The Long-Sleeve Polo

Years ago, I wrote about the relaxed style of Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, a frequent star in the films of Akira Kurosawa. While on the silver screen Mifune often donned the robes and katana of a samurai, I’ve been fixated on a few images I could find of him spending his leisure time. 

The polo is a mainstay in his wardrobe, but I’ve long been without one. Frankly, dumpy white polos and khaki pants aren’t a uniform I want to be wearing these days. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed the long-sleeve polo and think it’s a great alternative. It feels a bit more dressed up and I always liked rolling my sleeves up versus having a short sleeve. 

I’ve been thinking a bit about what I’ll call the “Conservative Resort Look”: understated casual style in solid navy, white, and cream colors in elevated fabrics. Instead of basic cotton chinos, have them blended with cashmere for softness. Same for polo jersey fabrics. Tees knitted in wool rather than cotton. Linen-silk-wool blends instead of just linen. The kind of fabrics that look and feel better, but at a distant glance you wouldn’t know why. 

Recently thru work, I’ve just received my first sample long-sleeve custom polo shirts. I’m still hoping to source some cotton-cashmere jersey fabric, but that might be a ways off. Regardless, I’m excited to begin wearing these new polos for summer. I find them a great alternative to dress shirts when worn under a more casual suit made from cotton or linen, and they also look perfect with a sport jacket that has softer shoulders.

Continuing this line of thought into the colder months, I’ve also worn long-sleeve polos in cashmere-wool blends. I think they look sharp in black under a worsted wool or flannel suit. Or consider them in burgundy under a navy or dark brown jacket. It’s an easy way to make an outfit look more contemporary and looks better than going with a dress shirt sans necktie.

As the work-from-home reality becomes more permanent, I think a lot of guys would find the long-sleeve polo to be a happy medium. Not as stuffy or demanding as a dress shirt for Zoom calls, but also not as disheveled as a T-shirt either. The concept of dressing up is evolving and this one is quite easy.