Tall Polo Shirts for Spring

In a spirit of optimism, I've been on the hunt for polo shirts, hoping the weather will soon be warm enough for me to wear them. In this post, I've highlighted four brands that feature tall sizes as well as good quality.

I've always worn polo shirts more than normal T shirts - the collar looks smart and breaks up my height a little. Styles with horizontal stripes also work well to make tall men look less tall and thin. Personally, I like the texture and airiness of the pique cotton polo, but for a dressier look you can try smoother, glossier mercerised cotton. In many offices, polo shirts even pass as smart casual in the quiet summer months, making life that little bit simpler in the morning!

If you're after function rather than fashion, Zappos.com offer Cutter & Buck polo shirts in tall sizes that includes DryTec moisture wicking fabric (65% cotton, 35% polyester) in case you're doing something more energetic than strolling around the office. There are more styles on the Cutter & Buck web site but I recommend Zappos.com because delivery is free, while both charge around $60 for the shirt. I also have a slight gripe that the tall sizes cost around $20 more than the normal . . . for just a little bit more length??

Images left to right: Cutter & Buck from Zappos, Polo Ralph Lauren, American Eagle.

When it comes to smart casual, Ralph Lauren must be the designer that first springs to mind for branded polo shirts. They have a huge selection of polo shirts in a variety of styles, materials and colors, many of which are available in Tall and right up to 4Tall on the Polo Ralph Lauren website. Bear in mind that all of the tall sizes are in the 'classic' fit and that the taller sizes are also made for reasonably large chest and neck sizes. I recently purchased a Large size 'custom fit' polo shirt that was long enough for someone like me of 6'5" / 195cm (it had a 31" / 79cm back) and did not have the bagginess that I find annoying. As I bought it very cheaply in an outlet mall in Florida, I was especially happy with the purchase! Prices on the web site range from $80 - $100 for these styles.

Don't need something quite so fancy? American Eagle has a variety of basic two button polo shirts with a 'slighty distressed' look in pique cotton. These are functional but not so dressy. In case it makes a difference, they have only two buttons instead of the normal three. For $20 - $30 you can probably forgive that.

And last but not least, Banana Republic cater for tall men online only with their stretch cotton polo shirt. They have a variety of plain styles but also one with a graphical logo in case you're after something a bit more lively.

Outside the US

Sadly, several of the shops above don't deliver outside the US, including brands who really should know better, such as Polo Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic.

For Polo Ralph Lauren, you can try Rochester Big & Tall Europe, who have several styles in various tall fittings. American Eagle ship to most countries from their US web site.

Zappos.com deliver to Canada but not Europe or Australia. Banana Republic have plenty of stores outside the US, but the Tall fittings are only available online, so they must enter our International Hall of Shame for lack of services to tall people.