Ten of the Best Polos for Your Summer (2024)

Read on to explore some of the best polo options for men!

Ah, yes. The classic polo shirt. Many in this direction as flowers emerge, once more, from their subterranean slumber.

Unless you’re of the Dilbert persuasion and eschew dress shirts with sleeves, the polo is a perfect middle ground between dressing up and down. Wear it with shorts and loafers, or with some linen or cotton trousers.

What Makes a Good Polo Shirt?

In this guide, I’ll cover the best fabric for polos and what makes a good one. I also offer my picks for the best in polos this year.

Fit

Fit, as with any article of clothing, is numero uno. That starts with the shoulder.

At one time in the recent past, guys ‘popped’ the collars on their polos and sometimes wore more than one (or two) at a time. This, of course, looked ridiculous, but such loudness may have been the whole idea.

The racking and stacking of shirt collars meant sizing way up to get more than two on at a time. This phenomenon, combined with cheap, artificially dyed fabric, meant they stretched out, and the shoulder seam ended up somewhere around the deltoids.

Thankfully, many have turned to better-fitting shirts.The shoulder seam of the polo shirt should sit on or about the acromion, the little bone at the edge of the shoulder. This gives a close fit but still enough room for a comfortable range of motion.

The tip of the sleeve should fall midway down the biceps. “Err on the side of shorter as opposed to longer,” says Jake Newman, a former stylist at Indochino. “Showing a little more arm can give the illusion (or show off) of those regular workouts you’ve been putting in.”

The torso should, much like any other shirt, skim (but not cling to) the body. Being able to pull 3-4” of room makes for a close but comfortable fit. And, as my fit preferences have evolved, I like a touch more room here than perhaps five years ago.

I’ve found the fabric not only drapes better but helps to regulate body heat, too. There are few garments more stifling than a too-tight shirt.”

A torso corollary here is the length. Some of this really is personal preference and how you intend to wear your polos.

If you’d like to wear them untucked or with higher-rise trousers, feel free to go a little shorter on the length.

If you’re going for the untucked look, I’d try to keep the hem as close to the middle of the fly as you can. That way, it’s short enough not to be sloppy but still long enough to not flash some midriff when waving to your Uber driver.

Fabric

Polo shirts come in literally any cloth, from synthetic polyester to 100% Mongolian cashmere. Here are some guidelines to help find a quality one.

First, natural materials will drape better and breathe more easily. This means 100% cotton or wool as opposed to a polyester or rayon.

If going cotton pique, try to find a looser weave, as some of the heavier, tighter knits can feel ‘squishy’ and retain sweat (and odor) throughout the day.

To the second point, while wool may seem warm, it actually regulates your body surface temperature wonderfully throughout the day. It keeps you cooler in summer and comfortable in colder months.

Fabrics can indeed come from anywhere. Jake Newman, a team lead at menswear powerhouse Indochino, has an opinion on where to look. “Material is key”, he says. “If you can, find something, small-batch-made.

Something that says ‘high quality’ more than ‘fast-fashion assembly line.’ Italian merino wools and cottons are still some of the best I’ve seen.”

Styling

If we’ve built our polo wardrobe around classic fits and versatile fabrics, it should follow we include shirts that are easy to style.

First, look for colors that complement a variety of skin tones. For many, it’s a core of blues, browns, and greys. It’s a mix of warmer tones, cooler tones, and neutral. I’d suggest starting with these and then branching out into green, cream, and burgundy.

Second, and perhaps most controversial, is the collar. Most importantly, the collar should be substantial enough to hold its shape after five or ten trips through your washing machine.

This may mean seeking out a double-layer stitch collar or something similar.

Collar width can vary, but at least 2.5” is a good place to start. That’s enough for the collar to sit well and ‘roll’ a little, nicely framing your face. Wider-spread collars in the 3.5”-4” range can look quite nice and are classically proportioned.

With these guidelines covered, let’s get into some of the best polo shirts for men this year.

Best Overall: Spier & Mackay’s Polo Lineup

Toronto’s gets a lot of love on menswear forums, and for good reason. For over a dozen years, they’ve been quietly delivering some of the best value in menswear.

Their suits, chinos, shirts, shoes, and phenomenal collection of outerwear are highly sought after and frequently sell out.

The classic, versatile colorways, fantastic fabric, and smack-in-the-middle price point make this a winner.

While I’ve included the whole lineup, the cotton-silk blend (when in stock) with the spread collar is my top choice. The fabric is supremely luxurious and the proportions are exacting.

Hot Take: A hot take-literally. Silk knitwear is a luxury fabric, and with some of that comes a little extra babying. Silk-blended fabrics don’t particularly like heat, so, air-dry them only. If necessary, iron wrinkles on medium to low settings. Heat causes silk fibers to contract and therefore shrink-turning your polo into a crop top.

Best Budget Pick: Goodfellow & Co. Every Wear

Seriously, Target does it again. They were able to nail a polo with a classically proportioned collar, versatile colorways, and a wide range of sizes to include Big, Tall, and Big & Tall, for just $12.

Hot Take: The polo is polyester, yes, but a good portion of it is recycled polyester. Props to Target for being at the forefront of responsible fashion. While the price point says “fast fashion,” but the colorways the folks at Target chose are versatile and far from loud and trendy.

Best Luxury Pick: Luca Faloni

For better or worse, the phrase “Made in Italy” carries some weight with it. It evokes a sense of quality, craftsmanship, tradition, and elegance. Sometimes, it’s overblown and just marketing. But sometimes, and definitely in the case of Luca Faloni’s eponymous brand, it’s the real deal.

The brand is built on well-made staples of a classic wardrobe, among them polo shirts with a refined hand and luxurious feel. The all-cotton pique is light and crisp instead of squishy like some can be.

They offer a silk/cotton blend as well, which features a unique one piece collar to beautifully frame the face, as well as a slightly deeper placket. This elongates the torso to give the illusion of height.

Hot take: Are these pricey? Absolutely. But, if you value longevity and versatility in your wardrobe, one or two $150+ polos are sufficient. Be sure to choose staple colors and you have for enough for six or seven years. (You’ll have them a lot longer than five $50 ones that last you a couple of seasons.)

Best for Big Guys: Polo Ralph Lauren

Size-inclusive styling is for guys, too. Ralph’s little pony is one of the OGs of the modern polo shirt, and for good reason.

The wide range of colors and styles you’d expect from a global juggernaut means there’s something for just about every body type. Polo Ralph Lauren’s website currently carries sizes up to 6XL Big and 5XL Tall.

Hot Take: Ralph Lauren has both its proponents and detractors, but the quality has largely kept up even at the scale of mass market production. Some items can definitely be perceived as overpriced for what they are. Hence, if you find a sale every now and then you can find a pretty good deal.

Best for Short Guys: Kent Wang’s Polo Shirt

Niche companies tend to lean into who a product is for rather than what a product is. Kent Wang delivers a great polo, made with excellent fabric, at a great price. They also just happens to be sized a little smaller than traditional Western ‘mall’ brands.

Like many brands on the list, Wang offers a wide range of colors. But, they don’t stray into wild dyes or anything like that, which makes this very easy to style

Hot Take: A few takes here. If it’s your first time purchasing from the brand, take the size you think you are and also one size larger. They offer free returns, so it’s little risk to two.

Second, while the collar is made with double layers of ribbed fabric for rigidity and shape retention, it is scaled accordingly with the smaller sizing overall. Not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just something to keep in mind.

Third, the mother of pearl buttons elevate the overall experience, making the shirt feel like it cost far more than the $75 Mr Wang is asking.

Best for Custom: Proper Cloth and Tailor Store

We’re going to do two here. Custom clothing at scale is more accessible now than at perhaps any time in modern history. With a few clicks of a mouse, you can have anything from suits to shoes delivered to your door in as a little as two weeks. There are a couple of good ones in the polo game, though.

Proper Cloth’s soft touch polos are made with tencel, giving them, well, a soft and breathable feel. To be able to dial in measurements online is quite a luxury. That experience does command a higher price at around $130-but. However, for someone who’s hard to fit, it might just be well worth it.

Tailor Store offers well-made fabrics at solid prices. They may not be the most dynamic fabrics in the world, but you’ll be well and truly able to dial in a fit just the way you like it.

Hot Take: Proper Cloth, especially, has a pretty generous remake policy. The truth is, your first custom *anything* (suit, shirt, etc.) is rarely going to be right. It’s nice to have that option if you need it.

Best for Golf- Luxury: johnnie-O

johnnie-O is kind of a quirky brand. Built on what founder and company namesake John O’Donnell calls “West Coast Prep,” the brand’s golf collection blends a face-flattering collar with bolder, surfboard-inspired prints for a unique look.

And, as golf’s popularity has exploded in the post-COVID era, golf has continued to shed its stuffy image.

At between $100 and $118, they’re certainly not cheap for a golf polo. But, if you happen to get an invite to your boss’ club (or are playing on your own), it’s nice to look the part.

Not only do they look good, but they’re fantastically comfortable. They’re mostly a higher-end polyester, but they’re light, breathable, and wonderfully soft thanks to some tencel woven in.

There is some spandex, too, to help the fabric move in your backswing and snap right back.

Hot take: Even if you’re just walking a quick 9 after work, you’re going to be spending a couple of hours outside in the sun. johnnie-O’s shirting has SPF-50 built in. Honestly, protecting your skin is far more important than the one time you hit it to 10 feet from 235 out.

Best for Golf-Budget: Nike Dri-Fit Victory

While Nike left the golf equipment game in 2016 and formally ended their relationship with the GOAT Tiger Woods earlier this year, their apparel is still going strong thanks to current studs Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, and Brooks Koepka.

Every year, Nike comes out with a fresh crop to keep their athletes looking their best.

The dri-fit technology is Nike’s moisture-wicking material from their workout shirts-just in polo for the course. It’s not nearly as comfortable or breathable as the johnnie-O. But at half the price (and in some cases, well below $40), it’s well worth considering. I’ve also found these to fit a little slimmer, too.

Best Performance Polo: Banana Republic Luxe Touch

Many, if not most, ‘performance’ polos have team or school logos embroidered or printed on the chest. Scout out a soccer game or manager level suite in a ‘business casual’ office, and you just might see one of these paired up with the ubiquitous khaki pant.

BR’s take on this phenomenon is a little more refined: all the feel of a performance polo, without the tacky logo or ultra-shiny finish. The shirt is 100% cotton instead of a poly blend, like most tend to be. It also helps they’re frequently on sale.

Hot take: Take care, as well, when washing these. Some internet threads have noted quite a few of these polos shrink, somewhat alarmingly, upwards in the torsos after a few wash cycles. Wash cold and, if at all possible, avoid your dryer.

Best “Mall Brand”: Ralph Lauren (again)

Sometimes, you don’t need the “Polo to End All Polos”, woven with golden thread and made with love by an Italian grandma. Or, you don’t need a polo to go rock climbing. You just need a polo shirt that is there and readily available. Ralph offers it in a wide range of sizes, colors, fits, and price points.

Hot Take: While we tend to err on the side of quality over quantity, it’s not the only thing for everyone. And yes, Ralph Lauren still does offer a good quality product at a fairly reasonable price.

ROI: Price and Value of Good Polo Shirts

Fit, Fabric, and Styling are some of the hallmarks of a good quality polo shirt. Look for something skimming but not clinging to the body. This is found in shirts made of mostly natural materials-cotton, linen, silk, or a blend of all of these. They breathe far better than manmade material ones do.

Good polo shirts have a collar that doesn’t wrinkle or waffle in the wash. It’s wide enough to support its own weight but doesn’t look outsized compared to the wearer’s head.

Look for polos in versatile colorways, such as first-navy, white, cream, and brown. They’ll go with most anything in your wardrobe. After, consider dark green, black, and burgundy.

It’s hard to find a good polo for under $40, but diminishing marginal returns on your investment start at above $130. A genuine Sea Island cotton polo is phenomenal if you’ve got the money to burn, but $300+ is a lot to ask for one.

Thanks for reading. And, of course, if there are any I missed, drop one in the comments.