The Best Time To Wear a Grey Polo
Modern lifestyles are becoming more active, more efficient, and more streamlined every year. As life around us speeds up and sometimes feels overwhelming, it can be nice to go back to simple pleasures.
With modern innovations, the little things can be the best things. Less is often more.
When it comes to fashion, the idea of having a huge wardrobe with separate items for leisure, commuting, working out, and social events is moving into the past. Today, hybrid styles with extreme versatility are shaping the future of fashion, especially athleisure.
Today, our tasc performance guide is all about one of those basics: the polo. We’ve reimagined this classic style with our signature bamboo-organic cotton fabric blend and other essential design features.
This guide focuses on grey polos, but we’ve got black, white, and navy tops, too. Consider this your ultimate answer to why versatile, neutral polo tops are a must-have.
Let’s begin!
Where Can I Wear My Grey Polo?
The best part of neutral tops like a grey polo is their incredible versatility. Grey is a go-with-anything color (surpassed only by black) but with unique strengths all its own.
Black can come on strong depending on the occasion, which may be more of a statement than you want. Grey is a soft neutral that blends in easily. If you’re going for a darker palette, a dark grey or navy polo is best.
Of course, you can mix and match these colors with ease. Our Cloud Lightweight Polo in light heather grey with a navy pair of our Motion Pants is a super sleek, modern look for almost any occasion.
Speaking of occasions, let’s talk about where and when you can wear a grey polo.
Playing Tennis
The first and most fitting occasion for a polo can be traced back to the earliest years of the style in the 1920s. A tennis player named Rene Lacoste popularized the polo shirt as a style for playing his sport of choice. Polo shirts remain highly popular for tennis aficionados today.
There is no real practical benefit to a polo’s collar and buttons compared to a tee in terms of functionality. Ultimately, the polo vs. tee debate comes down to a matter of aesthetics and tradition.
Some tennis clubs, for example, might have a certain dress code that requires a polo, especially for men. Whether you’re playing at a club or just a public park, a polo certainly carries a classic vibe that helps you look the part.
Golfing
Similarly, polos have long been associated with golf.
Another skilled sport where clubs often feature a dress code, wearing a polo instead of a tee has little practical difference in golf, if any.
Once again, a polo becomes a fashion statement more than a functional choice. Many golf polos are known for being colorful or having patterns. Grey polos in solid print or a clean, modern pattern such as microstrips or microdots can be a classy, cool look on the greens.
Traveling
In general, polos look a bit less casual than a simple t-shirt. If you’d like to look nicer while traveling, polos are an excellent option.
Wearing oxford button-ups and jackets can be a hassle and is typically uncomfortable, but polos create a wonderful balance between style and comfort.
Travel usually requires long hours of commuting where you are often in cramped areas — on a plane, for example. It’s important that your clothes help you feel great the whole time, so choosing polos with the right fabric and features is essential.
At the Office
Many office environments will allow polos as well, even if rather strict dress codes rule the land Monday to Thursday.
While you may not be able to get away with wearing your favorite t-shirt, a tasc Performance can be just as comfortable (or even more so). If you want to look professional while feeling like you’re in your living room at home, our polos are perfect for you.
Grey is especially fitting to an office environment, as a very professional and easy on the eye color.
What Should I Look for in a Grey Polo?
Whatever your day holds for you and your grey polo, there are certain qualities that your shirt must have if you’re going to stay comfortable throughout the day.
At the core of every essential quality is the fabric your shirt is made from. Traditionally, polos have been made from cotton. Cotton is soft, without a doubt — but it’s also unsustainable, heavy, and poor in terms of breathability.
A recent alternative has been synthetic fabrics, like polyester. These materials are less soft but do a better job of wicking moisture and facilitating airflow. Unfortunately, they’re even less sustainable due to harmful chemical treatments, plus they trap odors over time.
For the ultimate fabric, choose our tasc Performance bamboo-organic cotton blend. With a soft touch like cotton, chemical-free performance features from bamboo, and a great green record of sustainability to top things off, you get everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Here are the most vital features for a versatile polo shirt, provided naturally in tasc Performance styles courtesy of bamboo.
Moisture Wicking
Moisture-wicking is a quality that allows the fabric to draw moisture from your skin (sweat, for example) and move it through the material where it is released as a vapor at the surface.
Basically, moisture-wicking keeps you dry. If you’ve ever been sweaty in a cotton shirt, you’ll know what the opposite of this feels like. Materials that absorb water but don’t dry off quickly make you feel wet and sticky, with no end in sight.
Whether you’re playing tennis in your polo or it's just a hot day on the greens, sweat could find you and you’ll be glad to have moisture-wicking there when you need it.
Temperature-Regulating
The most vital purpose of workout clothes is to allow your body to regulate its temperature unhindered. This need also extends to clothes for non-workout activities, such as business, pleasure, or commuting.
Your body uses thermoregulation to keep from overheating or becoming too cold. Your clothes can’t do this process for you, but they can help your body. It’s no surprise that insulating clothes can help you stay warm, but equally important are clothes that allow airflow and keep you dry so that you don’t overheat.
Moisture-wicking and breathability are the most important qualities in thermoregulation-friendly clothing.
Anti-Odor
You’ll probably want your polo to last more than a few wears, but this can be exceptionally tough if you’re breaking a sweat and your polo isn’t made of the right materials.
Traditional polyester and similar synthetic fibers are especially guilty when it comes to trapping odors over time. Even after you wash them, a lingering stench often remains.
To combat this, you’ll need odor-resistant clothing. Look no further than bamboo!
Ultra-Breathable
As mentioned previously, breathable material is crucial for clothing that doesn’t inhibit your thermoregulatory processes. In general, breathable clothes are simply exceptionally comfortable.
Nothing’s worse than a stuffy polo that makes you feel hot and cramped. However, there’s a fine balance when it comes to breathability. You don’t want to be wearing see-through mesh, either.
Bamboo is a naturally breathable fabric that finds a perfect balance. A little airflow keeps you from overheating but doesn’t compromise your body heat either.
UPF Sun Protection
Believe it or not, UV rays from the sun can penetrate your clothes (even on cloudy days). For extra protection against this harmful radiation, look for clothes that have a certified UPF sun protection rating. The Skin Cancer Foundation rates 30 to 49 as very good and 50+ as excellent.
When you choose bamboo with tasc Performance, you get natural UPF 50+ sun protection — no chemicals needed.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has helped you see how versatile a high-quality grey polo can be. For all your activewear needs, tasc Performance is the place to be.
Sources:
History of the Polo Shirt | Polo Weekly
Thermoregulation: Types, How It Works, and Disorders | Medical News Today