Maybe the less expensive products get criticism (probably due to mass production), but the higher tier items are generally respected.

 

Basic "made in *developing country" stuff on the lower end. I don't think there is anything wrong with them versus there being nothing great about them..and at regular price you can probably find better quality for less. I'll buy RL at places like TJ Maxx for home clothes. $30 for a polo that looks OK for just sitting at home and I don't much care if I spill on it or the cats claw me.

Aa a guess, RL polo probably suffers a bit for being a middle class status symbol. Much like Rolex.

As mentioned by mute, the higher lines are usually respected

 

Yes. I’m in agreement with the quality differences.

 

It's unfortunate that RL Polo does appear to have a bad rep from many folks. Some simply don't like the label being advertised. I personally don't have an issue with that.

Much of my clothing is RL Polo--trousers, OCBDs, sweaters, belts, suits, odd jackets, coats. RL Polo, in my size, fits me well, is comfortable, and, IMHO, looks good.

I've never had an issue with the quality of RL Polo clothes and in fact have always been pleased with how well made they are and hold up.

 

We seem to have a very similar experience. I usually NEVER wear a large (typically an XL for the arms to be close to long enough), but the Ralph Lauren (blue label) Classic Fit is a perfect for me in large. Finding pants in ANYTHING OTR is abysmal (34x38).

 

I did go overboard and get a Polo T-shirt, light grey and small emblem. Just waiting for Spring now.

 

Diffusion lines are dreck, mainline Polo is hit or miss (and likely has perception issues due to its readily availability in deep discount and outlet stores), and the high-end lines are good, IME.

 

I've never purchased a J. Press or Mercer OCBD but have four or five RL with the small multi colored pony. Nice heavy weight cotton, iron like....iron....and hold a good sleeve crease. I like the quality.

Thinking as I write this however they're probably 20 years old or more, light occaisional wear over the years plus I wash and iron at home, (I wore point collar with suits, never a button down for 35+ years), so maybe the current versions aren't quite the same.

They're getting a fair rotation now with my daily odd jacket dress vs. suit and tie and the only other brand that seems close are the LL Bean OCBD.

I member with fondness reading the old Lands End catalogues and lusting over the Hyde Park shirts.

Well I dropped a huge hint for my wife and daughter for a Kent clothes brush for Christmas....may be time for a hint for J.Press or O'Connels!

 

While the diffusion lines may often be dreck, not always so. A deep hunt can have its rewards. Below, a green label number purchased this spring. Undergoing a few stylistic changes to conform to eccentricities of the wearer.

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It's unfortunate that RL Polo does appear to have a bad rep from many folks. Some simply don't like the label being advertised. I personally don't have an issue with that.

Much of my clothing is RL Polo--trousers, OCBDs, sweaters, belts, suits, odd jackets, coats. RL Polo, in my size, fits me well, is comfortable, and, IMHO, looks good.

I've never had an issue with the quality of RL Polo clothes and in fact have always been pleased with how well made they are and hold up.

Yes..the polo player being visible is something I've heard complaints about here on AAAC. A small company logo doesn't really bother me either if discretely done. I myself like Paul & Shark for casual shirts and many feature a small shark that's barely noticeable. Admittedly my higher end polos from manufacturers such such as Canali and Brioni don't have any markings on them.. but that doesn't make me like them any more in and of itself.

 

My beef with the RL label in general is they basically ripped off historic BB and brought much of Trad Americana into the mainstream…

When that happened BB classic style became blase and lost its appeal…we now see the end result…

This same effect takes place across multiple genres. Once something becomes a “pop culture” phenomenon the writings on the wall.

I can remember when Seattle Rock Music (aka grunge) began as an underground movement and achieved great mainstream success. For example, Nirvana was the new Beetles and thus lost its mojo…sad but true

 

My beef with the RL label in general is they basically ripped off historic BB and brought much of Trad Americana into the mainstream…

When that happened BB classic style became blase and lost its appeal…we now see the end result…

I don’t have a beef with anybody.

Brooks Brothers was never a sacred company. It existed to make a profit by selling what there was a demand for. Sure, it would innovate some products, but if those products didn’t sell, they would fade away.

In addition, from the 1930s through the 1960s, BB was just one of many, many purveyors of what we retrospectively call “Trad” clothing. In those days, a fella wanting a 3-roll-2 or an OCBD with a really good collar roll could go downtown—wherever downtown was—and be within a block of a menswear store selling BB-like apparel. “Trad” was “mainstream” long before Polo was born. BB was iconic, but it was still just a clothing maker and merchant.

Then Ralph Lauren comes along and founds Polo. Maybe he did “rip off” BB. Big deal. An OCBD isn’t highly-enriched uranium. It’s a shirt. Polo wouldn’t be the massive success it’s been the past several decades if it weren’t pleasing the free market.

BB lost its mojo not because of Polo but because of (a) widespread “business casual” attire and (b) a widespread tendency for grownups—in their leisure time—to dress more and more like adolescents (the 45 year-old men who wear blue jeans, an untucked shirt, and sneakers dress like I did when I was in the 6th grade in 1967). Polo continues to do well because it offers just enough quality, styling, colors and patterns to keep enough of the market enticed.

It’s just business. The clothing business. Companies rise, companies fall. Everything’s impermanent.

 

I don’t have an issue with Polo. The exception being that giant pony. I have a few casual jackets I seldom wear but that’s only because of the weather. I wear the ocbd’s often and my only complaint is they don’t usually have a pocket. I do have about 4 that have the pockets and I wear them the most.

In my experience they are a great deal even at 125 retail when you consider quality, fit, and features as well as color combos. It’s a nice med weight shirt that is perfect untucked. If its warm I go shirt only but cooler I wear either white or colored t shirt underneath.

I never wear these tucked in. If I need the shirt tucked in I just grab a dress casual in button down.

 

When I was working in a photo studio in the late 70's in Chicago, I knew of the Brooks store in the financial district. Their styles never appealed to me. I could relate to some of the wool sweaters but the prices in that store were beyond my means. I was wearing bell bottom denim jeans and A1 Racers, white shirts and leather shoes. When I found Lands End, I could relate and I purchased shirts and trousers from them. Also a suit and sports jackets.They had a couple stores that I could visit in Illinois. I bought clothes from them as I was wedding photographer for many years. Ralph Lauren ads appealed to me. They were aspirational, lifestyle and beautiful. I have purchased some of their offerings. Their shirts are not exact sleeve length so I won't buy them.

 

Guys who wear PRL are usually better dressed than most these days. While I think the giant pony logos are off putting, I think we have all learned to accept the small ones. The things they offered in their stores (actual stores, not some area within a department store) were usually gorgeous but too expensive for me. I found them to be on the British country side of Brooks and Press but not fully British country, actually a rather stunning look. Their shoes were gorgeous, especially the tassel loafers with braided lacing, in a color that was darker than tan but lighter than a true brown. I miss the days when Fading Fast would post advertisement photos and Dr. Peter, Eagle, and others would critique them. Regular PRL stuff lacks that cachet but is still pretty solid for this day and age, mixing well in an Ivy leaning wardrobe. As to Ralph ripping it off, he certainly added his own touches. I liked @Charles Dana's musings. How do you rip off something that can be found most anywhere?

 

While this article does not mention RL by name, it does however, give us some indication of what was happening for many years, in many places in the realm of classic menswear:

https://www.ivy-style.com/golden-years-cloning-the-golden-fleece.html

 

Also, Brooks Brothers sued Ralph Lauren over the "polo shirt" design in the 1970's

https://www.americaninno.com/dc/thi....com/dc/this-vs-that-real-washington-men-wear-brooks-brothers-not-ralph-lauren/

 

I was probably a little harsh in my earlier assessment of the RL brand. I know the "Lauren" branded stuff is essentially your run of the mill dept store stuff which I find to be generally undesirable...

However, the "Polo Ralph Lauren" branded merch supposedly is designed by Mr. Lauren himself, or was at least.

The "Purple Label" clothing is amongst the finest available anywhere. One of my favorite pairs of shoes are Brown Shell Cordovan Short Wing Derby "Marlow" made by Crockett and Jones for Ralph Lauren.

 

Here is a pic of my Polo Ralph Lauren “Marlow” short wing derby in brown Shell Cordovan.

They were originally made by CJ and are as good as anything in my rotation. In fact, they are often on my mind for all-time favorite:

 

Here is a pic of my Polo Ralph Lauren “Marlow” short wing derby in brown Shell Cordovan.

They were originally made by CJ and are as good as anything in my rotation. In fact, they are often on my mind for all-time favorite:

View attachment 104056

I can see why these would be your all-time favorite shoes. Gorgeous!

 

I think Polo RL along with BB and J. Crew suffer together in being largely generic; pricing, quality, styling etc. A contrarian will never reconcile himself with this regardless of value. While they might be average, I think they are still well above the median and it is easy to lose sight of this once you become acustomed to higher quality goods.

"Do not disdain the thing that is good because it is plain" - Sir Thomas Aquinas

 

Somebody in the family is going to get a nice pair of new Merton Boat Shoes. The fit was fine until I discovered Sebago. I wore them to the supermarket once. What a deal.

 

As a middle class american trying to look good, RL usually works. Their khakis pants are some of the best I've found. I like their Polos, but they shrink and lose their fit too often. You only have a limited time with them unfortunately. What's a good unbranded polo shirt (not the brand) to elevate to?

 

I personally prefer the polo shirts from Sunspel. But like RL, you have to be careful with the washing as there is a tendency to shrink a bit, but mostly in the torso length. I like that they don't plaster any kind of label on their shirts.

 

Thanks for the recs- I'll check them out.

 

I’ve had a mixed experience myself. Some pieces feel off in fit or style, especially compared to older stuff I’ve picked up secondhand. I get why folks lean toward Custom polo shirts—they give you better control over how it fits and looks, rather than hoping the latest drop works for your build or wardrobe. For me, half my RL polos fit great, and the other half just sit in my closet.

 

I haven't read through this whole thread, and someone may have already mentioned this, but an interesting note -- let me pose it as a question -- was not Andy Gilchrist, who started this site, the top RL Polo salesman in the country, working in a department store in LA or Orange County ?

Maybe someone remembers the details better than I do.

About polo shirts, for me the fit of the different brands is a lot of what makes it work or not for me.

Looking at the O'Connell's, I see they are all cotton and so I wonder about shrinkage. Also, the XXL is 24.5", which I think translates to a 49. That's close to the limit of comfortable for me, I'm in the range of 48-50 nowadays.

Hmmm.

 

I have found OC to be decent at not shrinking. I have three, the entirety of my polo collection, and they are about six or seven years old and holding up as well as other brands, but I wear them much less than long sleeved Madras, linen, or gingham. Some uber strict Ivy-ista might dislike the three button style. Usually the darker colors look tired faster, but for me the white is holding up the most poorly. The navy and the dark pinking, leaning towards fuchsia, still look good. They are a nice weight for Texas summer golf and a very breathable pique. They are from Peru.

 

I believe the thread was about RL clothing in general and not necessarily the polo style shirt. At least that’s how I took it. I own several PRL reversible jackets that I never wear and plenty of their OCBD’s that I always wear in season. It is true the polo style shirt is very dependent on brand as far as how it fits. I’ve never owned a RL polo style shirt and I never will because 1. They are way overpriced for what they are in my estimation and 2 I don’t care for the style anymore in the all cotton textured fabric. I do wear polos for work but of the dri fit golf style and I wear them with room to move. To me they are simply work uniform attire but they look nice and are certainly cool in the muggy climate around here. Yes I know the chemicals of synthetic wear are killing me. Maybe not such a bad thing as I have no desire to live to 90.

 

I have a US Polo Association brand polo shirt In cotton pique fabric. Also, Lands End polo shirts in the same cotton pebble like fabric. They come in both long and short sleeves. All cotton.

 

Maybe it’s because lately there’s been a rise in old money style, and teenagers, kids, and even adults have started to catch on to it. Maybe that’s why, I don’t know