Hopefully you’ve read (and enjoyed) my review of the Liverpool 12/13 home shirt. Heres a little more detail about the shirt.
The polo shirt has always been a mystery to me. For casual, everyday wear nothing can top the T-shirt. It’s comfortable, timeless, and if you’re from Newcastle, can be worn all year round, whatever the weather. For anything more formal, a buttoned shirt will do the job just fine.
Which leaves the polo shirt as the answer to a question no one asked. It’s not formal enough to wear to, say, a wedding, but then why do you need a polo collar if you’re just getting a pint of milk from the corner shop? I suppose a mix of formality and comfort might have a place on the golf course but because I don’t hate spending time with my partner, I’ve never felt the need to become a golfist.
Football has traditionally had a fascination with the fold down collar, reaching a peak in the 90s when 34 out of 44 shirts from the inaugural Premier League season sported one. Compare this though just 3 shirts out of a possible 60 from the 19/20 season, with only Chelsea, Spurs and Norwich opting for a traditional polo neck, and even then its relegated to the away or third shirt. Or in Norwich’s case, just plain relegated.
Most kits today opt for a sexier, sportier v-neck or utilitarian crew neck for a cleaner design, which means this Liverpool shirt with its slightly looser fit and relatively long sleeves has aged like milk.
The shirt, according to Warrior, is supposed to embody ‘Modern Tradition’. Its a plain red colour with a self-coloured ‘needle out’ pinstripe (which I think means the stripe is woven into the fabric rather than printed), the first time pinstripes had been used on an LFC kit since 1985. The rest of the shirt features amber coloured embroidered emblems and a printed on sponsor, finished with that two piece fold over collar. Also notable is that the Liverbird has finally been freed from inside the club’s crest for the first time in 25 years.
Thats the traditional part covered, the modern comes in the form of the ‘War Tech’ fabric, designed to wick moisture away, and stretch mesh under the arms for ease of movement. This works quite well for comfort, especially when combined with the looser fit the shirt has compared with some of todays efforts.
The fabric on the torso is very matte in appearance and although it’s made from 100% polyester, it feels more like cotton and if it isn’t handled and cared for with the delicacy of a museum exhibit it will bobble and pill like a pair of old sweatpants.
And like sweatpants, what this shirt gains in comfort it loses in fashionability. Its a perfect shirt for lounging around the house, but doesn’t stand out enough to make a statement or look stylish in public, nor does it have a rich history that makes it nostalgic. I’d say that you only need it in your collection if you’re an LFC completist, but after a quick scan of the prices on eBay, they’re around half the price of an ordinary polo shirt. So, golfers, pick up a bargain.
Opinion from a non football fan (AKA Mrs. Kitforbrains): “It just looks like a red polo shirt with some writing on it. I hope you didn’t pay too much.”
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Kit For Brains 
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