From the tennis court to the runway, the classic polo shirt is reinvented in unexpected ways. Photo: Alice Rosati Game, set, match – if the runways are any indication, the sporty silhouette of the polo shirt is getting a topspin this season. At Loewe SS24, Jonathan Anderson sent silk chiffon, ankle-length polo dresses down the runway along with shirts and skirts, while MSGM did graphic printed versions paired with oversized jackets, and Gucci showed matching knitted shirts and shorts.
Off the runway, Zendaya validated the trend during the press tour of her tennis film Challengers . Her ensembles included a pale pink Jacquemus cutout dress with a polo top, and a sleeveless halterneck Thom Browne gown featuring a polo collar and embroidered with tennis rackets. As we volley into a sporty summer with Wimbledon and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics starting in July, the timing of the polo shirt’s renaissance couldn’t be better.
French te nnis champion René Lacoste invented the classic polo shirt in 1926 “The polo shirt emerged from the world of tennis in the 1920s – although there is evidence of them worn by polo players as far back as the 1850s,” says fashion historian and author Rebecca C Tuite. French tennis champion René Lacoste invented the classic shirt in 1926, finding traditional tennis shirts too constricting. “Lacoste created a lightweight, short-sleeved, cotton piqué knit shirt, with a soft flat collar and two-button placket, which was the antithesis o.
