Knit Polo

Knit Polo

ONE OF THE KIND 1970s MEN POLO KNIT SHIRT – UNIQUE PRINT -NEW/OLD STOCK & TAG- M $24.00

Men’s Vintage Pebble Beach Knit Polo Shirt – Small – Mint Condition $15.00

INDIE VINTAGE 60-70s MENS MEDIUM KNIT YELLOW SHORT SLEEVE POLO ROCKABILLY $18.27

Vintage 1970s Yellow Knit Polo Style Shirt by Di Fini $12.00

Vintage 1970s Pink Knit Polo Style Shirt by Di Fini $12.00

Vintage 1970s White Knit Polo Style Shirt by Di Fini XL $12.00

VTG BEIGE BANLON KNIT POLO T SHIRT L MOD INDIE TOP MENS $31.55

FRED PERRY STRIPED KNITTED POLO BROWN/BEIGE 48″ FPRT001 $69.58

BRAND NEW vtg Knitted 60′s Polo BLACK XS, S, M, L, XL $15.80

BRAND NEW vtg Knitted 60′s Polo BLACK XS, S, M, L, XL $15.80

BRAND NEW vtg Knitted 60′s Polo BLACK XS, S, M, L, XL $15.80

BRAND NEW vtg Knitted 60′s Polo BLACK XS, S, M, L, XL $15.80

vtg THANE BLUE STRIPED KNIT LS 70S SWEATER POLO LRG L $24.99

ITALIAN KNIT MOD VINTAGE POLO SHIRT MEDIUM LIGHT BLUE STRIPED ITA U450 $28.46

70s 80s Men’s knit polo shirt, SMALL to MEDIUM, blue and brown geometric print $4.99

Vintage 80s POLO Ralph Lauren WOOL Shawl Collar VARSITY Knit Sweater 40 RARE Q1 $299.99

Vtg Sears Argyle MAD MEN Argyle Knit Polo Shirt M NOS New $19.99

Vtg 1970′s DRUMMOND White w/Red Blue Stripes Poly Knit Polo Shirt – Sz M $35.00

Mens Vintage 60′s 50′s RAT PACK Italian Knit Lounge Mob Retro MOD Polo SHIRT S $36.09

VINTAGE SEDGEWICK USA LEATHER SUEDE FRONT ROPE KNIT ORLON POLO SWEATER-NICE! -M $62.99

VTG Ralph Lauren POLO Hunting DOG Sweater XL RL’01 HAND KNIT Cream Linen Cotton $49.95

1960′s Vintage USA Rich-Knit Dark Brown Bri-Nylon Sports Polo Top Rebels S/M $31.80

ReTrO 50s 60s FAiRMONT BAN-LON MOD FUNKY COLLAR ROCKABiLLY KNiT POLO VtG SHiRT M $24.95

VINTAGE 70s Men’s Mod Polka Dot Retro Polyester Knit Polo Shirt Red M $59.99

VINTAGE NOS PILGRIM 60s / 70s EMBROIDERED POCKET KNIT POLO SIZE LARGE VERY HIP $37.99

vtg orig late 60s mod WINE RED check BAN LON fine knit spun poly polo shirt S 36 $28.45

NEW OLD STOCK 60s MOD LITE BLUE CHECK BAN LON fine knit spun poly polo shirt S36 $28.45

Vtg 60s 70s Black white cotton knit polo t shirt, Mod Scooter 2tone Skinhead Ska $12.65

ITALIAN KNIT VTG POLO SHIRT Big Collar L Navy with Red/White RETRO MOD ECCO! $24.95

Vintage 90s Polo RALPH LAUREN All Cotton USA FLAG Hand Knit Sweater M P $69.99

vtg 60s Arrow Cavalier nylon knit polo shirt green S $35.99

Vintage POLO RALPH LAUREN Golf GRAPHIC Knit Sweater -LG- 1992 $10.50

GREAT Vintage RICHMAN BROTHERS Blue ORLON S/Slv KNIT Polo Shirt Sz:L $34.99

Vintage 60s Aqua Green V Neck Striped Towel Mens Knit Polo Shirt M/L $25.00

HIP Vtg 60s 70s Geometric Mod Rat Pack Knit Polo Shirt Mad Men’s Medium Hep Cat $20.00

Vintage 90s Polo RALPH LAUREN Cable Knit SHAWL COLLAR Outdoors Sweater XL H1 $149.99

VINTAGE RALPH LAUREN POLO 100% WOOL CABLE KNIT CARDIGAN SWEATER MENS LARGE $9.99

vtg mens polo shirt JANTZEN stripes NOS thin knit L USA $24.99

VINTAGE IZOD LACOSTE POLO GOLF PREPPY BLACK COTTON KNIT MADE IN USA LARGE XXL $39.98

ITALIAN KNIT MOD VINTAGE POLO SHIRT LARGE BEIGE CHECK TEXTURE RETRO MOD ITA U489 $30.04

---

The Polo Shirt and Its History

Many of us have heard the term polo shirt and many of us have worn them or still wear them. But how many of us know where the term polo shirt came from and whom it was that came up with it?

Indeed the shirt started with the game of polo. Polo started off as a sport played by Tibetan men who called the ball that they hit a pulu. In the 7th Century the Persians invented a new game, a game that made use of the pulu by riding horses and hitting it with sticks. By the time that the Persian game had become a recognized Indian sport, it was called “polo.” When the British occupied India, they enjoyed watching polo games. The British eventually learned how to play polo as well and brought the sport to England.

In the mid-1800s, sports teams in Britain began to wear knitted shirts at soccer games, at rowing matches and at other sporting events. Although they had long sleeves, their jerseys did share one feature with today’s polo shirt and that was they were made from a knitted material. By the19th century, a businessman and entrepreneur who saw the jerseys and liked them, redesigned them and sold them as “polo shirts.” Printed ads for “polo shirts” appeared in Maryland papers as early as 1887.

In 1923 the members of the Hurlingham Polo Team in Buenos Aires appeared at a match wearing the now newly labeled polo shirts. The popularity of the shirt grew and in 1920 a man named Lewis Lacey opened a clothing store in Buenos Aires and sold the shirts. The shirts now had a logo depicting a polo player on a pony.

In 1926 Rene Lacoste, a famous tennis player, brought the polo shirt to the public eye in a new way, showing his audience that the shirt could be worn for more than just polo.
Lacoste’s shirts were white, which was typical of tennis clothing then, short-sleeved, made of loosely knit piqué cotton with an un-starched, flat protruding collar. It also had a buttoned placket, and a longer shirttail in back than in front. He first wore the shirt at the 1926 U.S. Open championship. Beginning in 1927, Lacoste placed a crocodile emblem on the left breast of his shirts. The American press had begun to refer to him as “the alligator”, a nickname that he embraced.

In 1933, after retiring from professional tennis, Lacoste teamed up with André Gillier, a friend who was a clothing merchandiser, to market that shirt in Europe and North America. Together, they formed the company Chemise Lacoste, and began selling their shirts, which still included the small-embroidered crocodile logo on the left breast.

By 1972, Ralph Lauren took the ideas of Lacoste’s and Lewis Lacey and included his “polo shirt” as a prominent part of his original line called Polo. While not specifically geared for use by polo players, Lauren’s shirt imitated what by that time had become the normal attire for polo players. Lauren prominently included his new attire as the “sport of kings”. On the shirts he kept Lacoste’s crocodile emblem. This worked well as a marketing tool, for subsequently, due to the immense popularity of Lauren’s clothing, a majority of English-speaking westerners began to refer to Lacoste’s Tennis Shirt as a “polo shirt”.

Over the latter half of the twentieth century, as standard clothing in golf became more casual, the polo shirt became adopted nearly universally as standard golf attire. Lacoste’s “tennis shirt” in various golf cuts has resulted in specific designs of the tennis shirt for golf, resulting in the moniker “Golf Shirt”. Golf shirts are commonly made out of polyester, cotton and polyester blends, or mercerized cotton. The plaque typically holds three or four buttons, and consequently extends lower than the typical polo neckline. The collar is typically fabricated using a stitched double-layer of the same fabric used to make the shirt, in contrast to a polo Shirt Collar, which is usually one-ply Ribbed Knit cotton.

Now the polo shirt is worn as standard attire due to its comfort. The shirts are worn by students and adults, athletes and non-athletes alike. It seems the little crocodile is here to stay.

About the Author

Justin Morris is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t-shirt. Companies purchase t-shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

what is the difference between a pique polo, a Jersey Knit Polo and a Golf Polo shirt?

I don’t understand how it is different can anyone explain?

I buy lots of polos for my husband. The pique is a type of cotton weave, so is the jersey knit. The pique is a bit heavier and rougher. The jersey is thiner and smoother knit. The term golf polo can apply to both.