How well do you know your way around a polo shirt? It’s definitely important to understand the anatomy of these ubiquitous shirts, worn for business casual days at work, during trade shows and on the golf course. Get ready for a digestible polo primer, where we’ll get into the anatomy of a polo, the fabrics they’re usually made from, their hottest performance features, how to care for them and more.
OK, What’s a Polo?
Polo shirts were originally used for playing sports and later for “high society” sports like golf and polo. Today, polos read both business casual and professional, and are equally at home on the golf course and at a business dinner. People wear their go-to polo shirts for all types of occasions, making them a great choice for companies to invest in them as branded wearable items.
Polos come in lots of different styles, fabrics and colors. A polo is usually made from cotton, a cotton blend or polyester, with a loose collar and three buttons at the neckline. Wearers can leave the buttons open or buttoned up. You’ll find polo styles for men, women and children.
What’s the Anatomy of a Polo’?
Let’s drill down into the most important parts of a polo, so you can choose the exact right style you need for yourself or your customers.
Collar: The collar is what sets the polo apart from other shirts like tees or henleys. Collars come in different sizes, depending on the designer.
Placket: The placket is the part of the polo with the buttons. Polos have different numbers of buttons on the placket, but the standard is three.
Buttons: Buttons come in different styles and colors, again depending on the brand or style. You’ll be able to choose which one suits your needs best.
Neck tape: This part attaches the neck to the shirt’s body, making it more durable.
Pocket: Many polo shirts don’t have pockets. However, some styles do have a functional left-chest pocket that also gives the style a distinctive look. Sometimes the pocket is a different color than the shirt’s body to add interest.
Sleeves and Cuffs: While most polos have short sleeves, you can find many with long sleeves, perfect for the cooler months. Some polos also come with sleeve cuffs in a different color than the polo body.
Body: This is the biggest part of the shirt, front and back.
Bottom Hem: The folded-over bottom hem is sewn to create a finished look and make the shirt even more durable.
Yoke: This is the small horizontal part on the back of a polo shirt right below the collar. Sometimes it’s a different color or pattern to add interest to the garment.
What Fabrics and Performance Features Do Polos Offer?
Now that you know your way around a polo shirt, let’s take a look at the different fabric options you’ll find when you’re searching out the perfect shirt.
Cotton: Most polos are made from cotton. These polos are soft, comfortable and breathable. They’re also easy wear-and-care, making them an ideal choice for uniform shirts or one that you wear often.
Polyester: Polos made from this popular synthetic material are durable and moisture-wicking, quickly whisking sweat away from the wearer’s body to keep them cool and dry. Perfect for golfing and other outings!
Poly polos usually are also wrinkle resistant, making them an easy choice for traveling and other grab-and-go situations. (It’s important to note that you should never wash or dry poly garments on high heat, because that will damage the fabric.)
Cotton/Poly Blend: Get the best of both worlds with this blend: the softness, comfort and breathability of natural cotton, with the lightness, durability, stretch and moisture-wicking qualities of polyester.
Performance Fabrics: These special fabrications offer several special characteristics that make this shirt an ideal choice for all-day wear at work, the tradeshow, the golf course or anywhere in between. Here are a few to be aware of:
- Moisture Wicking: While many poly polos are naturally moisture-wicking, some polos have enhanced moisture control for active individuals.
- Odor Control/Antimicrobial: For people on the go or on the course, controlling odors is a huge performance plus for polos.
- UV Protection: If you’re outdoors a lot or active, getting sun protection from your shirt is hugely important. Each shirt will come with its own UV-protection rating.
- Stain Resistant: For people working in hospitality, stain protection helps keep polos looking fresh and clean for the long haul.
- Wrinkle Resistant: While polos made from polyester fabric offer wrinkle resistance, some polos come with an added treatment to ensure a totally wrinkle-free shirt.
- Four-Way Stretch: This special fabric moves with you and keeps its form. You can bend, twist or disco, and the shirt won’t lose its shape!
How Can I Decorate Polos?
There are a couple aspects to decorating polos: how you decorate them and where you place the decorations.
Embroidery is the most common way people like their polos decorated. That’s because stitching is durable, professional and an all-around classic look. Most polo shirts are sturdy and can support the weight of the stitches.
Alternatively, we’ve seen people screen print, heat transfer or DTG print their polos.
Now let’s talk about placement. Generally, a polo gets decorated with a company logo or name on the left chest. If there’s a pocket, the logo goes on the right chest. Some companies like to have their logos on the left chest and the employee’s name on the right chest. This is ideal for salespeople, hospitality employees and reps working tradeshows.
However, there are a few more spots where you can add a logo or message: the sleeve and the back yoke. Some companies even opt to add their website address and phone number on the yoke.
How Do Businesses Use Polo Shirts?
Here’s a quick rundown of how people use their decorated polos:
Business-Casual Work Shirts: With the casualization of the workplace in recent years, people are reaching for polos, not button-down shirts and ties. Polos are a great professional option to wear during virtual meetings as well. These shirts are great items for businesses to give new hires with the company logo on it.
Conference and Tradeshow Shirts: If a business sends employees to exhibit at or attend an event, professional logoed polos are the perfect marketing tool to help prospects and customers keep the brand top of mind.
Uniform Shirts: As you learned earlier, polos with certain performance features like odor control, stain resistance and wrinkle resistance make for great, long-lasting shirts for hospitality workers.
Sport and Golfing Shirts: Performance polos rank high on the list of men’s and women’s activewear tops. Polos for the golf course or other active events should have odor-control, moisture-wicking and UV-protectant properties. These active polos often have four-way stretch fabric and even side vents for more comfortable movement. These styles are also tailored enough to wear to work and out for dinner events. These polos make great employee and client gifts.
How Do I Care for Polo Shirts?
It’s always a smart idea to read the care instructions on your polo shirt to see how the manufacturer recommends you wash and dry it. Generally, you’ll need to wash your polo shirts in cold water and either air dry them or tumble dry them on low.
However, here are some general tips for caring for polo shirts:
- Before you toss the shirt in the washer, button all the buttons and then turn the polo inside-out. You can also flip the collar up to prevent it from curling.
- Wash the polo with similar colors and fabrics. For example, don’t wash a red polo with white clothing, or wash a white polo with red clothing.
- Choose a gentle laundry detergent to protect the fabric and color.
- Use a single-cycle setting on your machine with cold water. Remove the polo from the washer as soon as the cycle ends.
- Dry your polo shirts on the lowest heat setting possible or air dry them. Polos made from polyester might suffer from heat damage if you use a higher setting. If you can, dry the polo for two to four minutes, and then remove it and lay it flat on a towel to dry the rest of the way.
Shop Threadsy for Wholesale Prices on Polos
Threadsy is a great online destination for buying bulk polos at wholesale prices to stock up for the holiday rush. If you’ve been shopping for blank polos from a big box retailer, it’s time to stop. Threadsy offers generous discounts for customers who purchase polos in larger quantities, which is perfect for the upcoming winter gifting season. Our bulk discount program starts at $110, and the savings up to 15% automatically appear in your cart when you bundle your items. You’ll also enjoy free shipping on orders $50 or higher, with always-fast delivery.
Plus, unlike some other companies, Threadsy never tacks on fees for things like orders that don’t meet a certain purchase threshold, or packing your order or processing returns. There’s no minimum order, returns are free for 30 days, and we’ll never charge you extra money to pack your order. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping and saving on the polos you need today.
