Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo Review

Ministry of Supply claims that their Apollo 3 Polo uses “NASA-engineered” materials for “temperature regulation.”

Ever the skeptic, I decided to test the polo’s temperature regulating qualities by wearing it for a 5 mile run. While “NASA-engineered” sounds like marketing hype, it is hard to deny that this polo is far superior to your average cotton pique polo when it comes to physical activity. As I wrote when describing the Apollo material in my Apollo Dress Shirt review, it’s a bit like Nike Dri-FIT. This polo is reminiscent of the golf polos I used to wear back when I played. But I hate golf now just as much as Malcolm Gladwell does. I digress.

Equipped with a pair of Saucony Kinvara 9 shoes, Salomon shorts, Injinji socks, and of course, the Apollo 3 Polo, I was more than prepared to embark on my routine jog in the hot and humid NYC summer weather. The run wasn’t particularly noteworthy. By mile 3, I had unbuttoned the third and final button of the deep V, letting in all that great airflow. By mile 5, sweaty and accomplished, the shirt was clearly damp, but not wet to the point where I could wring it out. Apart from the high, structured polo collar, I felt like I was wearing a running t-shirt.

 

Pros

• High, structured collar
• Great for athletic pursuits. (Blazing by my local tennis club at a breakneck 10 minute mile pace, I couldn’t help but think this polo would be perfect for tennis.)
• Perfect for traveling – doesn’t wrinkle easily, quick drying and easy to hand wash

What To Wear It With

My issue with white polos is it can be a challenge to wear them without looking like I’m wearing a school uniform. What do I do to mitigate this? Stay far away from schools.

On a more serious note, I find myself mainly wearing the Apollo 3 polo with chinos and sneakers. It’s an easy, comfortable summer outfit. Also, the structured collar makes this polo great to wear under a blazer. Personally I’m not into that style, but it can work.

Cons

Disclaimer: I’m kind of a diva when it comes to polos. You might like some of these things which I consider cons.

• The sleeves flare out if you’re skinny (making you look even more like the scrawny dweeb you are). The Apollo 3 polo is better suited to people with athletic body shapes. I found that the Apollo Dress Shirt is perfect for skinny people, though.
• The sleeves are also about an inch shorter than I’d like.
• Why 3 buttons? Two will more than suffice. Will I ever have a need to unbutton all the way to my sternum?
• I hesitate to write this, but the polyester material looks and feels – dare I say – cheap? My inner Styleforum.net member would say some pretentious like “In certain circumstances, polyester just isn’t appropriate. I prefer alpaca.” And the Pitti Uomo crowd are essentially allergic to synthetics. But this polo wasn’t made for the those people. It’s for modern men, world travelers, free thinkers, right-brained left handers, and Silicon Valley types.

• The collar is maybe too structured? (I’ve also listed the collar as a pro, because I have mixed feelings about it.) For a polo, the collar is incredibly pronounced, and maybe even overdone. If you want to look like Mark Cuban on Shark Tank with a high, power collar, just wear a dress shirt. This is a polo with a dress shirt collar – it’s the same exact collar found on the MoS Apollo Dress Shirt. It can feel stiff at times, but you certainly won’t have any issues with your collar looking floppy and sloppy.
• Sometimes just I’d rather wear my Fred Perry twin tipped polos. They fit my body shape (ectomorph) better and have a more classic polo shirt look. And they’re just $10 more than the Ministry of Supply polo. The Apollo 3 is a modern take on the polo whereas Fred Perry shirts are the legendary original. It goes down to personal preference.

The Verdict

If I were a Roman Emperor determining the fate of whether or not you should purchase the Apollo 3 Polo by Ministry of Supply as if I were passing judgement on a gladiator, my thumb would be at the angle of an hour hand at the 1:30 hour mark. Not quite an unequivocal thumbs up, but still a positive recommendation.

At $75, the Apollo 3 is not cheap, but Ministry of Supply is an aspirational brand – only for the most discerning. But is it actually worth the money? Ehh, kind of? For that, the Apollo 3 polo gets a 6 in our value rating. Some points are dinged off in the fit department because of the sleeves which aren’t great for skinny people, but overall, I’ve rated this polo as a 7.5/10.

Where To Get It

• Get the Apollo 3 Polo here at MinistryOfSupply.com

What are your thoughts on the Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo? Leave a comment below.

The Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo was provided for this review. As always, this Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo review contains only my honest views and opinions.  Find out more about me and this site here.