Figure 1.-- This Australian boy about 1980 wears a brightly colored yellow school shirt. I believevthe Australians referv to this as a polo shirt. The collar and button are done in the Rugby style. Notice the collar detailing in a contrasting color.

Eton collars were common in the early 20th century. After World War I (1914-18) modern looking shirts appeared, both open and closed front styles. The closed-front shiert in the Rugby style was very popular, but began to worn less commonly by the 1960s. Grey was a popular color for a lot of the private preparatory or strict state or Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran schools. In the 1980s many schools began introducing polo and other more informal shirts worn ith open collars without ties. Shirts in bright colors were popular. Monogrammed shirts since the 1990s have become increasingly popular. Australian readers report that several schools in their neighborhood have adopted monogrammed shirts, including polos. The terminology has never been precise on knit shirts. I remember some t-shirts being described as polo shirts in Sears catalogs, and turtlenecks being called polo necks in English catalogs. I don't think that the polo shirt was finally regularly called a polo shirt until the 80s; but that was the same time as when Ralph Lauren trademarked "Polo", so some other companies avoided using the term "polo shirt". Here Australians seemed to have followed the American more than the British terminology. Although Rugby shirts have declined in popularity they are still worn at some schools.

Created: May 13, 2004
Last updated: May 13, 2004