Once confined to the tennis court or a vintage John Hughes movie, polo shirts are back in a big way. That classic alligator logo, synonymous with the coveted Lacoste brand collared cotton shirts of the Greed Decade, is everywhere. Even new shirts from Lacoste's old imitators, Le Tigre and Penguin (memorable for their lesser-priced tiger and penguin insignias) are selling like hotcakes.
What gives? Karla Stevens, "The O.C.'s" costume designer, credits the polo's proliferation to the hunger for all '80s items. "Fashion is evolutionary and the '80s are so strong right now. Polos are especially nostalgic-I remember having one in every color," she reports. Plus, the shirt's "it" factor couldn't have been hurt by the fact that Stevens has been putting her high-profile cast in the look since early Season One.
"We had Seth in a mint-green Penguin polo around the beginning of last season," the expert recalls. "By mid-season, we had Marissa (Mischa Barton) in hot pink Lacoste with striped cuffs that Lacoste couldn't keep in stores after the episode aired!" Don't expect the look to vanish during Season Two: "Jimmy [played by actor Tate Donovan] looks great in one on his yacht, Caleb [Alan Dale] wears the shirt with the collar up because it [looks right] for the richest man in Orange County," Stevens notes. "The polo can be worn several different ways because it's so versatile."
Need some polo pointers of your own? As Stevens explains, the freshest way to pull off this retro rag is to mix its preppy lines with edgier clothing or accessories. Gals can go casual-chic in a cargo skirt, polo, choker necklace and flip-flops or else dress the shirt up by adding a pencil skirt, a long strand of pearl and pumps. Guys look great in a polo with jeans and flip-flops, alternately, layer a polo over a thermal or long-sleeved crewneck in a striped or solid pattern and pair with cargos and flip-flops or jeans and sneakers.
And don't fret about the trend disappearing the minute you invest in the sometimes-pricey top. "The Polo will stay in for a while," predicts Stevens. "It's a classic."
