The Cashmere Silk Tennis Polo Shirt
Our tennis polos are knitted using a luxuriously soft blend of 70% cashmere and 30% silk.
This composition is not only remarkably comfortable against the skin but also allows the knitted fabric to drape in a relaxed way on your body. But it is not slouchy, as the loose drape is balanced out by the slim, close fit, giving the polo a refined, neat look when worn. It strikes just to right balance between formal and casual, making it the perfect garment for dressing down a formal outfit, or dressing up a casual outfit.
With the newly launched terracotta and olive colours, we thought it was a good time to add some looks to our style journal for the cashmere silk tennis polo.
A polo shirt may have had associations in the past with golf courses and dad outfits, but it need not be the case. As we hope to show below, combined with the right clothes, we believe it can form the basis of a wide range of contemporary outfits at both ends of the formal to casual scale.
Outfit 1.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in terracotta
Grey trousers
Vintage brown leather jacket
The terracotta colour on the tennis polo goes particularly with dark brown, as shown in this outfit. For a casual summer evening look, wear the cashmere silk tennis polo in terracotta with a beat up leather cafe racer in brown, grey trousers and loafers.
Outfit 2.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in terracotta
Light brown double breasted jacket
White trousers
The terracotta colour also works really well with white, as shown here with this outfit. This outfit also shows that the cashmere silk tennis polo can work really well under a blazer - the collar of the tennis polo is knitted a bit wider and creates a satisfying roll when wearing a blazer over the top. The light brown on the jacket pairs well with terracotta.
Outfit 3.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in terracotta
Cashmere silk resort shirt in dark brown
Vintage brown leather jacket
Brown and mustard bandana
The tennis polo in terracotta can also be worn underneath one of our cardigan styles, such as the cashmere silk resort shirt. Although designed to function primarily as a shirt, it can also be worn as a cardigan as shown here - the dark brown complementing the terracotta colour.
We've layered the vintage brown leather jacket over the top and finished with a brown mustard bandana to complement the brown/brick colour palette of the whole outfit.
Outfit 4.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in olive
White trousers
Green linen blazer
The new olive colour of our cashmere silk tennis polo is a refreshing shade of green with hints of sage, perfect for the warmer weather. It goes particularly well with white, black, other shades of green and of course, works perfectly well with shorts or jeans.
Outfit 5.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
Cream coloured shorts
Superfine lambswool tennis cardigan in oatmeal
White socks
White tennis shoes
We’ve gone full tonal here for a retro tennis look. We have found that tonal outfits are best combined by using different shades of the same colour and a mix of different textures. The cashmere silk tennis polo is made in a slightly whiter cream compared to our oatmeal cardigan, so that they complement each other without clashing.
The texture of the cashmere silk tennis polo is a bit more refined compared to the woolly texture of the oatmeal cardigan. This provides further contrast between the two garments, so that they can work well together without blending into each other (which would be the case if they were exactly the same fibre composition and weight). We’ve completed the tonal look by layering a beige trench coat over the top.
We’ve picked a pair of white shorts in cotton to complete the tonal look. It is our hope that this outfit exudes the sense of effortless, relaxed elegance, commensurate with the athletes of the past.
Outfit 6.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
White jeans
Pistachio sport coat or brown linen sport coat
Brown loafers
The cream polo works as a casual substitute to a shirt when worn with a sport coat, perfect for meeting up with friends in the park or at a restaurant, when you want to dress well but feel relaxed. The collar of the cream polo is firmer than the rest of the shirt, giving it shape when being worn underneath a sport coat, preventing the collar from being squashed. We find that any shade of green such as olive, pistachio, dark green and shades of brown go particularly well with the cream colour of the polo.
The white jeans provide a slight contrast to the cream colour of the polo – white jeans are a favourite of ours particularly paired with the polo as we feel it elevates the outfit without it looking to formal (such as with a pair of tailored trousers).
Outfit 7.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
Olive shorts
Superfine lambswool crew neck in oatmeal (worn or slung over the shoulders)
Denim jacket
Brown loafers
The incorporation of the denim jacket and the slim olive shorts make the cream polo look more contemporary - an example where something as old school as a retro polo could be dressed up as part of a modern outfit.
The softness of the cream polo and oatmeal crew contrasts with the slight ruggedness of the denim jacket. The tonality of the cream polo and oatmeal crew is made more interesting by mixing in olive and dark denim, two colours that we find complement creams particularly nicely. If the weather gets warm, take off the denim jacket, and just wear the cream polo with the oatmeal crew.
If it gets hotter still, take off the oatmeal crew and sling it round the shoulders for an non-chalantly elegant look.
We have stayed with the tonal theme by pairing the cream polo and oatmeal crew neck - we love this combination of colours as they are subtly different, but belong to the same palette. Texturally, the smoother cashmere silk contrasts well with the fluffier texture of the oatmeal crew in superfine lambswool.
Outfit 8.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
White trousers or shorts
White shoes
Superfine lambswool cricket sweater over the shoulder
For a more classic, vintage inspired sporty outfit, we have combined the cream polo with a pair of pleated, white tennis trousers and white tennis shorts. We put this look together as a homage to what the tennis greats of old such as Fred Perry would have worn in the early 20th century. We still think it can look cool and not too stuffy – it’s all in the attitude!
Outfit 9.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
Cashmere cotton collegiate raglan sweatshirt in dark olive
White trousers
Sage linen blazer
With this outfit, we went for a tonal top and bottom by marrying up the cream colour of the tennis polo with the ecru colour of the trousers. The cream colour on our tennis polo has a vintage flavour and is a slightly darker shade than a lot of other white polo shirts. This makes it possible to pair with white trousers that are a different shade (mostly lighter in colour).
Olive goes really well with cream/ecru/white, so we've paired the tennis polo in cream with our cashmere cotton collegiate raglan sweatshirt in dark olive. We then finished the look with a sage green linen glazer, to complement the cashmere cotton collegiate raglan sweatshirt. The sage green on the glazer is a different shade of green to the sweatshirt, making them complementary rather than clashing.
Outfit 10.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
Cashmere shirt cardigan in dark olive
Grey trousers
In keeping with the cream/olive combination, two colours that work incredibly well with each other, we've styled our cashmere silk tennis polo in cream with our cashmere shirt cardigan in dark olive.
The cashmere shirt cardigan, as the name suggests, is designed so that it can be worn on its own or as a cardigan over the top of something lighter like the cashmere silk tennis polo. With the smarter trousers, the more casual top half achieves a nice "smart casual" balance.
Outfit 11.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in cream
Superfine lambswool cricket sweater in cream and olive
White trousers
White sneakers
We have gone for a full cricket inspired summer outfit here, but you need not go full kit - swap out the white trousers for a pair of light jeans, and there you have a well put together casual summer outfit.
The cricket sweater has a white colour that is a slightly lighter shade than the cashmere silk tennis polo so that the two white colours together have enough contrast between them to make them work well. The olive trim on the cricket sweater is yet another example that testifies to how white and olive work really well together.
Outfit 12.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in navy
Black linen sport coat
Blue jeans
Black and white bandana
Black loafers
We’ve reimagined how a navy polo can be worn by pairing it with something slightly unusual – a black linen sport coat. We think they look great together because the mix navy and black has a certain sultriness to it that we think makes a person look refined without looking stuck up. The smoother texture of the cashmere silk of the polo and the slightly more slubby texture of the black linen contrast and complement each other nicely.
We chose a pair of slightly faded blue jeans, to provide some contrast against the much darker navy and black up on the top, whilst keeping within the black/blue colour palette. The more casual blue jeans also provide a contrast to the formal top half, and inject an element of youthfulness to the whole outfit. In keeping with the black theme, we’ve finished the outfit with a black and white bandana to elevate the outfit, and black loafers.
Outfit 13.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in navy
High waisted, slim white jeans
Blue and gold bandana
Navy denim jacket
Black loafers
Swapping the black linen sport coat out and replacing it with a dark navy raw denim jacket for a more casual look. An unusual combination, to wear the polo with a denim jacket but we think they work really well together. We love how the dark navy of the polo contrasts with the matt, slubby blue of the denim, as well as how the smoother texture of the polo contrasts with the rugged texture of the denim jacket. There is a nice balance between the two fabrics – a mix of refined and rugged.
The hint of gold on the bandana matches with the gold stitching on the denim jacket, and the blue of the bandana matches with the blue tones of the rest of the outfit.
We chose a pair of high waisted, slim white jeans to complete the contemporary look. We also find that white works particularly well with dark navy as shown here – it subconsciously draws one's mind to nautical themes and the prestige that is associated with maritime uniforms.
Outfit 14.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in navy
White shorts
Blue Harrington
Blue and white bandana
We finish off with a much more relaxed outfit. Again, white shorts, hem rolled up to battle the heat, to go with the navy on top. We’ve kept the palette quite tight on this outfit, instead playing around with different shades of blue and white. We have the navy polo – the darkest of the lot, contrasting the petrol blue of the Harrington, and the mid-blue of the western motif bandana.
The result is an outfit that doesn’t attract too much attention, yet well put together on account of the mix of blue and white shades, despite it looking like the whole outfit has been carelessly thrown together as you rolled out of bed and straight to your morning riverside stroll.
Outfit 15.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in dark brown
Cream linen suit
We've kept it simple with this outfit, as we didn't feel like much else needed to be added. There is not much more that says "high summer cool" like the combination of cream linen and dark brown. Another example where our polo can be used as a casual substitute for a shirt – for the perfect smart casual summer outfit.
The cashmere silk is a lightweight, luxurious mix of fibres and has a refined quality to the surface which works very well texturally with other light weight linens.
Outfit 16.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in dark brown
Superfine lambswool tennis cardigan in oatmeal
White trousers
Tennis shoes
Staying within the cream/brown theme, we swapped out the linen suit for our superfine lambswool oatmeal cardigan, and a pair of white trousers, to casualise the outfit.
We like the combination of the brown polo with the oatmeal cardigan a lot, not least because the colours go so well together, but also has a certain vintage flair. Tennis players in the past would have layered clothes in a similar way, cardigan over their tennis polo after a match, and our outfit is inspired by this time honoured tradition.
Outfit 17.
Cashmere silk tennis polo in dark brown
White trousers
White denim jacket
For something a little different but keeping with the brown/white colour theme - with this outfit we have paired our cashmere silk tennis polo in dark brown with a white denim jacket. White and brown work well together and the more casual and rugged appearance of the white denim jacket complements the the silkiness of the tennis polo well.
White denim jacket from our friends at L.E.J.