Collar Shirt

August 18, 2011
Inventions

Image source: oneundergolf.co.za

The polo shirt is also known as a golf shirt and tennis shirt.

It is a T-shaped shirt with a collar with a three-button placket and optional pocket.

Polo shirts are usually made of knitted cloth usually cotton, silk, merino wool, or synthetic fibers.

In the 19th century tennis players wore “tennis whites” which presented problems for ease of play and comfort.

The French 7-time Grand Slam tennis champion René Lacoste decided that it was too uncomfortable and designed a white, short-sleeved, loosely-knit cotton shirt with a flat, protruding collar and a buttoned placket which he first wore at the 1926 U.S. Open championship.

In 1927, René Lacoste placed the crocodile emblem on the left breast of the shirts.

Polo players wore thick long-sleeve shirts made of Oxford-cloth cotton with buttoned-down collar, which polo players invented in the late 19th century but presented a discomfort on the field.

Polo players became aware of Lacoste’s collar Shirt invention in the 1930s and adopted it for use in polo.

In 1920 polo player Lewis Lace began producing a shirt that was embroidered with the logo of a polo player.

The term polo shirt soon became a universal moniker for the tennis shirt.

Tennis players often would refer to their shirt as a “polo shirt” notwithstanding the fact that their sport had used first.

In 1972, Ralph Lauren included his “polo shirt” as a prominent part of his original line called Polo.

The majority of English-speaking westerners began to refer to Lacoste’s tennis shirt as a “polo shirts“.

During the 20th century when standard clothing in golf became more casual, the tennis shirt became adopted nearly universally.

Many golf courses and country clubs require players to wear polo shirts as a part of their dress code.

Golf shirts are commonly made out of polyester, cotton and polyester blends, or mercerized cotton. The placket typically holds three or four buttons, and consequently extends lower than the typical polo neckline.

Since 1933, the tennis shirt has become so popular that it has become one of the standard categories of clothing.

Today the polo shirt is worn by both men and women in numerous non-athletic contexts.

During the 1990s, the tennis shirt became standard informal business attire for the high tech industry and then spread to other industries.

Polo shirt has also become a favorite branded corporate gift at events.

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