"Snobs' style" returns. Popped collar is back in fashion
The popped polo collar was one of the most recognizable details of the 2000s, and later became a fashion cliché for a long time. Now it's being worn again by celebrities and used in collections by famous designers. But there's a nuance: today it doesn't look quite the same as it did twenty years ago.
Gucci. Spring 2027 collection. Photo: wwd.com
The popped polo collar is especially remembered from the fashion of the 2000s. It fit well into the popular style of the time, inspired by the wardrobe of students from prestigious American colleges: polos, shirts, blazers, jumpers, and loafers.
One of the most famous proponents of this look was Kanye West. During his debut album *The College Dropout*, he wore bright polos, blazers, and preppy-style items, often with a popped collar.
Over time, this detail became so characteristic of the era that it turned into a cliché. The popped collar began to be associated with golf clubs, rich students, and the fashion excesses of the 2000s — and gradually almost disappeared.
But recently it has started reappearing. As Heute.at writes, one of the first signs of the trend's return was the look of British singer Harry Styles, known for his fashion experiments. In March 2025, he was photographed in London in a pink polo with a popped collar. Vogue even dedicated a separate article to it then, asking if popped collars were making a comeback.
Later, similar looks started appearing in designer collections by Auralee, Jil Sander, Dior, and Gucci. Thus, it's no longer about one random look, but a detail that various designers and celebrities are simultaneously returning to.
Aimé Leon Dore. Spring / Summer 2026 collection. Photo: aimeleondore.com
But there's one difference between popped collars then and now
In the 2000s, the collar was usually popped completely and straightened neatly. Now, such neatness is not necessary.
One part of the collar can remain popped, the other — dropped. It can be slightly wrinkled or uneven. Instead of an emphatically neat look — deliberate sloppiness.
Therefore, the current return is not an exact copy of the fashion from twenty years ago. Designers are taking a recognizable detail from the 2000s but stripping it of the diligent neatness with which it was once associated.
And to try out the new-old trend, you don't even have to buy anything. If you have a polo with a stiff collar preserved in your closet, simply pop it up. And now, the less it looks like you tried, the better.