Timeless and conservative but they look good (Polo Ralph Lauren)

Member Name: Morgenhund

Product:	Polo Ralph Lauren
Date:	14/03/01 (1337 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: generally last well, timeless clothing

Disadvantages: everyone has it now, overpriced in Britain, dubious factory conditions

Ralph Lauren's Polo range, should not be confused with his Polo Sport range of clothing. Everyone knows the famous logo, of the polo player on horseback with his mallet raised. I have owned a wide variety of Polo clothing from polo shirts (short sleeve and long sleeve), socks, chinos, polar necks and jumpers. On the whole I have been very satisfied with them and they have given me a lot of wear.

The chinos (Andrew Pant) do now look as though they have seen better days but considering the amount of wear I have had from them, and the fact that I have worn them frequently for three years it is no surprising. They were a bargain purchase ($US50 when it was $1.75 to the pound) at Saks Fifth Avenue in their September tax free sale.

The polar neck is incredibly still looks great, and has outlasted other polar necks I had and most importantly the polar neck is still as it was when I bought it. An Yves St Laurent Polar neck is now very stretched, whereas the Ralph Lauren one is still firmly elasticated.

Similarly the long sleeved polo shirts that I picked up in the States are also still looking in very good nick, even though they have been worn a lot and been the victims of vindaloo spillages, and a multitude of other sins.

The one disappointment was the Ralph Lauren Cotton Rich jumper I bought. This has not worn well, and looked scruffy within weeks of owning it, and has stretched somewhat even though I have hand-washed it.

By contrast, the Henri Lloyd jumper I bought a few months later is still looking great, and as a result I wear that one a lot more often. I got it reduced (about £60 instead of £80) but having spent that much on a jumper I think that for the amount of wear I got out of it, it is a bit disappointing.

The Polo socks (a bit OTT I know!) have won very well although they slip a bit and the seams have caused a bit of discomfort.

The star performer though must be the white yarmouth shirt I pic
ked up in a sale. Already reduced, I spotted a tiny dye mark on one cuff and got a further reduction, making it a snip at £27.50. It still looks great, and unlike a lot of other shirts, the buttons are well sewn, and I have not had to repleace any of them (Burberry please take note!).

It is true that Polo is an expensive range, if you buy it in the UK, but bought in the States it is really just another brand. I am still not 100% convinced by how ethically sound they are as a brand, when I read "made in Bolivia" on the inside of one of their garments.

However the brand is far from exclusive, with nigh on every one having something from Ralph Lauren in their wardrobe. In my experience though the clothes last well and are worth spending slightly more on in comparison with some other labels that won't survive the test of time.

Summary: