"Oh I just got to have me one a them there polo shirts (number sixty-eight)!" shouts the college co-ed from Texas on spring break with a very loud, obnoxious, and thick Texas accent. I remember rolling my eyes in disgust and thinking, "No one should get this excited over a damn polo shirt at an outlet store." It was enough to make me never want to own another. The problem was, I worked for Ralph Lauren and I love polo shirts. I've been wearing them since high school. Back then (early '80's) a polo shirt was a Lacoste (or Izod as it was know then) with the alligator. I still have a stack of alligators that I kept from old Lacoste shirts. And as a side note, I attended a toga party in college and pinned one of the alligators to the toga just because I was/am that preppy.
Nina and I disagree about the level of preppiness one should show when it comes to the polo. I believe deep in my soul that a polo shirt is 100% preppy and should always be worn with that in mind. Nina believes it should be fashioned up. Nope, no way, no how. It's a polo shirt and it's preppy to the nth degree.
Getting back to Izod/Lacoste just for the sake of a brief bit of trivia. The Lacoste was first worn by female tennis players. The alligator is said to be the first example of a logo sewn on a garment. And Izod is no longer part of Lacoste. If you want the alligator, you have to go a Lacoste store. Don't be fooled by the Izod label today - it is most definitely not the same. One more bit of trivia, the polo player on a Ralph Lauren shirt has 900 stitches.
The Lacoste is THE original and buying one these days is not cheap. An average of $79 for a shirt is a bit pricey. A few years ago while shopping with my sisters, I bought a Lacoste. It was the first time I had owned one in over 20 years. I felt so guilty about spending $80 plus dollars on a "t-shirt", I almost returned it. I'm so glad I didn't. I love it! It's pink (of course), it's soft, and it just makes me feel good. I also own polo shirts from Ralph Lauren, Target and Talbots. They go with everything and serve as a dressier version of a plain t-shirt.
I'm so glad I didn't let the Texas co-ed influence me. I am glad however to have witnessed her "excitement"; cause if you're ever feeling a little low, just call me and I'll do a dead-on imitation of her that is guaranteed to make you laugh.
Number sixty-eight - polo shirt. Eight down, ninety-two to go.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Number Sixty-eight
Posted by Michelle Meeks at 6:49 PM
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2 comments:
For some unknown reason I have never been able to pull off a preppy look, no way, no how. I do llke polo shirts however and am very curious about what Nina means about fashioning up a polo shirt. I would have to see what that looks like before I would consider trying that out but it sounds interesting. I have never owned either a Lacoste or an Izod polo I currently have one Ralph Lauren and one Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt which I only wear on weekends with jeans, capris or shorts... never to work but hey a fashion first. I just might show up to the office one of these days in a "fashioned up" polo.
Nina says, "...wear it with jeans or a 'in the moment' jacket." Also, wear it a size smaller. I wear them with jeans, but a size smaller??? That, I can't pull off.
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