I’ve got a confession to make, friends: The spring somehow got away from me this year — so much so that I didn’t do my annual polo shirt season post this year!! Whaaaat? Crazy, I know! I sincerely apologize, but I think my newest published essay will (hopefully!) make up for my tragic oversights! I’m so happy that my first piece for Racked is about how polo shirts are my secret weapon!!! Doesn’t that just make me sound like some kind of cool, mysterious superhero??

Anyway, the essay, out today, just sort of flowed out once I sat down to the keyboard! Polo shirts had been something I’d wanted to write about in more detail for a few years now, but who knew I’d have so many things to say about a simple garment?

Here’s an excerpt of the essay, in which I also link my love of polo shirts to the evolution of my blog over the last eight years…

What did my wardrobe, with those boring shoes, tell the world about me? Easy: I was the grandmother of those crop-top-wearing Cher Horowitzes, and I was off to a fun night of bingo! My wardrobe seemed as fun and exciting as Jell-O night at the retirement community. And it was as bland as tapioca pudding, too — lacking in all things colorful and flavorful. I grew up feeling like my disability held me back in a lot of ways, like I couldn’t express myself through my style choices; I had to conform to the clothes that fit my disability instead of being able to choose whatever I wanted.

And then a few years ago, I discovered the wonderful world of polo shirts. It was sort of a happy accident. My mom had randomly picked up some at Goodwill, just a couple in plain colors, and it was love at first sight. Granted, polo shirts are nothing new, but I’m neither a polo player nor someone who spends their summers in the Hamptons, so I never really noticed them before. But for the first time, I’d found a style that really fit me — no pun intended. It was also around the same time I got one of my first “adult” jobs (as a newspaper advisor at a community college), so I thought it was time to take my style up a notch. Polo shirts are all about that put-together, confident vibe. Inside, I already felt confident and capable. Now it was time to match that feeling on the outside.

You can read the full essay here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo