Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Polo shirts.....

I like "polo" shirts, aka a short sleeved shirt with a collar which typically has 2-3 buttons below the collar and is usually made of cotton. Like this:
They have been adopted by most people in today's society as "business casual" attire. Not as dressy as a button down shirt with a tie, but nicer than a regular old t-shirt. Actually for most people today, a polo is considered "dressy". I have a whole post on society and the standards of clothing but it will have to wait because that is not today's topic. Today the topic is polo shirts, or rather one thing about them that is slightly irritating.

When good ol' René Lacoste started making his "polo" shirts (They were not called polo shirts back then) I am not sure if the shirts had the two small slits on the bottom of either side but most polo shirts today have them. I know there must be a purpose behind those two small slits, after all, fashion always has been created with a purpose, no? :p

Anyway those two slits at the bottom of a polo shirt while interesting, weaken the structural integrity of the shirt. Ha! I bet you never thought you would be reading the words "structural integrity" in the context of shirts. Yes, the slits are reinforced, but nevertheless they are still a weak link, ready to be exploited to the detriment of the poor shirt!

Now maybe this is not the case for everyone, but I have to be careful when putting on polo shirts because if I am not, a sound reaches my ears which is painful to any purchaser of clothes. The sound of the very threads of the shirt ripping right at that little slit at the bottom of the shirt.
Believe me I have tried to prevent it and as long as I don't stretch too much while putting on the shirt usually it is saved from damage. Still, I feel those two little slits at the bottom of my shirt have no real purpose other than to cause me irritation and should be done away with....Below is my poor orange (which happens to be one of my favorite colors) polo and the results of me not being careful.... :(
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2 comments :

  1. N said...

    Speaking as someone who sews, so I know a bit about how fabric has to drape...I would say that the slits are required to make the longer back hem hang properly. If it was attached all the way down it would sort of defeat the purpose (to make the shirt stay tucked) and it would also probably bunch up funny if it was worn un-tucked.

    Having said that, those are weak spots, and a lot of my dad's polo shirts are almost torn at the slit. I'm not sure if that's a design flaw, or just the result of how cheap they make clothes now! :D Maybe the original ones didn't tear!

  2. Will said...

    yeah I figured it had something to do with the longer back on polos...