Why polo shirts are always a good idea

I don’t think there was, is, or ever will be, anyone cooler than Björn Borg, circa 1980. The Swedish tennis champ with oh-so-chilly Nordic ice in his veins was an athlete with impenetrable poise, cyborgian determination, one of the great heads of hair and an even better on-court wardrobe. Tall white socks, tiny shorts and that iconic Fila polo… close your eyes and conjure that pinstriped beauty with the disco collar (it was the 1980s, after all). 

He came. He saw. He conquered. And he did it all wearing a polo shirt. 

Originally championed by a certain René Lacoste way back in the 1920s, the polo shirt is much, much more than just an SW19 staple. One of the few menswear items that can truly be called a ‘classic’, a near-century-old staple that looks just as good now as it did when it was first introduced to the manicured greens of the All England Club, the polo shirt is a piece that adds style both in the city and on holiday. With trousers and with shorts. Worn open and loose by the beach or slim and tucked in while sat in a meeting room. A helpful bridge between the more formal, full, button-up shirt and the casual crew-neck T-shirt. 

It’s also, in my humble view, an underrated addition to spring/summer tailoring. I recall a trip to Florence a few years ago (you know how it is). During some brain-meltingly hot but nevertheless enjoyable walks around the Piazza della Signoria (I definitely didn’t have to Google that name, honest…), I began to notice a local trend among the impeccably turned out signores of Tuscany. While I sat like a braised lemon in the beating sun, these men looked like they’d just stepped out of a Campari advert, with nary a bead of sweat on their well-coiffed brows. These kings of the piazza were wearing seersucker or linen tailoring in light blues and earthy tones, with white polo shirts underneath in place of classic shirting. They looked easy. They looked breezy. They looked cool. I went home and bought a polo shirt. 

Cool Italians aside, the polo has also become a favourite among Hollywood’s leading men, too. Brooding all-American types of the Golden Age, such as Eastwood, Dean and Newman, as well as contemporary stars like Tom Holland, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael B Jordan and every variation of Chris going (your Pines, Pratts, Evans’ and Hemsworths) have all favoured a smart polo shirt during recent summer premières and jaunts around Cannes. That’s because it not only makes your arms look really good, which is nice, but it’s versatile enough to be worn to a film opening night and for a spot of lunch and for a battle with the paparazzi by the harbour. 

Often the polos favoured here are knitted, rather than the classic piqué athletic style. In a silk-cotton blend, breathable merino wool or linen with an open collar, a knitted polo has a smarter, slightly more tailored shape, which goes particularly well with tailored shorts or full suiting when the sun is out. 

So, for summer, make like the A-list actor, the Italian stallion of the Tuscan trattoria and the 1980s pin-up athlete and go for the polo. It’s the do-it-all shirt that’s not going anywhere.

And did I mention how good your arms will look in one?