there was a thing about polo shirts on Who What Wear today. I was tempted by this one that was featured. I thought it would be nice with my culotte/ wide leg cropped pants.

Ummlila, that is a nice polo. I wonder how it look on IRL.

Not the best look for me so I will be passing on this one!

Wow, lots of strong feelings about the label "preppy"!
I can't say I'm much into the country club scene but I'm not against conservative or traditional styles of clothing, especially since they're often available in high quality fabrics and constructions.
All of these "styles" including preppy are stronger expressions when you have multiple items going on at once.
On the right person, with the right additional components they can look fresh and a little more dressed than a t shirt and the collar can be flattering too.
There's a sport/casual element to polos that I like too.

They remind me too much of that most traumatic time of my life - when I was doing overnight in the hospital call. Grab a Polo, grab a pair of scrub bottoms and put on the lab coat. Ready for rounds. Ugh! Never ever again!

I like fitted, long polos better than t-shirts (on me), as I look better with something focusing on the neck/shoulder but they have to be long bodied, boxy shapes don't work at all.
That said, they still have a whiff of matron on the golf course about them, which I somehow can't reconcile with my own style. My aunt, however (who is an extremely classic dresser) wears them with pearls (yes!!!) and looks great in them. She totally rocks matron at golf!

Generally not a fan - although I wore La Coste shirts with a popped collar in the '80s. In fact, Greg and I wore matching ones.

AND I have this amazing black gauze polo shirt that Iove from Elie Tahari.

I had a wide selection of Izod / Lacoste polos to wear with my Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in the early 80s. Then after going through prep school, I was thoroughly sick of polo shirts so I stopped wearing them. But in the later 80s I resurrected a white polo, no logo, to wear with Jams men's print board shorts in the spring.

I like to look at them in Tommy Hilfiger ads. But I don't like wearing them. Something about the collar maybe. Or floppy fabric.

For some reason I have always thought of polos as a men's style. And they far too often have a business name embroidered on the upper left portion of the shirt. I dislike the style, and I associate it with men's business-issued shirts/uniforms.

I don't like them.

Preppy and proud of it! I always have polos in my wardrobe. I like the more fitted type. They make a great layer under a cotton crew neck sweater.

I have a touch of the preppy gene but I like polo shirts in small doses and I'm very fussy about them. I find the fit hard to get right - they always seem to flop out in the front waist/hip area which makes for an unattractive side view.

Wow, that's interesting to see that they are avoided by so many. Am I safe to assume though that this is more of a cultural thing?

I am not from the USA, and do not associate polos with preppy (as that concept doesn't exist in that form in my neck of the woods), sporty or work uniforms. But I think we have different concept of pollos. The ones I own are fitted and show off my curves.

That said, I am partial to anything with a collar. It is weird though - I have an average-length neck but it always seems that colars seem to elongate it. Kind of counter-intuititve, no? I also love me a mandarin collar and love my turtlenecks.

Never, ever ever. And it's not that I mind preppy stuff so much, though it mostly doesn't suit me. It's just that I find polo shirts way too conservative, graceless, and boring (except on polo players!) Completely unfeminine look--I do hope they won't be coming back in a big way.

I'm sure if it was something that I had had to wear for work in the past I would feel differently, but there are some polo shirts I've liked wearing in the past. One polo shirt that I wore a fair amount a few summers ago, was black, soft, longer and a bit oversized. If I remember correctly, I wore it with light blue denim shorts or khaki cargo pants and gladiator sandals - so not really a preppy look overall.

Hmm...I overdosed on them about 10 years ago so I don't know if I can go there again.

I'm a no. Too much flashback to prepster high for me. Same with rugby shirts - those j. crew striped rugby shirts with collar popped were NOT a good look for me.

Hi Deb, I'm all in. I bought the white terry cloth men's polo at Uniqlo yesterday, as well as a very fun multi striped one that is color blocked (crazy!) from Uniqlo.

Haven't worn yet, but am thinking of ways to make sure I'm hip, not frumpy.

Mm. I should say I wear a shrunken polo at the bakery in school summertime, for full disclosure. But I may have finally said no to that very last one and donated it. Can't remember.

They remind me way too much of every service industry job I ever had as a young adult and the uniforms we wore, all with khaki pants.

I have never looked good in that type of collar - so no polos, no traditional button-downs for me. And like many others here, I had to wear a polo shirt uniform at my first job, in the early 1980's. So it also feels "work uniform" to me.

Right. Never say never. They call this below a polo, and I like it.

Also, I do have an appreciation for the long, baggy white ghetto polo on men. But they do have to be ghetto rats. This is a crisp baggy and sharp white, not the bagged out, pea soup green polo potbellied professionals get from Costco and destroy in the wash.

Also, all y'all may think the potbelly comes first. This is not so. You get it FROM the destroyed polo... Mwaha... ahaha!

I don't like polos at all, specially those made of that classic polo fabric Lacoste and others use. Not for me.

Rachy, I'm doubled over laughing at your "bagged out, pea soup green polo potbellied professionals get from Costco and destroy in the wash". That just tickled my funny bone. Thanks for the laugh!

Gosh, people mostly dislike polos, don't they? They aren't my favorite look or anything, but I do wear them on occasion. I like them in soft fabric and soft colors (NO logos!) and worn with either jeans or white pants. They're strictly a summer look for me.

I don't mind them, but they have to be tailored not boxy and have a nice sleeve. Having said that I have two which do not have those attributes which I never wear !

So many similar experiences and feelings--I'll sing with the chorus about the preppy associations.

However, polo shirts were always my "go to" for dentist's appointments, going out to eat with controlling/dysfunctional parents, etc. so it's nice to know that they aren't a total anachronism and that they actually express the message I intend to convey which is:

"I have to wear this stupid shirt because somebody is going to hurt me if I don't."

Will I buy some? Probably. Will I like wearing them? Of course not.

Lol, Ethel.

Ethel, I see Rachy has some competition for resident comedienne.