo shirts were long-sleeved, made of the similar fabric as regular shirts, and lacked the two iconic buttons under the collar. As a result, polo shirts were not particularly breathable, and the collars often fluttered during exercise. In the beginning, athletes had to use pins to fix their collars to prevent them from fluttering. Later, polo shirt manufacturers were inspired to launch polo shirts with two buttons under the collar to fix it. Later, in order to adapt to the needs of playing polo in hotter weather, long-sleeved polo shirts also evolved into short-sleeved ones. In addition, the fabric of polo shirts has also been innovated, becoming more breathable and more different from ordinary shirts.

Later, as you know, polo shirts were not only worn in tennis and polo, but also seen on golf courses and track and field stadiums. In the 1970s and 1980s, polo shirts became a popular fashion element. Even for daily out, men also like to wear polo shirts because they are comfortable and not as casual as collarless tops. It was also during this period that polo became so popular that women also began to wear polo shirts.

After improvements and evolutions of many times, the polo shirts are still popular today. First of all, they are essentially sportswears with lapel collars, so it looks youthful and dynamic while also having a certain sense of formality, and it will not look out of place whether worn on daily or semi-formal occasions. And the polo shirt does not have a clear gender orientation, which makes it popular among men and can also occupy a place in women's wardrobes. The fabric of a polo shirt determines that it doesn’t wrinkle as easily as a shirt, and doesn’t require as much maintenance as silk or wool products. Most importantly, a polo shirt is comfortable to wear and doesn’t restrain the body at all.

How to Choose a Polo Shirt?

In fact, compared to the process of choosing other types of clothing, choosing a polo shirt is relatively simple. After all, the shape and style of a polo shirt are relatively fixed. If it deviates from this style, it can no longer be called a polo shirt, but becomes a shirt or a T-shirt. Therefore, when choosing a polo shirt, we only need to consider factors such as color, fabric and some other details.

First of all, the factor most closely related to wearing comfort and experience is the fabric of the garment. Cotton and linen are the most commonly used natural materials used in the production of polo shirts. However, nowadays, some artificial fibers are also added to improve the function of polo shirts. Polo shirts made of different fabrics will of course be of different properties. For example, cotton polo shirts have good moisture absorption and breathability, but they are easy to shrink and fade. Linen polo shirts also have good moisture absorption and are especially suitable for summer wear. However, the characteristics of linen determine that it feels rough. Polo shirts made of some artificial fabrics such as polyester are not easy to deform, wrinkle or fade, but correspondingly, these fabrics may not be as breathable as cotton and linen, so you may feel a little stuffy in them. So, if you wear a polo shirt just for leisure rather than doing sports, then a polyester polo shirt is a good choice. However, if you really wear a polo shirt for sports, especially in the summer, it is better to choose a polo shirt made of cotton and linen.

As for the color of the polo shirt, you can choose one that you like best, or the one that suits your skin color best according to the four season color theory. If you have a light complexion, you can try polo shirts in all colors, whether cool or warm, bright or dark. But if you have a dark complexion, be cautious about colors that are too bright or overly saturated, especially fluorescent colors, which will make your skin look even darker.

Finally, there are also some details to pay attention to when choosing a polo shirt. For example, you can choose a style that is short in the front and long in the back, or a style with small slits on both sides. These can prevent the front of the shirt from bunching up and wrinkling when you sit down.

What Bottoms to Wear with a Polo Shirt?

In addition to sports style, polo shirts can be used to create a variety of other styles. As long as the occasion is not particularly formal, even semi-formal occasions such as offices, a polo shirt is acceptable. Therefore, there are many possibilities for the bottoms that can be paired with a polo shirt.

Pants

A pair of sweatpants. The combination of a polo shirt and a pair of sweatpants is probably the easiest to think of. No matter what color your polo shirt is, you can never go wrong with a pair of gray or white sweatpants. If you want to create a more youthful and dynamic look, you can add a baseball cap. This look allows you to freely participate in various types of sports activities, or it is also quite suitable to watch sports events such as ball games as a spectator. Of course, when the weather is hotter, you can also replace your sweatpants with a pair of sports shorts.

A pair of jeans. The combination of a pair of jeans and a polo shirt is also very harmonious, because both are relatively casual items. When the weather is nice, you can wear a polo shirt and a pair of jeans to go hiking or have a picnic. Both the environment and your outfit are very relaxing.

A pair of suit pants. The combination of a polo shirt and a pair of suit pants is perfect for commuting or other semi-formal occasions. Suit pants can effectively neutralize the casual feeling of the polo shirt. At the same time, the lapel design of the polo shirt also makes it formal to a certain extent.

Skirts

A tennis skirt. Among all the skirts, perhaps the combination of a tennis skirt and a polo shirt is the most harmonious. First of all, both of them are dynamic items with a relatively unified style. In addition, a tennis skirt is probably the only type of skirt that doesn't get in the way of your movements. So if you would like to create a real sports outfit, choose a tennis skirt to pair with a polo shirt.

A plaid skirt. A polo shirt is of course also one of the representative items of campus style. Therefore, pairing it with another item with campus flavor, a plaid skirt, is also a combination worth considering. Of course, this combination may not be suitable for real sports, but it may be feasible as the outfits of a cheer leading team. As for shoes, whether you match this outfit with a pair of sneakers or oxford shoes, it will not look out of place.

A denim skirt. Similar to jeans, the combination of a denim skirt and a polo shirt is also both daily and versatile. This outfit is also very classic and simple. If you want to show your uniqueness through this outfit, you can choose a denim skirt with raw edges or slits, and pair it with accessories such as a brooch.