{"id":662947,"date":"2026-06-28T15:29:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662947\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T15:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:29:10","slug":"from-thomas-tuchel-to-andy-burnham-men-are-having-a-polo-shirt-moment-mens-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662947\/","title":{"rendered":"From Thomas Tuchel to Andy Burnham, men are having a polo shirt moment | Men’s fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Dua Lipa\u2019s Chanel wedding dress<\/a> was among the most anticipated fashion moments this summer, her new husband Callum Turner\u2019s wardrobe is proving just as influential. But forget the bespoke Louis Vuitton morning suit \u2013 it\u2019s all about his polo shirts, which he wore in Palermo<\/a> during the couple\u2019s lengthy nuptials this month.<\/p>\n

Turner\u2019s polo of choice is a \u00a375 terrycloth version by the French brand Octobre Editions<\/a>, but he is far from the first to champion the preppy top that spans celebrity, sport and politics alike. During England\u2019s first game at the World Cup against Croatia, the team\u2019s manager, Thomas Tuchel, wore a merino wool polo shirt from Marks & Spencer. Pundits watching World Cup games \u2013 including Gary Neville and Patrick Vieira \u2013 were also wearing polos. For their post-match assessment of the Netherlands v Japan match, Roy Keane, Ange Postecoglou and Neville each wore a polo shirt in mint green, cream and beige respectively. And just last weekend, Andy Burnham appeared shortly after his Makerfield byelection win wearing a blue polo shirt with jeans and Birkenstocks.<\/p>\n

Dua Lipa and Callum Turner in a cathedral in Palermo during their extended wedding celebration. Photograph: @dualipa\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Of course, the appeal of the polo shirt predates these headline-makers. Marks & Spencer report Tuchel\u2019s polo had already generated \u00a33.1m in sales since March, with 126,000 sold. On Pinterest, searches for \u201cpolo shirt\u201d are up 120% since December. This popularity may be why Burnham chose to wear one; it has an everyman quality that is gold for a prospective prime minister.<\/p>\n

But the polo shirt\u2019s resurgence can still be credited to the trend cycle \u2013 it\u2019s a key item in the preppy wardrobe, the look of American elite at leisure, that has existed since the 50s. Popular with younger consumers since around 2021<\/a>, the look is now such a mainstay of fashion that it\u2019s splitting into sub-categories. \u201cThe polo sits within what we are calling courtside and coastal prep, where racket sport influences meet relaxed seaside dressing,\u201d says Heather Clark, the head of fashion at Pinterest. \u201cIn that space, the polo works as an anchor piece: polished enough to feel put-together, but relaxed enough to wear across different settings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Roy Keane, Ange Postecoglou and Gary Neville in polo shirts<\/p>\n

In fact, the polo could be seen as the rival \u2013 or summer cousin \u2013 to the quarter-zip<\/a>, the other preppy-adjacent shape preferred by young men now. Arthur Person, the brand director of Octobre Editions, sees the two items as complementary. \u201cThey share the same DNA,\u201d he says\u201cTogether they cover almost every situation a man might face in his wardrobe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The polo shirt\u2019s preppy roots come from its origins \u2013 in sports played by the elite. Polo players in India wore a long-sleeved shirt with collar, a design adopted by the British colonisers in the mid-19th century and adapted to a knitted shirt. Today\u2019s design dates back to the 30s, and to tennis. When star player Ren\u00e9 Lacoste retired, he began to manufacture the pique cotton shirt with collar he had worn as a player. Fred Perry, another player, followed in 1952. The American spin came in the 70s when Ralph Lauren made the item central to his Polo line<\/a>, with the trademark polo player on the chest. During the early 80s, the polo\u2019s popularity peaked, with the Lacoste polo shirt earning $400m in US sales in 1982.<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham in a polo shirt and jeans. Photograph: Zuma Press, Inc.\/Alamy Stock Photo\/Alamy Live News.<\/p>\n

But Jason Jules, a London-based stylist and author of Black Ivy<\/a>, says the history goes way beyond just preppy. \u201cThere\u2019s this idea that the polo shirt is one of the classic symbols of old money,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s true, but only partly. The polo is also rooted in youth culture and working-class culture: think mod, rude boy and skinhead style. In that respect, it [also] lives in our collective memory as something cool and even edgy, and that\u2019s also what makes it iconic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The polo has been worn by lots of musicians over the years \u2013 Jules points to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and more recently there are examples including Damon Albarn, Amy Winehouse and Tyler, the Creator. It has also, more controversially, been adopted by the neo-fascist group the Proud Boys, causing Fred Perry to take the preferred shirt off sale<\/a> to avoid it being bought by those involved.<\/p>\n

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Tyler, the Creator accepts the Grammy for best rap album in 2020, alongside his mother. Photograph: Robyn Beck\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Mitch Hughes, the director of menswear at Marks & Spencer, says its usefulness is key to its return. \u201cIt sits somewhere between the ease of a T-shirt and the polish of a shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Jules thinks its popularity is more than simply practicality. \u201cThe polo shirt is not about boasting or shouting its presence,\u201d he says. \u201cI think it symbolises a growing sense of confidence among men owning their style, not being pulled around by passing trends.\u201d<\/p>\n