What's the difference between an airtex shirt and a polo shirt?

[bran]

This might be a question for Irish mnetters. DS is starting a new school in September and the uniform list states an airtex shirt for normal uniform and a polo shirt for PE. I thought they were the same thing, but now I'm not sure.

doesnt a polo shirt have a collar, and therefore refers to the style and an airtext shirt refer to the material its made of?

I think airtex is a brand name, though I may be making that up!

we used to wear airtex all the time, it's a fabric has tiny holes in it

Aertex is the company name and the name of the fabric according to Wiki. Polo shirts can be any material I presume as it is the collar style it refers to.

spelt aertex

I used to wear an airtex shirt for games when I was at school, but as far as I remember it was essentially the same as what is now generically referred to as a polo shirt. DS's current uniform is a polo shirt (his come from Next) and they are a loose weave rather than t-shirt jersey.

I guess I'll go for polo shirts all round and then I can buy different ones if we get to school and he turns out to be wearing the wrong thing.

They are usually the same style aren't they? Didn't know you could get airtex anymore! Presumably you have to get his uniform from some overpriced shop anyway so they will have them there if they really mean airtex?

Fortunately there's no over-priced shop. I will be buying everything except the logo'd sweatshirt from the high street.

That's lucky!

Different weave, aertex/airtex have holes in, polo doesn't/
.

Vaguely remember the aertex shirts at school had no stretch to them, not like jersey polos.

Here

Aertex is a brand-name. The weave is much more open and latticey than a standard polo shirt.

They tend to quite expensive too.

My DSs had Aertex shirts as part of their summer uniform in prep school, and I remember them costing £25.

Yes, aertex is about the material, polo is about the style.
Our sport shirts were aertex polo shirts but polo shirts can come in other fabrics.

why would you think it's a qu for Irish MNers, btw?

Just because it seems to be a uniform thing in Ireland (which is where we are moving to and where I went to school). I've been living in the UK for over 20 years and I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention Aertex.

I think, given that the uniform info calls it 'Airtex' rather than 'Aertex', that the Next/Asda version will probably do just fine. It's a fairly laid-back school and the uniform policy doesn't seem to be at all prissy, for instance trousers can be blue or grey and can be any cut so long as they aren't jeans. It's going to be a hell of a lot easier than DS's current school.

I see - well I was at school in England where we had aertex shirts so I think it's fairly common there too - it obviously wasn't at your DS's current school though and it's not necessarily the thing to come up in casual conversation!

I didn't explain the Irish thing very well. What I was thinking was that possibly in Ireland 'Aertex' is used generically, in the same way that Hoover is used to mean a vacuum cleaner of any brand. I was hoping that loads of people would come and say that their child's uniform specifies Aertex/Airtex but actually everybody just buys Dunnes finest and the school doesn't actually expect the Aertex brand.

Dunno - guess it depends on whether Dunne's stocks the non-stretchy variety with holes in, air/aertex or not! If you can find an appropriate generic, I wouldn't worry too much - can't imagine the school staff are going to go around inspecting labels!

Aertex is like the kind of material you learn children's cross-stitch on (can't remember name).

Now that I think about it, I suspect that proper Aertex might be a bit uncomfortable and scratchy for DS who has intermittant outbreaks of eczema. He feels the difference between ordinary t-shirts and the slightly rougher polo shirts that he currently has as school uniform.

perhaps you could email the school and ask them, citing the eczema as a point?

Aertex not scratchy,I'm wearing one now,its very soft and comfy like old pyjamas. Also known as cellular cotton,Aertex is the brand name,but like sellotape has become the common name for cellular cotton.A polo shirt is a jersey (usually cotton)with a knitted collar and a short 3 button placket.