It’s time to pull your polo shirts out of retirement because prep is back, but not as you remember it. This season’s take on the country club classic has a distinctly sporty, performance-driven edge, reimagined with looser silhouettes, unbuttoned collars, and layers galore.
Miu Miu first signalled the return of the trend in its Spring ’24 collection, pairing layered polo shirts with barely-there ruffled minis. By Spring ’26, the polos remained, but hemlines had dropped to more conservative midi lengths (if that’s not a recession indicator, what is?). Prep also made its way onto Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s debut runway for Loewe, taking layered shirting and popped colours to a whole new extreme. Meanwhile, Lacoste leaned into its athletic roots, offering bold pops of colour (think green, blue, and red), performance-coded tracksuits, and slouchy silhouettes.
From Commonplace Essentials’ playful spin on striped shirting and Harris Tapper’s refined, oversized parka to the athletic ease of New Balance’s retro sneakers and Porter James Sports’ Letterman Dad Cap, sporty prep has never been simpler – or more effortless – to master. Read on for our edit of 15+ pieces defining the season’s preppy comeback.
Shop the sporty prep edit:
