I’ve been on a pretty aggressive push back toward natural fibers. More cotton, more wool, more clothes that actually feel like clothes. And just as the weather is starting to cooperate, Sid Mashburn has released a long-sleeve version of its Pima piqué polo that checks just about every box for what I want to wear this Fall.
The beauty here is the simplicity. This is a Pima cotton piqué polo, not a performance shirt masquerading as something dressier. The piqué gives it enough texture to feel substantial, and the Pima cotton is soft without feeling flimsy. At $150, it isn’t inexpensive, but it feels like the sort of shirt that should get better rather than worse after a season of wear.
Where Mashburn really gets it right, though, is the collar. It’s cut and sewn and supported by a collar band much like a sport shirt, which gives it enough structure actually to stand up. That may seem like a small detail, but it completely changes how useful a polo can be. Put this under a sport coat, and the collar doesn’t disappear underneath the lapels. Throw it under a vest, and it still looks put together. Wear it by itself with five-pocket pants and loafers and you’re done.
And that’s really where I see these fitting into the RCS rotation. They’re not golf shirts. They’re not really dress shirts, either. They’re that incredibly useful thing in the middle. Think office on Thursday or Friday, dinner on Saturday, church on Sunday, or one of those October afternoons where you leave the house at 55 degrees and it’s somehow 75 by lunch.
The Fall colors are especially good. The Navy (aka ‘Heather Denim’) is probably my favorite. I ordered the Heather Charcoal as well, but I think I’m going to exchange it for the Heather Olive. Merlot is cool too…I’ll have a better opinion when I see it in person. They’re muted enough to wear with almost anything and interesting enough that they don’t feel like another polo.
More than anything, though, these are a good example of where I want my closet headed. Fewer overly technical clothes. Fewer shirts designed to wick, stretch, cool, repel, and perform seventeen other functions I don’t need while I’m eating dinner.
Give me good cotton, a proper collar, a great fit, and a shirt that works with jeans, khakis, cords, a sport coat, or a vest. I’m finding that’s plenty.
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