Knitted, not woven
A traditional polo shirt is cut and sewn from cotton piqué. These are fully fashioned knitwear, in a fine 16-gauge Merino wool, which gives them the softness, structure and natural warmth of a knit while keeping the open collar and placket of a polo. The result sits between the two: smarter than a t-shirt, more relaxed than a jumper.
Both styles take their cue from the polo shirts worn on the field of the sport the garment is named after, reworked as knitwear rather than as sportswear.
Short sleeve and long sleeve
The Short Sleeve Knitted Polo Shirt, style MK5114, is made for warmer weather, where Merino's breathability keeps it cool and easy to wear through spring and summer. The Long Sleeve Knitted Polo Shirt, style MK5115, carries the same idea into the cooler months as a transitional layer under a jacket or an overcoat, without the bulk of a jumper.
Both are knitted in 100% Merino wool to a 16-gauge fine knit, cut to a regular fit, with a ribbed hem and ribbed cuffs. Both come in Camel and Navy, in sizes S to XL.
Why Merino for a polo
Merino is what makes these wear well in a shirt shape. It is naturally breathable and temperature-regulating, soft enough to wear against the skin, and resistant to creasing and to holding odour, so a knitted polo keeps its shape and stays fresh far longer than a cotton equivalent between washes.
That is the practical argument for a knitted polo over a cut-and-sewn one: it behaves like knitwear, across a wider range of temperatures than a cotton polo manages.
Where it sits against the rest of the knitwear
At 16-gauge these are the finest knits Gloverall makes. The Aran and fisherman jumpers are heavyweight and built to be outer layers in their own right. The lambswool jumpers sit in the middle, fine enough to wear under a coat. The knitted polos are finer still, which is what lets them work as a shirt rather than as a jumper.
That also decides when to reach for one. A polo is the piece for the shoulder seasons and for indoors, where a jumper is too much and a t-shirt is too little. The long sleeve version stretches that further into the year than the short sleeve does.
How to wear them
Wear one on its own in warmer weather, over a shirt when the collar suits, or layered under a duffle coat or an overcoat as the weather turns. The 16-gauge knit is fine enough to sit under a coat without bunching at the shoulder, which is what makes the long sleeve version work as a mid-layer.
Camel is the softer of the two colours and the easier one to wear with tailoring. Navy is the more straightforward, and the one that layers under almost anything in the range.
