At once indispensable and yet wildly underrated, few pieces of menswear can carry off the effortless heavy lifting of the classic polo. Previously the remit of tennis pros and denizens at your local country club, in the ensuing decades, the polo shirt has found favour in a vast array of cultural circles both expected and totally surprising.
No matter whether you’re keen on modish athleticism; rakish, Milano-ready tailoring; or even a hint of tropical vacay flair, the likelihood is that there’s a polo design in menswear’s sprawling, increasingly intersectional universe that will help you nail your chosen aesthetic.
In any case, the style’s ability to blend meaningfully into a variety of looks and transcend the immediate conversation of fashion means that it’s never a bad idea to invest in something of quality.
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Here in the BH offices, we’ve settled on a handful of what we like to think of as the best polo shirts you can nab in 2022 – many of them geared toward suiting dressy, louche or casual tastes. Ditch the tees and come check this.
Table of Contents
- Anglo-Italian long sleeve polo
- Frescobol Carioca ‘Rino’ knit
- Incu ‘Pat’ unisex terry polo
- Hugo Boss waffle-structure polo
- Loro Piana cashmere/silk blend polo
- Venroy rib-knit open neck polo
- NN07 ‘Ryan’ polo
- Orlebar Brown terry towelling resort shirt
- P. Johnson long sleeve pique polo
- Rodd & Gunn ‘Fitzroy Bay’ polo
- Uniqlo Dry-EX short sleeved polo
- Polo Ralph Lauren tennis mesh polo
Anglo-Italian long sleeve polo
A perennial favourite among us Boss Hunting staffers, London-based Anglo-Italian is as good as they come if you’re in the market for the platonic ideal of the classic polo shirt. In founder Jake Grantham’s consummate style, these are made using 100% piqué cotton that is pre-washed in order to achieve the finished product’s dusty, comforting colour.
Other details such as the curved barrel cuff, reinforced pocket, and just-long-enough collar leaves speak to the thoughtfulness behind this design – one that will reward pairing alongside staples of the ‘Italian industrialist’ uniform (think wool fresco trousers or a well-worn pair of Japanese denim).
Frescobol Carioca ‘Rino’ knit
Made out of a knit (as opposed to woven) blend of silk, wool, and linen, Frescobol Carioca’s ‘Rino’ is a brash, holiday-ready iteration of the traditional polo shirt – envisioned in the kind of colour and proportions you’d see adorning the sidewalks of Ipanema.
The shirt’s rich tonal shade of yellow – improbably described as ‘camel’ – is equally handsome in the early evening, making the Rino another versatile part of the beach-to-bar arsenal.
Incu ‘Pat’ unisex terry polo
Neither strictly a polo shirt nor a popover, Incu’s ‘Pat’ captures the slouchy, streetwear-adjacent aesthetic for which the acclaimed fashion-forward retailer is known. Conceived as a unisex design, it’s made from a cotton/polyester blend that is treated for a towelling consistency: ideal for those occasions when a relaxed outlook and day-round comfort are paramount.
For a truly big fit, we’d recommend accessorising this with trail shorts and your chunkiest pair of Salomons ($12 cup of single-o coffee sold separately).
Hugo Boss waffle-structure polo
In keeping with Boss’s revival as a slick urban label (with an avowed focus on techwear), this mercerised polo shirt has a sharp and very sparingly decorated look that allows wearers to really come to grips with the fabric.
Already soft and lightweight, the shirt’s visibly crocheted texture – what the brand calls a “waffle structure” – works equally when worn as a primary layer, or whilst peeking from beneath folds of the brand’s boxy, artfully shrunken suiting.
Loro Piana cashmere/silk blend polo
No list of the internet’s most excellent polo shirts would be complete without at least one entry from Loro Piana. The reigning kings of jetset style in the 21st century do of course make shirts in conventional plant-based fabrics, but it’s cashmere for which Loro Piana is most famously prized – and rightfully so.
Closer in resemblance to a wearable cloud than your average tennis shirt, this knitted polo features an interesting combination of cashmere and silk panels. Predictably, the sensation of Loro Piana’s cashmere is quite something to behold (never mind wear); and to this, the brand has added a practical embellishment in the form of breathable, highly tensile silk.
A sumptuous, tasteful alternative to the usual pre-flight uniform of jeans and a hoodie, this polo is at its best in simple outfits – where the fabric’s natural beauty is given the opportunity to shine through.
Venroy rib-knit open neck polo
You probably don’t need another lecture about the myriad delights of linen (particularly as we head into the scorching dry heat of the Aussie summer) but Venroy has managed to take all of this primaeval fibre’s known practical benefits; and express them in a manner which feels perfectly at home in modern leisurewear.
The Sydney-side brand’s aptly named ‘open neck’ polo is exiguous on detail, favouring a strikingly clean V-shape placket that fans out into a wide collar you can wear casually, or alternatively, pop over the collar of your favourite sportcoat for maximum Goodfellas-esque effect.
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NN07 ‘Ryan’ polo
Along with brands like Barena and Hartford, NN07 were early adopters of the Scandi-cum-Italian aesthetic that now reigns supreme throughout Australian rooftop bars and al fresco eateries. At a glance, there’s nothing revolutionary about the Danish label’s neat, streamlined designs, but a winning combo of comfort, quality, and affordability (relatively speaking) has ensured a steady fanbase.
Designs like the ‘Ryan’ polo exemplify why. Made out of a lightweight blend, the style holds its shape and handles well thanks to the high percentage of cotton; while a sprinkling of linen ensures you stay cool while adding a visible slub to the whole garment. Enjoy it with swimmers, chinos, your go-to pair of denim – any items you love wearing, really.
Orlebar Brown terry towelling resort shirt
Inspired by the one-piece bathing suit Sean Connery famously wore in Goldfinger (1964), this ‘Resort’ shirt by British leisurewear brand Orlebar Brown has been a staple among well-heeled resort goers for a number of years now. In many quadrants, the brand’s original design was responsible for reviving the popularity of terry cloth: a distinctive evocation of woven cotton that is both plush and extremely absorbent – in essence, akin to a towel.
This poolside take on the classic short-sleeved polo comes in an array of essential and seasonally appropriate colours, though we’re big advocates of the ‘Riviera’ blue – precisely because it recalls the Golden Age of coastal vacationing. If it’s good enough for 007…
P. Johnson long sleeve pique polo
Another in the canon of dressy, sartorially inclined polo shirts, this long-sleeved design from Australian stalwart P. Johnson seeks innovation in the material realm – with a breathable, medium-weight piqué that is woven in Japan.
Technically, there’s nothing to stop you from wearing this in a casual application (inspired by the brand’s recent tennis capsule perhaps?) but the sum of details makes it clear that this is a polo shirt best accompanied by an appropriate sense of occasion. In a dusty chocolate shade, the spread collar frames the face and chest wonderfully; and we can see it being an enviable alternative to a fully buttoned shirt – especially where jackets in cotton or linen are involved.
Rodd & Gunn ‘Fitzroy Bay’ polo
From the jump, we talked about minimally styled polos that are modish in their simplicity; and if what you’re after is a shirt that is unfussy and well-made, the ‘Fitzroy Bay’ may just be the ticket. Made by Kiwi heritage clothiers Rodd & Gunn, the short-sleeved design is all about practical pleasure: its cotton yarns have been mercerised for a cool, lightweight handfeel and the whole polo is prewashed (so you never have to fret about shrinkage).
And lest you think there’s no element of clever design, think again. The shirt’s fabric is printed with a ‘textured slub’ – an effect that is usually only possible when cotton is knitted, lending a modicum of flair to an otherwise robust, everyday design.
Uniqlo Dry-EX short sleeved polo
For over a decade, UNIQLO has led the charge when it comes to smart, deftly designed everyday clothing – ‘lifewear’, if you will. Its range of DRY-EX polo shirts is emblematic in that regard: made out of recycled polyester that is treated with a streaky ombre effect.
Unlike your run-of-the-mill short-sleeved polo, these DRY-EX designs are made with a tubular construction. The lack of side seams gives the shirt a looser, more amply draped feel – making it a great option for polo wearers who favour an overall look that is more street than it is sartorial.
Polo Ralph Lauren tennis mesh polo
Buoyed by the resurgence of popularity in ‘neo prep’ brands, Ralph Lauren’s Polo diffusion remains a reliable supplier whenever you’re in the market for sportswear with a refined, slightly waspy charm. Rather than going the banal route and recommending you purchase any number of ‘big pony’ polos, we figured we’d give a shout-out to this ‘tennis mesh’ number.
Cut in Polo Ralph Lauren’s OG silhouette – one that looks great with dirty sneakers and your preferred choice of hat – it’s decorated with crossed racquets and Gothic ‘Tennis’ font – small details that make this a refreshing change of pace from the Ralph Lauren iconography we all know and love.
