Somehow, it just wouldn’t feel like autumn here at Polo without having a little big tweed in your wardrobe – crunchy wools in checks of cognac and camel or charcoal and grey that have been exploded this season in size to become statement pieces worth notice, whether as a suit, a vest or even a down jacket.
In addition to a mix of notes on other matters of style, we’ve also put together a special package of stories on the meaning of the necktie. Polo started, as you probably know, as a tie business. But Polo style has always been point and counterpoint. As many times as Ralph has worn a tie, he has worn a T-shirt or a flannel or a turtleneck. When you don’t wear a tie all the time, in other words, it makes the moments you do all the more important, and we think that’s worth considering.
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Style Note
Pattern Matters
Exploding the size of iconic tweed patterns to turn three-piece suits, Polo coats and blazers into statement pieces worth notice
To start, it would seem relevant to briefly mention a detail or two from the history of tweed. The fabric, as you may have guessed, was invented in the Scottish Highlands to shield farmers and field workers from the cold, damp climate. From there, it caught the attention of the sportier members of the English upper class, who adopted it as a go-to uniform for their favourite country pursuits – shooting, fishing, hunting and generally mucking about. The patterns they chose – Glen plaid, herringbone, houndstooth, windowpane – could also be customised and smartened up for more formal occasions.
Ralph has been developing unique tweed patterns with some of the oldest mills in the British Isles for almost four decades. The fabrics are exclusive to our collections – and distinctly Polo, if you know what to look for.
Ralph was one of the first to take a fabric made for one thing and use it for another. Here, a suiting tweed ups the range of a quilted down jacket, so it can get you from city to country, and go with anything from a tie to a striped jumper and a pair of brogues.
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Estate of Play
The Duke of Richmond on a life of speed and style, from shooting with Kubrick to founding the now legendary Goodwood Revival
“Ties?,” you say. “Aren’t we all wearing them less these days?” That may well be true. But doesn’t that mean that when you do wear one, it’s that much more important to choose a good one?
Polo was started in 1967 as a tie business, but Ralph never saw the tie as a requirement. A Polo tie can be classic (a repp, say, or a grenadine), but it can also be a novelty – a scene tie that’s fun, or one made out of denim or a suit material. Take the tie seriously, but don’t always wear them that way.
Topic No. 1
Rebel in a Repp Tie
by Michael Hainey
What’s that great line from Groucho Marx? “I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” Brilliant thinking for a (not so) successful social life, for sure.
But when it comes to style, I like to twist old Groucho’s bit of wisdom into some sartorial advice: You may not be a member of a club but that should never stop you from wearing a club tie – because club and repp ties are secret weapons of a well-dressed man’s style. If you don’t have one in your kit, it’s like not owning a well-worn white oxford button-down: both are fundamental pieces that expand your wardrobe.
There’s an art to pairing classic pieces in a way that makes them feel right for the current moment. The ingredients are simplicity, ease and a little surprise.
Style Note
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