Are Your Polo Shirts Too Boring? How Fashion Is Reinventing a Classic

The inventor of the modern polo, 1920s French tennis champ René Lacoste, would struggle to recognize such outré designs. Lacoste’s shirt was adapted from the big-collared styles worn by polo players in India in the 19th century—hence the name. An elegant yet practical top for the court, his take was a trim performance garment in pique cotton, a bumpy woven fabric that breathes.

In 2022, the polo performs a different role, telegraphing highly individual style. Menswear brands that specialize in everything from streetwear to tailoring to high-fashion are putting their own spins on the shirt. Mr. P makes versions with swollen collars and piped accents, while a Maison Margiela riff in a checked fabric is fringed at the waist like a picnic blanket (it looks better than it sounds, which is probably why it’s sold out). JW Anderson’s is emblazoned with a huge art print of an elephant, a creature not known for its tennis prowess.

London designer Nicholas Daley, whose Jamaican-Scottish heritage informs his menswear, has collaborated on a series of polos with classic sportswear brand Fred Perry. One has a pair of zip-up pockets and a corduroy collar; on another, “Fred Perry” is embroidered across the back in a bold, pop font.

Mr. Daley, 32, said he wanted to “reinterpret the classic Fred Perry branding” and focus on “small details—from antique brass zips to contrast top stitch[ing]—to help elevate the product.” Such details, combined with bold stripes and colors—khaki and maroon are prominent—result in an all-occasion polo, he said: “You could wear it to a business meeting in the day and down [in] the mosh pit that same night.” Mr. Daley teams his with “a hunting waistcoat, vintage baggy cargo pants and a hand-crochet bucket hat made by my mom.”

Many designers are toying with the polo’s standard three buttons. Some designs feature buttons down to the navel, a trendy style known as “full placket.” Others remove all traces. Office-friendly iterations by the Armoury and Proper Cloth, with button-down collars and cuffs, graft dress-shirt DNA into the polo’s genetic makeup. Sleeves, meanwhile, are often bicep-grippingly tight (like Mr. Evans’s splotchy polo) or elbow-grazingly oversize. And, with fabrics ranging from ribbed silk blends to cable-knit wool, you might say pique is passé.

The new breadth of fabric varieties “is definitely part of the appeal,” said Rhys Moore, 66, the CEO of a fragrance company in Ridgefield, Conn. Mr. Moore’s “usual summer uniform” includes a linen shirt, but lately he has been swapping in polos by Atlanta brand Onward Reserve in a quick-dry, moisture-wicking blend. These polos’ “stiffer” collars and finely striped prints make them sharper and more work-appropriate than typical cotton ones, he said.

Sid Mashburn, an Atlanta-based designer, has smartened up his polos by adding a collar stand, “like [you would] for a dress shirt,” he said. The result? Collars that stand up for themselves and “look great under a jacket.”

Mr. Mashburn thinks spiffier polos, such as his soft cotton-cashmere designs, are ideal as many men return to offices and social events yet are loath to give up comfort. “They’re more dressed up than a T-shirt or sweatshirt without being fussy,” he said.

They can also be fun and eye-catching, said Steve Shuck, co-owner of Austin men’s store Stag. From Japan’s Beams comes a knitted polo in mandarin orange finished with brown and white checks, while New York’s Barque proposes a loud argyle print. Mr. Shuck said such fast-selling styles are “a throwback to a late ’50s Italian Riviera, ‘Talented Mr. Ripley’ look” that’s swirling through menswear.

Andreas Klow, 42, a partner at a law firm in Malmö, Sweden, has indeed found polo inspiration in “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” director Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film. Like its debonair victim Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), he considers polos a warm-weather “hang out” staple, and this summer has been favoring terry ones from the Resort Co. “It’s a cool option if you want to be dancing around the pool bar.”

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