Luxury polo shirts and tees

What decides it

Fabric: long-staple cotton pique and fine knitted cotton or silk keep shape and color after many washes. Collar: a collar that holds its shape (or a knitted collar) is what separates a good polo from a cheap one. Fit: luxury polos run slim; size up if you are between sizes.

The pieces we would buy

Start with the Sunspel Riviera Polo: Riviera polo in Q100 cotton. The Sunspel Classic T-Shirt is the better buy if you want the best basic tee. Usual prices run from $85 to $2,000. See the full buy-or-skip list or the head-to-head Sunspel Riviera Polo vs Sunspel Classic T-Shirt.

Buying in the US and Europe

Polos and tees go on sale each summer; buy navy, white and gray, which never date. Buying in Europe: Italian tailoring uses chest sizes such as IT 48 or 50 (about a US 38 or 40), while knitwear and outerwear use S–XL or IT sizes depending on the house. A European tailor can adjust sleeves and hems on any jacket.

Quick answers

Is a $500 polo shirt worth it? Rarely as value. You get beautiful yarns and fit; Sunspel and similar makers give 80% of that for a fraction of the price. Knit polo or pique polo? A knit polo looks smarter under a blazer; a pique polo is sportier and breathes better in heat.

Luxury prices move in a different rhythm from everyday shopping. The great houses (Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Rolex) raise prices once or twice a year, often in January and in spring, and almost never discount their icons. Seasonal pieces, colors and many shoes, coats and knitwear drop 30–50% in the end-of-season sales in January and from late June. Watches from brands such as Omega, TAG Heuer, Longines and Breitling, and most fragrance, see the best prices around Prime Day and Black Friday. Judge any deal against the usual price we show.

Buy from the fashion house, an authorized retailer or a reseller that authenticates and guarantees every piece, and keep the receipt, the dust bag, the box and any warranty card: they matter for repairs and for resale. Swiss watches carry a 2- to 5-year international warranty when bought from an authorized dealer, and buyers in the EU and UK also have a legal guarantee of at least two years on new goods.

How we make the call: we read the house’s own product details and care guides, compare materials and construction, follow owners’ long-term experience and track the usual retail and resale prices. A piece gets “Buy” only if we would tell a friend to spend that money on it. No fashion house can pay for a verdict.