Guide to Buying the Right Polo Shirt
by Hella Cliques
August 1, 2026
1. Lacoste
French, classic athletic tennis heritage
Solid colors, clean minimalist design
Green embroidered crocodile
Lightweight, highly breathable petit piqué
Slimmer, shorter length with a straight hem
2. Ralph Lauren Polo
American, preppy Ivy League style
Solid colors or bold stripes, traditionally no cuff tipping
Embroidered polo player on a horse
Thicker, heavier, traditional cotton piqué
Roomier classic fit with a longer tennis tail
3. Fred Perry
British, mod/indie music subculture
Twin tipping (stripes) on collar and cuffs
Laurel Wreath embroidered on the chest
Mid-to-heavy, highly structured cotton piqué
Slimmer, squared-off fit with a straight hem
4. Lewis Lacey
This Canadian-born haberdasher and polo player opened a shop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He began selling a lightweight knit shirt featuring an embroidered polo player logo—doing it over 50 years before Ralph Lauren used the exact same concept
5. Sunspel
This luxury English heritage brand revolutionized the fabric. They stripped away the heavy, thick piqué stitch used by Lacoste and invented a warp-knitted mesh cotton fabric called Quality 75 (Q75). This made the polo lighter, cooler, and less rigid. Their Riviera polo famously became the uniform for Daniel Craig's James Bond.
6. Izod Lacoste
While Lacoste was a massive hit in Europe, it was virtually unknown in America. In 1951, Lacoste partnered with the American manufacturer Izod. Known as "Izod Lacoste," these shirts featured the famous crocodile and became the definitive uniform of the 1970s and 80s American preppy movement before the two companies split in 1993.
Izod polos are no longer the high-status fashion statement they were in the 1980s. Since splitting from Lacoste in 1993, the brand has shifted from a premium country club luxury label into an affordable, mid-range sportswear brand. So buy vintage.
