5 percent dubbing the polo a man's version of the little black dress, according to a Lands' End survey of more than 2,000 members of Golf Digest's database.Consider the polo shirt -- that classic pullover with short sleeves, button placket and attached collar ideal for an afternoon of golf, dress-down day splice tray at the office fiber pigtail or a gift for Dad.At first they were made of knitted wool, Julian said, but later they were designed in more comfortable, breathable fabrics such as cotton and other fiber blends. Technological innovations helped to refine the fabrics used for polo shirts, said John Franke, who has taught fashion merchandising for more than 30 years at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Their longevity can be in part attributed to their versatility, because they can be paired with other sportswear for playing golf or tennis or dressed up with khakis for a date or business event.Many men view them as a fashion must-have, with 87.French tennis champion Rene Lacoste helped the shirt cross over from polo to tennis by lengthening its tail. It also became in the early 1990s a more acceptable option for work attire as companies started observing casual Fridays.
As the 20th century progressed, the shirt became popular in other sports such as golf, and more designers pitched adaptations, with styles by Brooks Brothers, Le Tigre and Ralph Lauren some of the most prominent. Industrial production of the first Lacoste polos began in the early 1930s, according to the company's website.. Although Lauren's Polo line sells more than just the namesake shirts, the brand embraces the status of a life of leisure and luxury that the polo shirt traditionally has represented, Franke said.There are various stories about how polo shirts came to be, but it's generally accepted that American and English athletes sported them on the polo field by the early 1900s.Today, polo shirts continue to maintain their spots in the closet alongside other menswear essentials such as the oxford dress shirt and navy blazer. Once the media started branding Lacoste as "The Crocodile," he emblazoned a reptile on the shirt."Ralph brought it into a marketing scenario when he launched his company," Julian said. The shirts' colors and patterns denoted team membership."It is an item that is considered to be a classic and timeless style" with a rich history in menswear, said trend expert and author Tom Julian, owner of a brand consulting company in New York City.
