Polo shirts are fashion month’s most practical trend

There was a time, not so long ago, when classic polo shirts didn’t scream “fashion”. Most of us associated them with dads playing golf, or else a sort of preppy look solely beloved by people who went to boarding school and wore pearl studs. Not so much now. Ever since the likes of Miu Miu and Challengers revived the polo in 2024, we’ve seen the classic staple undergo a number of rebrands, with the spring/summer 2026 runways absolutely teaming in preppy polos, and celebs like Rihanna and Lorde making the polo cool again throughout the year.

It should come as no surprise, then, that already this fashion month, the humble polo has become a street-style favourite – especially among the off-duty models in New York, who always tend to make the most basic of items look aspirational. Whether thrown on with low-slung jeans or styled with long flowy skirts or autumn jackets, the polo shirt has become inescapable among New York Fashion Week guests and models alike. Iris Law wore hers with a suede mini and Louis Vuitton bag, icy blonde hair pressed to the side, showing that there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all way to wear a polo.

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

It makes sense that the polo has become a firm street-style favourite this month. This autumn, it feels like everyone’s taking “back-to-school” dressing especially literally, with ties, tailored shirts, cardigans and pleated skirts filtering through from many of the autumn/winter 2025 collections.

“I loved this idea of these schoolyard characters – the headmistress, the teacher, the girls… the boys behind the bike sheds, the girls watching the rugby matches,” Simone Rocha told British Vogue back in February, speaking of a collection filled with frilled rugby shirts and bow-embellished rucksacks. “There’s this very playful, flirtatious feeling.” We might say the same of the polo shirt. There’s something cheeky about wearing an item so associated with uniforms out and about, or to see a show.