Swingin' in the weekend with Arnie

Here at Sartorially Inclined we have the upmost respect for Mr. Arnold Palmer, and we are sad to say that we missed his birthday back on September 10th.  Piggbacking off of Ivy Style's post about the coolest athlete ever, I thought this would be a good time to talk about Arnie.  I am extremely proud to call Arnold Palmer one of my personal style icons and an alumnus of the same college I graduated from (Wake Forest University, stand up).  Arnold's style was all classic cool.  Cigarettes on the golf course, perfectly fitting polos and, oh yeah, domination of a major sport.  GQ named Palmer one of its "50 Most Stylish Men of the Past 50 Years" and, in my mind, he's right up there with the holy trinity of McQueen, Redford and Newman.  GQ writes...

"In the early 1960s, Arnold Palmer was more than a golfer: He was a superstar—the Elvis Presley of sports. With his horde of fans (Arnie’s Army) and his pomaded pompadour, Palmer brought golf to the masses. He could dress, too, favoring flat-front gabardine pants with a heavy crease and wool cardigans. And those fitted golf shirts: “There was some talk that maybe my muscles were too big for the shirts,” Palmer admits today. But sportswriter Frank Deford has testified that Palmer’s cool came from those L&M’s: “All America had this image of Palmer taking a cigarette out of his mouth, throwing it on the green to putt, and then sticking it back in his mouth. It was golf’s equivalent of Bogart and Bacall. It’s odd to think of a cigarette as an athletic totem, but back then it was sexy. Palmer with a cigarette was like those old convertible ads with a beautiful woman sitting in the front seat and her scarf blowing in the wind.”

I was lucky enough to find some of those awesome Arnold Palmer x Robert Bruce polo's Arnold used to wear back in the 60's, the ones with the umbrella logo, and hopefully I can secure them and post about them at a later date.  On a much thirstier note, I will surely be crushing a few Arnold Palmer and vodkas (aka 'John Dalys') this weekend in honor of the man, a fellow Demon Deacon and style legend.  I encourage you all to do the same.  Happy belated Birthday Arnie, I got you a polo.

Sincerely,
L.A.S

[The Patriot.]

[The professional.]

[The cardigans.]

[The chicks.]

[The cigs.]

[The shoes.]

[The swagger.]

[The Man.]