Biggest style surprise of the season? A sporty polo: How to dress like an adult with SHANE WATSON

Those of us who depend on a mid-weight polo neck in the winter (goes with everything) are now looking for a good spring alternative.

Something a little more relaxed than a crisp cotton shirt, but not as dressy as a blouse, to wear under a blazer or on its own with a skirt or trousers.

Once upon a time, a good quality T-shirt might have done the job, but there comes a point, and it’s sooner than you think, when T-shirts look bland and uninspiring on women over 50.

A striped t-shirt can look smart under a jacket, but generally it will look a lot better if you wear something neck camouflaging, even if it’s the sleeves of a shoulder draped cardigan.

What we all need now is some kind of collar, to define and frame the face and to soften the neckline. Which brings us to the return of the top that is a little bit sweater, a little bit T-shirt and comes with a little collar: the polo shirt.

To be honest, I don’t like polo shirts. They remind me of gym days at school, the crew of posh yachts or Sloaney boys in the 1980s (or 1990s or Noughties) in their uniform of pink polo, chinos and boat shoes.

Besides the negative associations, polo shirts are thick cotton and short sleeved, two major undesirables in my book.

Emma Raducanu could certainly make a polo shirt look good, but if you’re old enough to be Raducanu’s mom, with the elbows to prove it, a polo shirt probably isn’t at the top of your list of useful, refreshing tops to go with it new season.

Or it wasn’t until Gucci got hold of it and for spring/summer made it in a fine crocheted ivory knit with nice striped green and red edges on the collar and sleeves.

Chanel created a luxe variation on the cashmere polo shirt, skipping the buttons and lining the open neckline with a bit of sequins. Elsewhere, on catwalks from Miu Miu to Marni, slim polo shirts were paired with straight leather skirts and buttoned up under smart blazers.

This season, fashion has taken off, sporty with bells on it, and the polo shirt – the new go-with-everything basic – can be either plain cotton and as ready for a game of tennis as ever, or more like an elegant, loose collar, slouchy knit top to wear with a midi skirt or flopped over the waistband of a pair of pin-striped trousers.

The revelation is that it doesn’t need to have buttons (although it might). It doesn’t have to be short-sleeved: I’d recommend the three-quarter sleeve, just covering the elbow, which will solve the aforementioned saggy elbow problem and work now and into the summer. There are also plenty of long-sleeved options around. And it doesn’t have to be made of Aertex breathable cotton, or white or navy blue.

Miu Miu’s plain navy blue polo shirt with logo is right at the top of the young fashionista’s wish list, with a frilly mini to go with it, but for our purposes the more feminine and polished the better.

Creme: Isabelle Huppert at the Cannes Film Festival in France

India Rawsthorn at Veronica Beard’s Summer Fair Party at The Serpentine Pavillion

This means plain wool polo shirts in soft colours, such as Marks & Spencer’s in cappuccino or cream (£39.50, marksandspencer.com) or in plain plain black (again Marks & Spencer) or even in silver metallic knit (£195, ganni ) .com). It’s also, and just as important, about wearing it in a non-sporty way — with evening wear (a light gray polo shirt with a pink pencil skirt); with tailored (a black polo shirt with black trousers) or perhaps tucked into the top of a straight suede or leather skirt.

Adding a little casual wear is still the way to give smart clothes a modern edge, and since we (at least most of us) aren’t ready to wear a little white ribbed vest, the polo shirt is perfect to inject a little sport.

Wear a cream knit buttonless polo shirt like Massimo Dutti’s (£49.95, massimodutti.com) under a tailored suit, or try a pale green polo with a knee-length A-line skirt. Cefinn makes a long-sleeved wool polo shirt, now on sale (£170, cefinn.com) in emerald green or navy blue.

The last thing you want in a polo shirt is a slouchy shape, but Massimo Dutti’s relaxed purl knit polo shirt in light gray (£69.95) looks perfect now worn over a vest or lace camisole. It would also work over a crisp shirt. It’s polos all the way from here.