Reviewing the new Gap Athletic Polo

Gap Athletic Polo | Striped or Solid – $29.50

So sweets and I (sweets is the significant other) are bouncing from store to store looking for a pair of jeans for her, and things just aren’t working out.  Out last stop is The Gap, and while she heads back to the fitting rooms with an armful of denim, I spot a big sign:

“OUR ATHLETIC FIT POLO… YOU WON’T FIND A BETTER FIT FOR A LOWER PRICE”

I make a bee line and pick one up.  “Damn it” I think, because it’s one of those box-weave pique polos.  The same kind of fabric that makes up the polos your Dad and Grandpa still wear to the golf course.  The one’s that breathe about as well as a rain poncho on a sunny day in Tampa.  But I know she’s going to be awhile, so I grab a medium and head to the fitting rooms as well.

First thing I notice is that that even though it’s pique cotton, it’s not too heavy or thick.  It’s a medium weight with a tight knit.  And that’s a good thing.  As soon as I get it over my head I realize that yes, the fit really is athletic.  Not boxy, good and trim at the sides.  But it’s got some drawbacks too…

The sleeves are awfully short.  Maybe too short for some.  Whereas the Express Signature polo comes halfway down my bicep, this seems to only get a quarter of the way.  So for a lot of guys, that’s just plain too short in the sleeve.  Also this thing is long in the tail.  I’m 5’9 / 5’10” and it’s a touch too long for my taste.  I know tucking-in is “in” but i still wear my polos out.  Too long for my taste.  And then there’s the logo.  Which looks quite a bit like the Ben Sherman trademark.

One last thing:  The promo poster in the store advertised that these polos have a collar that’s “sturdy enough to flip.”  So The Gap is seriously encouraging a collar popping renaissance?

No thanks.  I can’t support that.  I’ll stick to the Express Signature Polo.

But if they go on sale?  For say, $20?  I might buy a few.