Hello, I'm an expert in the field of fashion history and apparel design. Let's delve into the origins of the polo shirt.

The polo shirt, as we know it today, has its roots in the sport of polo. However, the modern polo shirt that we are familiar with was popularized by René Lacoste, a renowned French tennis player, in the late 1920s. Lacoste found the traditional long-sleeved tennis shirts with collars to be too restrictive and uncomfortable, so he and André Gillier, the owner of the clothing company Lacoste, decided to create a more comfortable and practical shirt. This new shirt featured a ribbed collar, a buttoned placket, and a crocodile emblem, which later became the iconic symbol of the brand.

The polo shirt was initially designed for tennis but was later adopted by the sport of polo, which is how it got its name. Over time, the polo shirt has evolved and has become a staple in both athletic and casual wear.

read more >>

This shirt was the first to have a buttoned-down collar, which polo players invented in the late 19th century to keep their collars from flapping in the wind (Brooks Brothers' early president, John Brooks, noticed this while at a polo match in England and began producing such a shirt in 1896).read more >>