I hate polo shirts. Hate. I don’t use that word often, because it’s been devalued by society. But I truly loathe, despise, and hate with the intensity of one thousand burning suns, polo shirts.
They suck.
Now, wearing a suit to work every day, that’s not going to happen for me. I work in tech, and I’ll never be in upper management. I’m just not destined for that life, and that’s fine.
I’m not a technician, so I can’t bring the “filthy but appropriate tshirt” approach to the table, either.
My corporate culture is the ubiquitous polo shirt, usually untucked. Gag me with a spoon.
When I was at NASA, I decided to stick to high-quality Hawaiian shirts on the days when upper management was going to be absent, which was 95% of the time. When I left the Space Coast, I’m sure the corporate hacks at Tommy Bahama cried a little because I ceased shopping at their section in Nordstrom.
I prepared for my new life in software development by stocking up on long-sleeve button-down shirts and pleat-less (i.e. flat front) slacks. My first day, the folks were unloading equipment from a Uhaul, and they basically patted me on the head and told me to stay put when I offered to help lug servers upstairs. I quickly adjusted to a wardrobe of quality jeans and soft shoes, while keeping the nice-shirt motif.
I still stand out, but I won’t succumb to polo shirt fever.
Yes, I own three of them. One is maroon, one is black, one is white. They hang in my closet, soulless and drab, unloved. Beside them are my Hawaiian shirts, partying together and living large. Finally, my long-sleeve “shirts” that all need altering, because my waist is narrower than my shoulders, so they fit on top and kinda balloon when I tuck them in. They’re pretty quiet, mostly respectful, but much more a part of my life than the godless polo shirts that hang like drunken fruit bats next to the belts.
Short sleeve button down shirts, you say? You’re fired. Get back to the golf course, keep trying to slip the drink cart girl a twenty for her to lift her shirt for you. You sicken me.
Rugby shirts? Yeah, I’m part of that club. Got a pair of those, acting tough next to the Hawaiians. They get broken out during cold spells and when I know there might be a chance for physical labor as opposed to my tradition keyboard-hammering.
But polo shirts, especially on women, need to be burned. Polo shirts with your own company logo on them, they gotta go.
However, since our society is deeply entrenched in polo shirt culture – how it pains me to admit that — I do hereby propose that 2010 be the year of the Throwback Polo Shirt. If you’re going to go the “work appropriate tshirt” route and wear these stupid tops, I want to see something on them other than something making you a walking billboard for the corporate bosses.
Do you have a “Y2K is A-OK!” polo? Approved.
“Mondale/Ferraro ‘84” is total win.
“Alaska for Statehood!” I’m buying.
“I <3 My DeLorean” gets me pumped.
And of course, an original “The Year of the Macintosh is Here” polo shirts get enshrined in the Work Wardrobe Hall of Fame.
Am I alone on this? Is anybody with me?
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/golfshirts/
I often wear the monkey polo and the Geek work shirt (in three different colors).
I have a multitude of polos in my closet (the wife likes them), but I also have a large number of t-shirts, some plain, some with designs (inc. a white one with black trim, featuring a mean looking rhino).
Alas I have absolutely zero Hawaiian shirts because the only place the wife might possibly consider letting me wear one is on the golf course, and I can’t justify dropping $50 or more on something I’ll only wear occasionally. I wear trousers and a long-sleeved shirt during the week, and on Fridays break out the jeans and a t-shirt. I could wear a Hawaiian shirt on Friday, but the only people in my office who wear Hawaiian shirts are the Inspectors, and they wear them whether it’s Casual Friday or not.
I can’t agree with you on the polos with corporate logos on them, however, because it’s the “uniform of choice” of many of the contractors whom I deal with on a day to day basis, and it’s not uncommon for their management teams to show up for a meeting in a corporate polo. If they ever show, the big bosses will wear a suit & tie, but middle management on down will be wearing the company polo.
What is your opinion on long-sleeved button-down shirts with the company logo?
Unfortunately, I’m a polo shirt junkie. Although I only have 1 or 2 shirts that have that stupid logo on them. I hate wearing ties, so button down shirts are out for me. A polo shirt and dockers with casual shoes is my daily attire.
As far as t-shirts go, I have a drawer dedicated to just my t-shirts. To make them fit, I have to fold them “Navy style” so they all fit. For “casual” days, I wear jeans and try to fit one of these two t-shirts in the rotation. I have one that says “How can I think outside of the box if they won’t let me out of it.” and another that says “I’ll try being nicer if you try being smarter.” Yes, like you, I also work in the technical world.
There’s one t-shirt that will probably never get seen at work. It’s from Weed Brewing company in North California. It says on the front, “Weed fought the law and weed won.” (depicting their victory in having Weed Brewing company legalized.)
JJP beat me to the link to ThinkGeek….
For starters, I’m female. Throughout my college years I worked at several jobs that incorperated polos into the uniform. I worked in two different coffee shops that we had to wear polos. One it was black pants, black polo and the other was black pants, white polo. I don’t know why they wanted polos as something less goober-y would have looked nicer but that was that.
After that I worked as a teacher’s aide for a kindergarten class so I just wore my old slacks and polos (with some color added in the shirt dept) because I was a poor college student and I couldn’t afford anything else.
Now I’m a teacher and last year (my first year) I was still struggling in the money department, trying to catch up on all bills that went unpaid in college and try though might, I couldn’t help but suppliment my wardrobe with the polos that had been part of my working attire for so many years.
Little by little, by way of making myself shell out money for nice tops every month, (I hate shopping!) I have weeded the polo from my closet and heaven help me if I’m ever going back! Now I’ve started working on the polos in my husband’s closet! We will have some style dagnabbit!! >:D
I am wearing this one right now…
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/golfshirts/bcae/
It is totally work appropriate, and not soulless.
I’m kind of curious….what’s so wrong with polo shirts? They’re comfortable, they’ve got that “casual-formal” look to them. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with them at all. In all honesty, it’s the next best thing to being able to wear a t-shirt to work for me.
I go with the button up shirt and either nice jeans or flat front slacks.
But if you’re having problems with your shirts not fitting well you need to go into your local mens store and ask about italian cut. They are wider in the shoulder and taper in the waist. Up here we have Moores which sells a lot of them, I suspect Men’s Wearhouse would have them down there.
Afraid I have to differ with you here, Daniel. I’m a golf shirt junkie (sorry; I reserve Polo for the Ralph Lauren brand). Now retired, even when I was working, a golf shirt and a pair of Dockers were my “uniform” of choice (after trading in my Air Force blue after 20 years).
I also have a fair number of aloha shirts (c’mon, man, call it right!), but they’re generally only worn when I’m in Hawai’i (and, when we ever get there, the Caribbean).
I like the feel of a collar, and while I’ll wear tees, I much prefer my golf shirts. Another reason is that I have bifocal reading glasses for reading and computer work–but because I don’t need them for distance vision, I keep them on a strap, and the strap is much less comfortable with a tee than with a collared golf shirt.
I use long sleeve shirts always. Sleeves are ALWAYS fold 3 times.
There you go. Not too short. Not too long. Not too fancy. Not too serious.
Could it be you’ve never found a polo that fit you right? There can be a high variance in the cut and fit between colors of the same brand.
I can’t stand the cut and sleeves of women’s polo shirts. I have broad (pun intended) shoulders and what manufacturers say is a “women’s fit”, well, I don’t know any women built like that. I wind up shopping in the men’s department because the fit is better.
Plus, why is it you guys get the best colors and patterns. I own 2 women’s Hawaiian shirts. The other 10 are men’s because the women’s have these wimpy color and patterns. I want loud. Same thing is true for men’s polos. Bright colors abound while I’m stuck with whimpering pastels.
I too, am interested in why you hate them. Unlike a lot of styles deemed “fashion”, they haven’t gone out of style so you don’t look like a dork when you wear one you’ve had for 4 years.
“Polo shirts, especially on women, need to be burned.” What is it that some men don’t like about women in polo shirts? When my (now) husband and I first moved in together, he stopped just short of saying “If you love me you’ll throw those hideous things away,” but either couldn’t (or wouldn’t) articulate why…
The reason wives like their husbands to wear polo shirts is because we don’t have to iron them. Hang them up and they’re fine. (though my husband was told by a co-worker one day when I was out of town that his shirt was inside out). You can’t do that with a button-down shirt. I’ve tried. Though the Wrinkle Releaser stuff has become my friend.
Polo’s don’t work on women because there’s smoething about the fit of the collar/shoulder/sleeves that just doesn’t look right.
I’ve got no options for ya Dan as I wear scrubs to work. I spent enough time in retail hell that I can share your loathing of the polo though
Polo shorts are evil!
Geek shirts ftw
The Target in my area has a nice selection of tag and logo free polos, T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, etc. If you lived in a more northern environment you could go the pullover plus T-shirt or long sleeve shirt combo for half of the year like me.
I too, have always detested polo shirts. Part of it probably stems from those early job searching times when there wasn’t really an option aside from fast-food joints. Plus, they always look more casual than professional. It can be tough to feel professional for the day when you pulled your shirt on over your head to get dressed for work.
Why can’t you wear a nice Hawaiian shirt to work? I work at a major defense contractor and I wear them (as do a number of more senior people). I’m with you on the polos, though. It’s either a button up shirt, or in the warmer months a nice Hawaiian. Have you asked your supervisor about this? Or are you just going by what you see around you?
In Spring/fall it’s long sleeve button down shirt with a collar, but is not a dress shirt meant to have a tie with it. Nice range of colors/patterns to mix match with dress pants. It’s kinda like Garanimals but for grown ups.
Sometimes in winter it’s a sweater/t-shirt combo when it’s really cold and polos when it’s hot out (about 2 months out of the year in MN).
T Shirts are for week ends/days off. The most recent is this one (I love it)
http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=QW-SUMMERVACATIONSHIRT&Category_Code=QW
My direct boss wears Hawaiian shirts on casual fridays, I don’t go there, don’t want to seem like i’m copying.
I play golf, so polo shirts are major WIN!!
The day you view your own husband prancing down the stairs and out your front door, into the unsuspecting world, while wearing this little item: http://www.peppergifts.com/detail.php?category=%&detailcode=CS100&detailprice=47.5000&mypage=1&sizefilter=&onlysale
is the day you realize you’ve reached life’s mountaintop, tipped over, and are now sliding headlong toward the abyss.
LLBean.com go to polo shirts. Perfectly acceptable for most offices, lots of colors, cheap, and you can’t kill them.
I think Saphia hit the nail on the head – we don’t have to iron polos!
I was studying something else about this on another blog. Interesting. Your position on it is diametrically contradicted to what I read to begin with. I am still contemplating over the different points of view, but I’m leaning heavily toward yours. And regardless, that’s what is so superb about contemporary democracy and the marketplace of thoughts on-line.
Hey man, whatever’s comfy and works
/shrug
My dad was into polo shirts. Me, I have never worn or owned one.
My job requires corporate logos on shirts, so it’s long sleeved buttoned for me. I keep the A/C in the pilot house at a toasty 70 degrees.
My husband also works in tech, but he refuses to wear anything with a collar. Jeans and a nice – usually solid color – t-shirt is his wardrobe of choice. If he is giving a presentation to upper management he’ll wear dockers and a dress shirt. I have not seen him in a suit since our wedding day, and I probably won’t until one of our kids get married.
The problem with polo shirts is that when I go shopping after work or at lunch, people always mistake me for a store employee.
I totally agree. Polo shirts are the bane of my existence. I wear long-sleeve button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up to my mid-forearm and jeans to work every day. I really can’t tell you why I hate polos so much. I just do. Perhaps it is their floppy collars that roll and look terrible.
However, I do like a nice looking polo shirt on a female. Weird, huh?
I wear polo’s all the time at work. None of mine have any logo but the manufactures I think. I have seen some people on night shift wear T’s but none on day shift and as a contractor I’m not about to try and start a trend. I wore dress shirts and ties for a couple years everyday, and I’ll not go back to that for less than six figures, thanks. I’d actually probably go ahead and wear suits everyday if they paid me six figures and I got to stay where I live.
I might actually be able to get away with wearing nice jeans but I just stick to crease less slacks of one sort or another. And I could probably also wear sneakers if I bought a cleaner pair and tied the laces, but I just find wearing a pair of brown doctor scholl’s easier and cheaper.
My one rebellious act is that I shave once a week at most usually. But it’s a DoD facility where I rarely see the light of day, let alone a customer. And management usually avoids the hike to our office.
As an example of a really great polo shirt, consider Cindy Morgan in
Caddyshack . . .
I love polo shirts!
I’ve worn everything from button up shirts to t-shirts as my required work uniform. I work in tech, and nowadays i wear good comfy shoes, jeans, and either my work polo made of bamboo thread (no joke, feels a lot like polyester), or an unadorned black mock turtleneck.
I’ve been called mini-steve a few times at work for the turtlenecks.
Just a FYI — look out for tailored shirts. If you have the bodyshape for them (i.e. tapered from shoulder to waist — no beer belly) they’ll eliminate the ballooning around your belt you’re getting with standard fit shirts, and you’ll look pretty slick too.
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