The Original Polo Shirt

Polo Shirt, Circa 1472.

In the British Museum, there is an illustrated manuscript, dated 1472, showing Persian princes playing polo.

Yes, polo.

Even more amazing, it shows exactly what they wore. Look closely and you’ll even understand why they wore what they wore.

They were hot.

The reason they were hot is that polo wasn’t yet a gentrified sport where people in Land Rovers parked around a green field nibbling cucumber sandwiches.

Polo, as originally played in Persia, was a war game with hundreds of players… cavalry units, king’s guards, and princes spoiling for blood.

(The training, then, was succinct: “hawk, cheetah, swordsmanship, archery, and… polo.”)

The shirts they wore? Open-necked, just as we know the polo shirt today; except that the neck, six centuries ago, opened twice as deep for… better ventilation.

We have chosen to learn from the past and roll the clock back all the way to the beginning.

The Original Polo Shirt (No. 6605). Soft but hefty 100% cotton piqué with spread polo collar. Classic fit. And a wonderfully practical seven-button placket to admit a little fresh air, or a lot. Shell buttons. Imported.