Would you wear it? The Button Down Polo Collar

GAP Vintage Oxford Polo – $24.15*** w/code GPSURPRISE ($34.50)

***Credit to OnlyShawn in the comments for noticing the GAP sale.  It is one of those goofy “select customers” sales.  So you might get 35% off, you might get 25% off.  Price above reflects 30% off.  Ends 6/24.

Button down collars were originally created to keep a polo player’s collar from flying up into his face during a match.  Most of us associate the button down collar with dress shirts (thanks Brooks Brothers), not the short sleeved polos most of us reach for when we’re looking for something other than a tee.

Not many of us will be picking up a mallet and hopping on a horse anytime soon, but a polo with a button down collar is still plenty functional.  Polos don’t have collar stays.  And if you’re a collar freak who loves his collars to hold their shape, far too many polo shirts have collars which roll, curl, and more or less look like garbage after a few hours of wear.

Solution:  Put some buttons on the collar points and anchor those suckers down.

But do the buttons just look too off?  Some could argue that it’s too much going on around your throat.  The buttons on this GAP version are far from dainty.  It’s also far from dressed up, and not because of the “sporty” collar buttons.  The fabric is a super textured slub cotton which makes it look extremely relaxed.  But the fit is decent and trim through the sides, with the sleeves hitting at that perfect not too long / not too short mid to upper tricep area.

Would you wear it?  And is this a style you’d wish more retailers would adopt?

Leave it all in the comments section below…
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