Polo shirts: John&Paul x Barbour x Kingsman
I like polo shirts for their versatility. Also, it is the piece of garment that started my interest in menswear. So you understand that choose the polo I wear is not a task I would underestimate.
Knitted polos are a beautiful complement to tailoring. And the pique ones are more sporty, ideal for many casual outfits. Or for sports occasions, such as tennis or golf. Today I made a choice of three polo shirts I wear most often these days: three differently priced polos, each with description and photos.
John & Paul – 990 CZK (cca 39EUR)
From a range of colours offered by J&P (through Gentleman Store), I decided to go for a simple white polo shirt. It features MOP buttons slimmer silhouette, and in my opinion, a great collar. Seriously, I like its width.
Pima cotton in pique is an excellent choice; it only is tougher than the rest of my polos. Not very soft to touch or wear. This is not right or wrong. Everyone prefers something else.
Also is interesting that there is no shrinkage after washing. Usually, if you wear a garment, it becomes looser on certain parts. After washing, you feel it’s tight again. Not here. Again, no right or wrong, someone bulkier must be annoyed by this tight fit after washing; someone slimmer like me perhaps welcomes it. For me, it means that short sleeves are not just right but slightly bigger.
White J&P polo with Suitsupply sand cotton/linen suit
Result – it’s undoubtedly a great product for the buck, similar quality of different brands will usually be priced higher.
Barbour striped polo with Suitsupply navy cotton chinos, Montblanc reversible black and brown belt together with Massimo Dutti brown suede loafers
Barbour – 1990 CZK (app 78EUR or 67GBP – probably less in the UK)
This polo I managed to get through Gentleman Store as well. As expected, the fit is more regular, although not as much as I thought. On the contrary, as with J&P, the cotton is very fine to touch, perhaps unusually. I am used to feel a bit of stiffness when putting on most of my polo shirts.
There is a slight shrinkage after washing which is normal. In general, this polo is well made, twice that expensive as J&P, though. Despite my hate for the logos - I accept them on sports polos such as Lacoste I wear for golf - I find this Barbour one rather not annoying and discrete.
Kingsman light grey polo shirt, MTM navy wool trousers and Belsire black suede belgian loafers
Kingsman by Mr. Porter – around 100 EUR
When I unpacked this polo shirt, I was a bit frightened as it appeared to be quite wide and short. Luckily it turns out that the width was not so large; it was visual deception because of shortness. Polo is made shorter for the obvious reason – there is Kingsman logo just near the lower hem. Therefore, you can wear it tucked in or not tucked so the logo could be seen. However, it’s not easy to spot as it is made in the same colour as the shirt.
I like it very much. The whole collection made by Mr. Porter and other makers for the Kingsman film franchise is clearly not the best quality you can get, but it’s not the opposite neither. You’ll get some (absolutely sufficient) for the money you pay. As with the Shetland wool sweater, I enjoy wearing it.
Pique cotton is delightful to wear, and I also love the detail of more buttons. It is the first polo of such kind in my closet. It goes well with tailoring, maybe because it looks like a shirt when worn with a buttoned jacket until you observe closer.
Apart from these, I wear Lacoste/Tommy Hilfiger for golf, and I can recommend them - they are holding for many years now in good shape.
Lately, I’ve bought a linen polo shirt from Massimo Dutti, and I must say I’m dissatisfied with the fit. Perhaps my slightly broader shoulder would deserve one size up, but then it would be just too loose everywhere else.
These are polo shirts in the range which I’d say it’s just about the right money to pay for an everyday polo. Surely, Tom Ford will cost 200 EUR and some makers even more. But in my opinion, there are not many things you can do better when making a polo shirt.
The only excuse I can think of is when we are talking knitted shirt/polo shirt. Such as wool, cashmere, silk or its blends. Then it would be appropriate to price it higher. However, this I would consider as knits category and not polo-shirts.
