Is It Possible To Layer Polo Shirts?

Is It Possible To Layer Polo Shirts?

Layering is the stylish gent’s prime peacocking scheme. Lads who do it well earn strutting rights on any red carpet—or pub landing—with a mass of pride tucked under their multi-collars. Boys who do it badly gather eye rolls at every head turn. Layering is scary stuff for the awkward and it demands a tome of instruction so let’s focus on one facet at a time, by asking, “Is it possible to layer polo shirts?”.

The Reality

Let’s get one thing out of the way: It’s neither cool nor stylish to double-pop. The double polo shirt look went out the day Justin Timberlake was potty trained and while we did recently experience an Eighties boom on the fashion front, it has ended, like TS Elliott’s world, not with a bang but a whimper. Style looks effortless and double popping puts so much sweat into itself that you’d expect it to end in a flush and a pant that exhausts even its onlookers. It is distinctly Eighties, which is conspicuously self-conscious. I reiterate–the Eighties are over. Put them to bed. Shed a tear if you must.

“Fashion fades. Style is eternal,” said Yves St Laurent. The man who can blend both with seeming effortlessness is a man indeed and worthy of the highest accolades. Layering is the penultimate trend kit of the moment. The polo shirt is, in itself, a style icon and generous to the man who wishes to take advantage of its capacities.

A Working Example

Jamie Oliver manipulated it impeccably by donning an azure polo over a tawny checked button down and beneath a velvet chocolate two button jacket. A pair of slim pin striped trousers added the final brushstroke. This is a demonstration of layering at its finest but it carries a word of warning for those who underestimate its potential to shame. Jamie is walking a tight rope with this blend. The combination of azure and chocolate is flawless and unexpected. If he’d chosen shades more obviously matched, he’d have hurtled to his fashion death. A velvet more formal, a chocolate less rich, a collar worn out instead of tucked in and the entire look would have whirled into pandemonium. Take care when venturing into unmapped minefields.

Fun Fashion

At the core of style lies the ability to add flare rather than effort. The lad who can enjoy himself when he dresses has the potential to exploit a polo shirt to its full capacity. Every man has a place inside him where inspiration blazes. Find that place and you’ll find your style.

For those of you with a desire to layer polo shirts, check out the range from Crew Clothing.