The Tale of Polo Shirt

The Tale of Polo Shirt

A polo shirt is one of the most versatile casuals to be found in a man's wardrobe. It can be sported on a golf course, parties, dinners and the list goes on. A polo shirt has a collar, a placket with two or three buttons and often a pocket. Have you ever wondered about its origins or why is it called a 'polo-shirt'? Let us take a look at the history of polo shirts.

Although the exact origin of polo shirts is unknown, the first traces of polo shirts are found in Manipur, British India in the late 19th century. British soldiers pioneered playing polo in Manipur in long-sleeved shirts made of cotton. As Polo, as a sport attracted attention, so did its kit, a thick full sleeved cotton shirt. Polo players riding horses on the field faced the problem of flapping collars, which they solved by getting them stitched to the shirt with a button on top.

Rene Lacoste, the French seven times Grand slam tennis champion is given credit of inventing the modern day polo shirt. He found tennis attire of the time to be highly impractical and faced the inconvenience of playing in it. He came up with a short-sleeved cotton shirt with an unstarched flat protruding collar, a buttoned placket and a longer shirt tail at the back and thus the modern day Polo shirt was born.

René would never have thought at that point in time that Polo shirts would become a hallmark of Lacoste. The polo shirts solved the problems caused by traditional tennis attire like the unnecessary rolling down of long sleeves, the easy loosening of the soft collar by unbuttoning, the collar could be worn upturned thereby protecting the neck from the sun, the fabric being knitted was more durable and the "tennis tail" avoided the shirt from being pulled out of the trousers.

The polo shirt gained popularity when René Lacoste won the 1926 US open championship, sporting his polo shirt. This all new sports-kit created ripples which all sportsmen took note of, and the Polo players adopted it. This new design was also embraced by golf players, and its popularity rose further when US president Dwight Eisenhower wore Rene's polo shirt while playing golf. This connection with tennis is the reason why the polo shirt is also known as a Tennis shirt or Golf shirt.

The next big thing in the story of Polo Shirts came about with another famous tennis star, Fred Perry. He gave the sporting world his first invention, the sweatband in the 1940s, and then launched his rendition of the polo shirt in the 1952 Wimbledon. He won the US Open in 1933, 1935 and 1936, Australian Open in 1934, Wimbledon Championships in 1934, 1935, and 1936, three years in a row, and French Open in 1935, and hence became the first player to have won all four Grand Slams in the history. His popularity helped him to penetrate his product into numerous sub cultures like the mods and skinheads etc., during the 1960s and 70s.

Ralph Lauren later in the 1970s made polos what they are today. Polo shirts came to being with a cause, to make sportswear more comfortable, and are now known as the informal business attire, but without losing its sports driven origin and identity. Whether you like to wear Lacoste, Fred Perry, Polo Ralph Lauren, Aquascutum, Evisu, or Versace, the polo shirt will find a place in your casual wardrobe.

The Tale of Polo Shirt

A polo shirt is one of the most versatile casuals to be found in a man's wardrobe. It can be sported on a golf course, parties, dinners and the list goes on. A polo shirt has a collar, a placket with two or three buttons and often a pocket. Have you ever wondered about its origins or why is it called a 'polo-shirt'? Let us take a look at the history of polo shirts.

Although the exact origin of polo shirts is unknown, the first traces of polo shirts are found in Manipur, British India in the late 19th century. British soldiers pioneered playing polo in Manipur in long-sleeved shirts made of cotton. As Polo, as a sport attracted attention, so did its kit, a thick full sleeved cotton shirt. Polo players riding horses on the field faced the problem of flapping collars, which they solved by getting them stitched to the shirt with a button on top.

Rene Lacoste, the French seven times Grand slam tennis champion is given credit of inventing the modern day polo shirt. He found tennis attire of the time to be highly impractical and faced the inconvenience of playing in it. He came up with a short-sleeved cotton shirt with an unstarched flat protruding collar, a buttoned placket and a longer shirt tail at the back and thus the modern day Polo shirt was born.

René would never have thought at that point in time that Polo shirts would become a hallmark of Lacoste. The polo shirts solved the problems caused by traditional tennis attire like the unnecessary rolling down of long sleeves, the easy loosening of the soft collar by unbuttoning, the collar could be worn upturned thereby protecting the neck from the sun, the fabric being knitted was more durable and the "tennis tail" avoided the shirt from being pulled out of the trousers.

The polo shirt gained popularity when René Lacoste won the 1926 US open championship, sporting his polo shirt. This all new sports-kit created ripples which all sportsmen took note of, and the Polo players adopted it. This new design was also embraced by golf players, and its popularity rose further when US president Dwight Eisenhower wore Rene's polo shirt while playing golf. This connection with tennis is the reason why the polo shirt is also known as a Tennis shirt or Golf shirt.

The next big thing in the story of Polo Shirts came about with another famous tennis star, Fred Perry. He gave the sporting world his first invention, the sweatband in the 1940s, and then launched his rendition of the polo shirt in the 1952 Wimbledon. He won the US Open in 1933, 1935 and 1936, Australian Open in 1934, Wimbledon Championships in 1934, 1935, and 1936, three years in a row, and French Open in 1935, and hence became the first player to have won all four Grand Slams in the history. His popularity helped him to penetrate his product into numerous sub cultures like the mods and skinheads etc., during the 1960s and 70s.

Ralph Lauren later in the 1970s made polos what they are today. Polo shirts came to being with a cause, to make sportswear more comfortable, and are now known as the informal business attire, but without losing its sports driven origin and identity. Whether you like to wear Lacoste, Fred Perry, Polo Ralph Lauren, Aquascutum, Evisu, or Versace, the polo shirt will find a place in your casual wardrobe.

source articlesbase.com