Boys, stop wearing polo necks to town

Blurring the lines between rave and ridiculous

clubbing clubs fashion fresher liverpool polo neck students t shirts university of liverpool

The Juicy or Level smoking area has been inundated: all the guys with their skinny rollies are downing vodbulls or dancing their night away, and they’re all wearing polo necks.

This new trend in men’s fashion came under the radar back in November ‘15, and for the most part,  we all kind of like it. Somehow, this reserved, sophisticated and, dare I say it- edgy fashion piece is both contemporary and versatile- but can that versatility stretch to the sweaty, steamy basements of our favourite Liverpool clubs? I’m not convinced.

 It’s a standard Monday night, and you and your mates stumble into the Raz after managing to convince the bouncer that you’re sober(ish). As you look around, it seems that the days of lads wearing t-shirts are long gone. In their place, your eyes are assaulted by the vision of men wearing  polo neck after polo neck. 

Stop please

 Anyone who’s ever stepped foot in the Raz knows that once that foot touches the ground, you have to peel it off the floor. Such is the stickiness and sweatiness of our beloved Monday club night. It’s the highlight of every student’s week- being in a room that is so ill-ventilated that the condensed sweat of hundreds of other clubbers drips into your drink and hair as you dance.

If you looked half-decent at 11.30 when you got in, you can be sure that by 4am you’re a complete mess. Beads of sweat running down your forehead, hair stuck to your face, and somehow your once-flawless make-up has all headed south. It’s a given- it’s even part of what makes it fun. So why would anyone voluntarily wear such a wholly inappropriate item of clothing like a polo neck in such horrific conditions?

Just no.

Why do you feel this need to cover up from jawbone to wrist? Are you planning on sweating out your entire body weight? The sweat accumulated on these poor souls is completely unnecessary and totally self-inflicted. Turtles and polos are for date nights, a quiet one at the pub with the lads, or even lectures if you have more dignity than those of us who just throw on a hoody. 

Furthermore, why should such a glorious item of clothing such as the polo neck that has graced the bodies of many a celeb (see Beckham family, Harry Styles) be subject to the pits of a sweaty club full of freshers? It just doesn’t seem fair.

Half way through the social experiment

We took to Yik Yak to do some research, and the frankly obvious overwhelming majority agreed that polo necks in clubs are a big no-go. The down votes on our innocent question suggest concrete evidence that you just can’t pull off that polo in the club.

So, dust off those old t-shirts and return to normality, men. Christmas was almost two months ago, and spring is fast approaching – bring back the t-shirt.