# Top-Drawer Polos: Brooks vs. Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, etc.



## Kingsfield (Nov 15, 2006)

In terms of quality and fit, how do Brooks Brothers polos compare with current offerings from Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, etc.? 

Are top-quality, French-made Lacoste polos still readily available? If so, perfered sources?

If money and logo were not an issue, which brand of polos would you buy? And why?


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## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

Bean (logo free), or Lacoste (classic prepwear) from eBay

Never tried on Polo, BS, or VV.


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## anglophile23 (Jan 25, 2007)

Eddie Bauer-logoless 
wearing one now as a matter of fact


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## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

Polo. Lacoste aren't bad, but don't fit me as well.


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## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

Kingsfield said:


> In terms of quality and fit, how do Brooks Brothers polos compare with current offerings from Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, etc.?


Brooks: Oversized, sleeves too long, collar too big, colors fade quickly.
Lacoste: Material too thin, square tails, body too short.
VV: Square tails, body too short, sleeves too long.
BS: Haven't tried them.
PRL: Just right. You didn't mention Lands' End, but I think they compare very favorably to PRL, and are far less expensive (and logo-less).


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## a.dickens (May 10, 2006)

My favorite polo shirts are Brooks Brothers shirts. As I thought of the reasons, I was going to say fit and the colors hold, however Kent W. says that both of those are problems with BB. Keep in mind you have to size down about a size in comparison to PRL. I wear medium in PRL and wear small in BB. The colors of BB polos, in my experience, hold a lot better and the fabric stays soft. I have a navy BB shirt that is the same age as a navy PRL and the color has faded tremendously in the PRL shirt and no noticeable fading has occurred with the BB shirt.


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## old_style (Mar 18, 2007)

anglophile23 said:


> Eddie Bauer-logoless


and available in talls!


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## zignatius (Oct 8, 2004)

Kingsfield said:


> In terms of quality and fit, how do Brooks Brothers polos compare with current offerings from Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, etc.?
> 
> Are top-quality, French-made Lacoste polos still readily available? If so, perfered sources?
> 
> If money and logo were not an issue, which brand of polos would you buy? And why?


I'll throw two more into the mix:

I've wondered about these https://www.grasscourt.com/bin/store.cgi?category=shirts

... and I just bought two garden-variety pique polos at J Crew (2 for $50) and they're keepers. The sleeves are much like my Lacoste (on the shorter side). No complaints. I like the cotton and pique.

My last round of Brooks Brothers' polos were bought about four years ago. Not sure what to say about the cotton, but they have a nice full fit. They definitely make the rotation every summer.

Lacoste can be found at your local Nordstrom (or on its website).

Do I have a favorite polo? Not really. I lean anti-logo, but am unafraid to wear the alligator or golden fleece.

No aversions to the Polo pony, but haven't had one in a long, long time.


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## tripreed (Dec 8, 2005)

For a little while you could find Lacoste shirts at Costco, though I'm not sure if it's happened again, though.


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## wnh (Nov 4, 2006)

Kingsfield said:


> If money and logo were not an issue, which brand of polos would you buy? And why?


I can only speak of a few brands (Polo, Lands' End, J. Crew, Old Navy, Wal-Mart), but at this point I'd gravitate rather heavily toward Polo, with LE coming in at a close second. The Wal-Mart (Faded Glory brand) and Old Navy ones are unremarkable, the Wal-Mart ones with collars that seem to have spent their past lives as part of a leisure suit ensemble. I've not worn my one J. Crew polo often enough to do it justice, but it seems nice and light, great for summer. The collars on my few LE polos are great, not too floppy and not too structured, but the fabric is a bit thick for me, at least for summer wear. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means heavy, I just prefer something a little breezier.

That's where my one (thrifted) Polo comes in. The fabric is wonderful -- not too heavy yet not see-through (in white, nonetheless). The collar is just about perfect; it's a bit too floppy to wear under a jacket, but I have no real need (or desire) to do that anyway. The length is darn near perfect, at least for me -- long enough to tuck in but not so long as to require tucking in. And the collar opening is wonderful, too -- I appreciate not looking (or feeling) like a sleezy middle-aged man when I leave both buttons undone. And, blasphemy of blasphemies, I actually like the logo. It adds a touch of visual interest, and is recognizable enough to look grown up but still youthful (which, at 23, is a good thing).


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## anglophile23 (Jan 25, 2007)

old_style said:


> and available in talls!


The one I wore today was a tall


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## paper clip (May 15, 2006)

anglophile23 said:


> The one I wore today was a tall


Another bonus for my favorite: LE - you can get them in talls. I scoured LE overstocks for two or three years during the winters and bought a bunch of talls in various colors. I have a pretty good collection now for about $9.99 per. I like the fabric and colors and collars. The collars do not "fold-up" which I can't stand. I also like that you can get the sleeves hemmed, rather than the elastic banded kind.


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## Duck (Jan 4, 2007)

Kingsfield said:


> In terms of quality and fit, how do Brooks Brothers polos compare with current offerings from Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, etc.?
> 
> Are top-quality, French-made Lacoste polos still readily available? If so, perfered sources?
> 
> If money and logo were not an issue, which brand of polos would you buy? And why?


B2 - Little big in the neck and they lose the color quick
RL - Never enjoyed them, just fit wrong
Lacoste - Arms were always to small
VV - Nice shirts, I get annoyed by the whale logo
BS - Never tried them

I dont particularly enjoy polo shirts but B2's are the most worn. I prefer rolling the sleevs up on an OCBD


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

I've never had a real problem with my Brooks polos fading, and most of mine are navy. Bad dye lots perhaps?


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## Cowtown (Aug 10, 2006)

My only experience is with Polo and LE. The Polo shirts I have purchased from discount retailers such as Marshalls seem to be of a lesser quality than the Polo shirts available at full price retailers such as Neimans. 

I think the LE compare very favorably to the Polo shirts available at the full price retailers just on quality only and when you factor in price, I prefer LE.


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## Prepdad (Mar 10, 2005)

I tend to prefer the LE version since they're logo-less and reasonably priced but I have some of all those mentioned except VV. I'm rough on these suckers so I shouldn't waste alot on any of them. Lately I seem to have acquired several private label ones from various stores in SC that have the SC state symbol on them. I'm always surprised at the volume of interest that people show over that logo... it affords me the opportunity to make up some elaborate story about how it's a secret symbol to other devil worshippers or some such bs. I thought everyone knew the SC state symbol but come to think about it - I don't know my own state's symbol - unless it's a ******* - and that would be hard to embroider.


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## ASF (Mar 6, 2006)

*old vs. newer lacoste shirts ?*

Unfortunately the newer shirts aren't nearly as thick as the older ones. I don't think the newer ones have the tennis tail either. Can anyone confirm this? I love the old tail, especially when worn untucked.

asf


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## nerdykarim (Dec 13, 2005)

I don't know how popular they are, but I really like my Robert Talbott polo. Retail price borders on ridculous (but when they're on eBay, they're usually inexpensive and never fake). No logo on the front, but there's a small logo on the back, under the collar...basically invisible. Highly recommended.

I usually buy my polo shirts from Brooks Brothers in groups of three during the 25% off sales. I don't mind the logo so much and the ones that I have fit well and are pretty good, in terms of quality.


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## txeconomist (Feb 17, 2006)

Raplh Lauren Polo Golf Fit for me.


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## jwmnbl987 (Apr 3, 2007)

PRL is the polo of choice for me. It has a great fit and can be found for cheap sometimes at Marshalls. Like someone else said...I'm not afraid to admit that I do like the pony logo. What really does it for me, though, is the fit and the wide variety of solid colors avaiblable. 

I have one Lacoste polo and I don't care for it. It just feels cheap and the brand itself is a turn-off for me for some reason. Also, if you don't airdry it, it'll shrink about 4 sizes.

I have two Land's End "rugged" mesh polos. I got them as a birthday gift and they're great quality but wayyy too thick to wear in the summer.


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## Good Old Sledge (Jun 13, 2006)

I generally wear polos for barn and horse work, and ocbds etc for my real job. With that in mind, I find both RL and BB to be interchangable for durability. I don't care much about color fading in this setting, but as I look at my collection, it's true that the BB seem a bit more washed out than the others. 
I do have a black Lacoste that I wear in public that I like very much and an old, old Tommy polo that has held up in spite of my abuse for several years. I can't imagine ever buying anything else TH, but in fairness, that shirt was worth the $3.00 I paid the thrift store for it.


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

BB - The arms are about right for me and the fit seems to work pretty well. I haven't had a problem with fading.

PRL - I have yet to get one that fits me right in the arms, unless it was a tall size. The body seems to work well though.

Lacoste - I size up and it works fine. The material is a little thin, though.

VV - Never had one.

BS - Ditto.


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## boatshoes (Aug 21, 2005)

BB slim fit (regular fit is tent-like)
PRL (can be too long though)
LL Bean is okay, but it seems I have to size down
I've gotten the odd jcrew polo which seem okay.


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## ston (Oct 28, 2003)

PRL. My favorite, although the custom-fit are a little short. I like the classic-fit and the PL Polos.
Lacoste: I have 3-4 polos from them. But for some reason, I can feel the alligator logo against my skin and it is annoying because it itches. I do like their color selection better than PRL.


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## Kingsfield (Nov 15, 2006)

Thanks to all that have responded thus far. Yesterday, I did some shopping and checked out a wide variety of polo shirts. I'll see about writing a "report of findings" later this week. 

In the mean time, I want to pick a few BB polos before the FF sale ends. A Ralph Lauren classic-fit polo in medium is a near perfect fit on me. As is a BB slim-fit OCBD at 15.5 x 33. What size would you guys recommend for BB polos, medium or small?


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## Hayek (Jun 20, 2006)

Polo - a bit too long for my tastes. Arms get kind of tight after repeated washings.

BB - Similar to polo except the arms fit me better.

BB Slim Fit - fits very nicely overall.

Lacoste - Not too long and loose, but not tent like.

Press - Loose and not too long.

Overall, I like Lacoste and Press the best.


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