A knitted polo works with most of what you already own. The knit gives it structure a T-shirt lacks, and the open collar keeps it easier than a shirt, so it sits in the useful middle of a wardrobe: right for dinner, right for a Sunday. If you want one answer, start here: cream or stone chinos, loafers, and a plain knitted polo in navy or sage. That outfit covers nine occasions out of ten.
The pairings below come from how we shoot our campaigns and what customers in our Colombo stores buy together. No stylist theory, just combinations that keep working.
Start with the trousers
Trousers decide how the polo reads. Cream chinos push it towards the Riviera. Grey wool trousers make it office-ready. Dark denim keeps it casual without drifting into scruff. If you buy one pair of trousers for knitted polos, make it cream or stone cotton: every colour we knit, from navy to terracotta to butter, sits well against it.
With tailoring
A fine-gauge knitted polo replaces the shirt under a blazer. Wear it untucked under an unstructured navy jacket; the ribbed hem finishes at the belt line, so it looks deliberate. Choose a plain knit rather than a jacquard when a jacket is involved. One pattern per outfit is a sound rule.
Off duty
On holiday, treat the knitted polo as the smartest thing in your case. Tailored shorts in stone, espadrilles or leather sandals, and a textured knit such as our Sorrento chevron polo. Fine-gauge knitting builds airflow into the fabric itself, which is why the same polo handles Colombo humidity and a London heatwave without complaint.
Colour pairings that work
Match saturation rather than colour. Navy with cream. Sage with stone. Terracotta with white or ecru. Butter with grey. If the polo carries a pattern, pick trousers in one of the pattern's own colours and you will rarely go wrong.
Three outfits from our own rails
- Dinner: a chevron or jacquard knit from The Riviera collection, grey trousers, dark loafers.
- Office Friday: a plain knitted polo under an unstructured navy blazer, cream chinos, clean leather shoes.
- Holiday: a zip-collar knit from the bestsellers, stone shorts, espadrilles.
New to the fabric? Our knitted polo guide covers what to look for and how it should fit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear a knitted polo with a suit?
With a soft, unstructured suit, yes. The knit matches the relaxed construction. Skip it with structured business suits; the formality clashes.
Tucked or untucked?
Untucked. The ribbed hem is knitted to sit at the hip. Tucking it adds bulk at the waist and hides the finish.
What shoes go with a knitted polo?
Loafers, clean leather trainers, espadrilles in summer. Keep the shoes as light as the fabric; heavy boots overpower a fine-gauge knit.
