A polo shirt is a t-shirt with collars, and a tastefully embroidered polo shirt has greater appeal. Remember that alligator across your left breast? The polo shirt collars are often button down. The shirt typically has two small slits on both sides at the bottom, and might also have a pocket.
Polo shirt originated as a tennis shirt, to replace the earlier cumbersome tennis wear. Its inventor of this new tennis shirt, tennis champion Lacoste, put the crocodile emblem on these shirts because he was often called 'the alligator' in the tennis circuit.
How this tennis shirt became the polo shirt is an interesting story. Though polo players soon adopted it, replacing their earlier long-sleeved wear, this fact alone could not have led to the fame of the polo shirt. It was when Ralph Lauren's embroidered polo shirts (with the horse-borne polo player emblem) became immensely popular that the erstwhile tennis shirt all but became the 'polo shirt'.
Golf players also adopted the shirt as their own, often with golf cuts to make them true golf shirts. It is standard wear for golf players now.
So the tennis shirt not only became a polo shirt; it became a de-facto sports shirt, by whatever name it was called.
The polo shirt entered day-to-day lives soon and has become a standard item of clothing worn by both men and women these days. It is even worn to offices that accept less formal wear but are not ready to accept t-shirts yet.
Polo shirts come in numerous styles, with the horizontal striped style being a popular one. The shirts come in different colors, with or without a pocket, in men's and women's styles, made of knitted yarn, cotton or poly-cotton, heavy or light and so on.
Polo shirts are often worn with an under shirt for warmth.
Embroidered polo shirts with a neat little emblem on the breast add a neat touch. The emblem is typically tailored to specific themes or needs, such as golf tours, corporate events, business branding and even a stag weekend.
The embroidered polo shirt started out as a tennis shirt, with the Lacoste's famous crocodile emblem on the left breast. Designed as an alternative to the uncomfortable tennis wear, it was soon adopted by other sports such as polo and golf. The tennis shirt had become a de facto sports shirt, with the name polo shirt stuck to it.
These days, both plain and embroidered polo shirts are worn in non-sports environments, including offices that accept some informality. A tasteful little emblem adds a touch of class to the polo shirt, which can come in many styles.