Store $110, hanover-usa.com
Welcome to the Esquire Endorsement. Closely researched. Completely vetted. These picks are one of the simplest ways to spend your hard-earned money.
I’m a uniform dresser. That’s my life. I used to combat it as a result of I didn’t wish to concede to dressing like each different child in my Georgia city. However rising up for me was realizing there’s nothing fallacious with regressing, nothing fallacious with dressing like your dad. Simply because I put on the identical boots, similar denims, similar polo day-after-day doesn’t imply I’m adopting a Steve Jobs 100 of the identical black turtleneck asceticism, nor does it imply I appear like I’m on the SEC fraternity man to Sea Island dad pipeline. As a substitute, it implies that I’ve developed blind loyalty for the manufacturers that match stated uniform.
The cowboy boots are Lucchese. The denims are Wrangler. The jean jacket is RRL. The polos are Lacoste. However the polos discovered a challenger when Hanover got here throughout my desk. The model’s raison d’être—to “make on a regular basis necessities … produced in Los Angeles with nothing priced over $300”—piqued my curiosity. However what acquired me actually was seeing that the piqué polo is just $110, precisely on par with the 2 big-name manufacturers with recognizable horse or crocodile left chest logos. And as soon as I held the shirt, wore it, I used to be bought.
You may solely have the ability to get them in two colours proper now, however it is a polo that’s miles forward of the large names. This can be a polo that’s made for uniform dressing.
It’s Made to Be Worn Each Day
The factor you discover stacking this man as much as a mass-produced shirt is the burden and the finishes. All of the seams—particularly the sew on the shoulders—have a heft to them that you simply received’t discover on one thing extra mass produced. The 14 oz. cotton piqué is extra substantial than what another model goes to make use of. That takes away a contact of consolation when it’s sizzling out, however we’re nonetheless speaking concerning the piqué material, which was sportswear when the tennis shirt was invented. Should you maintain it as much as a lightweight, you may nonetheless see via the shirt’s weave, which implies you’ll nonetheless catch a breeze if it presents itself—I haven’t had any hassle with it on a sizzling day.
Then, there are essential particulars you may not take into consideration as a lot. The 2-button placket is a candy spot, for my part. It appears to be like good with one button, however in case you go entire hog, you’re not displaying an excessive amount of chest hair. Elsewhere, the hem is minimize a bit longer than mass-produced polos, which makes it simpler to maintain tucked in. Nevertheless it’s not so lengthy that you may by no means put on it untucked with a pair of denims, and the hem splits on the hips to give you a little bit extra motion.
All of it quantities to what I admire: a shirt that desires to be worn day-after-day. It’s made to be a part of a uniform.
Store $110, hanover-usa.com
However It Nonetheless Appears to be like and Feels Excessive-Finish
Truthfully, although, clearing the mass-produced polos isn’t the best bar on the planet. After I initially wrote about how a lot I really like Lacoste, guys within the feedback had been fast to inform me classic made-in-France variations had been higher, however I can’t consider something extra insane than shopping for a used polo shirt. I’ll solely entertain comparisons to different brand-new shirts.
And what surprises me concerning the Hanover polo is the way it stacks up on the luxurious finish. I’ve one other polo from a sure luxurious model that nobody may cease speaking about when “quiet luxurious” and “outdated cash” had been the most important developments on TikTok. The aim of both of those shirts is to be for my enjoyment solely. It’s about how the garment dye appears to be like and the way the piqué feels, not saying one thing outwardly with a brand. (To be truthful, the Hanover polo has a brand—but it surely’s tonal, and it took my spouse weeks earlier than she seen it with a “Who’s ‘H’ and why did she provide you with a shirt?” joke.) I want the $110 Hanover polo to the $600 high-end Italian one. It’s simply as inconspicuous, with a equally lovely garment dye. Nevertheless it’s that weight that helps it sit flatteringly, and I discover the classic Americana-inspired finishes to be extra nice than the hyper-sleek Euro-wealth finishes.
So, now I’ve acquired this polo that has elbowed its manner into my rotation. It wasn’t a acutely aware alternative. I didn’t say “I’m going to be a Hanover man,” the identical manner Jack Dorsey stated “I’m going to be a Rick Owens man,” but it surely’s beginning to command increasingly more of my model loyalty. And because it’s well-made, I don’t see it getting unseated anytime quickly. After I totally regress again to what my uniform says I ought to be—a father vacationing on Sea Island, drunk off Miller Lite, and making dialog concerning the Braves’ bullpen—I’ll most likely nonetheless be sporting this rattling shirt.
Store $110, hanover-usa.com
Images by Florence Sullivan
