Archive for February, 2011

Polo shirts are among the most classic uniform pieces. But do you know anything about where they came from? We’ve got great polo shirts for men and women here at Sharper Uniforms—so we were interested in their history.

Polo shirts date back to the 1800s when polo players began wearing them as sporting attire. (Guess the name makes sense, then!) They are sometimes referred to as a golf shirt or a tennis shirt, too. When not being used as a classic uniform piece, polo shirts can also be seen on people at country clubs and in offices of casual Fridays.

A long sleeved polo shirt was first worn in the 1800s by polo players. But in 1926 a revolution happened! Tennis player Rene Lacoste created a short sleeved version to wear while playing. We’re so glad he did! A classic uniform style was born.

Many different fashion trends are associated with polo shirts, as well. There were the “preppy” people in the 1980s… and lately people have been seen wearing more than one at a time! (We’re not sure how much we like that—or the “popping collars.”) We love polo shirts for their undeniably professional look. (When worn properly, of course.)

We’ve got a great selection of school concert uniforms here at Sharper Uniforms. But no matter how great your children or students look during their school concerts, there might be some audience members that can make the experience less-than-pleasant. If you want to ensure that your kids’ concerts go off without a hitch, outfit them in the classic school concert uniforms we have here—and make sure the students in the audience have a basic grasp on concert etiquette. Here are some rules that you can share with your children or students:

• Refrain from talking during the show. This is the biggest rule of all—and it also includes whispering during the music.
• The students on stage at a concert have worked hard to prepare for the performance, so they don’t need any help from the audience. Refrain from tapping feet and humming along—unless the performers ask for it.
• Velcro is a no-no at school concerts. If your purse, wallet, shoes, etc. have Velcro closures, please refrain from opening and closing them during the performance.
• Don’t applaud between movements of a musical piece. You might think the piece is over, but it isn’t.
• Try to make sure that student concert-goers have an open mind. Millions of people in the world enjoy classical music—including some classmates! Who knows… if you give it a chance, you might enjoy it, too. Imagine how classy you’d look in a school concert uniform.

We’ve got a great selection of hospitality neckwear here at Sharper Uniforms. You can’t deny that your staff just looks better in ties, scarves, and other types of neckwear. But have you ever wondered why neckwear is the standard? Well, we did… we did a little bit of poking around to find the answer. As to many other things, you can find the answer in history.

Neckties actually date back hundreds of years—coming into existence as the direct result of war. In the 17th century, a regiment from Croatia visited Paris as a celebration of their victory over the Ottoman Empire. The soldiers were presented to King Louis XIV as heroes. If you know your history, you know that Louis XIV was a big fan of personal adornment. The officers of this Croatian regiment were wearing brightly colored handkerchiefs around their necks. Louis XIV was impressed by these scarves, and he made scarves a symbol of royalty. In fact, the word “cravat” is directly derived from the word “Croat.”

The tradition of wearing neckties rests pretty deep in our culture. Make sure your staff is outfitted with the appropriate neckwear. Your customers expect it!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many would-be Casanovas are going to be ordering takeout in an effort to impress their lady friends. This can be a great day for your restaurant or catering business. If you have a delivery service, you need to make sure that your staff looks great when they drop the food off—you don’t want to be the reason a guy gets turned down on Valentine’s Day! That’s why we have the perfect hospitality outerwear for your delivery staff right here at Sharper Uniforms. They’ll look clean and crisp in their jackets and sweaters.

But that’s really only half the battle. You also need to make sure that your food gets to the happy couple in one piece. We’ve got you covered as far as the uniforms and clothing are concerned—and we also have a few tips for you when it comes to transporting your hot food.

• Make sure you have well-insulated plastic or metal containers for transporting the food.
• Wrap the food well. This will ensure that it arrives the way it’s supposed to—as opposed to all over the floor of the delivery vehicle!
• You can even double the wrap job by using both plastic wrap and foil.

The best job is a job done right. With a little bit of care and the right hospitality outerwear, your business will make the right impression this Valentine’s Day. And when you make a good impression on your customers, they’ll keep coming back. (The same sort of goes for the would-be Casanova on Valentine’s Day… he wants to make a good impression just as much as you do!)