It’s as cozy as a sweatshirt for transitional weather, but twice as cool looking. Take your easygoing spring fits to the next level by introducing a knit polo (or two) into your wardrobe. There's something really cool about these soft styles, knit from cotton, linen or lightweight wool yarn—they have a retro charm that automatically makes you look more relaxed and, well, sexy. Pull one on and it instantly gives you a rich looking, throwback vibe. Just ask Alec Nakashima, the founder of AKASHI-KAMA, the California brand rooted in Japanese heritage. “Our label's general ethos is making personal, heritage-inspired garments,” he says. “I've always had both a draw and a hesitancy to traditional aesthetic as an Asian American, so AKASHI-KAMA really sprung out of that in-between.”

For spring, he ended up putting the inspiration for some knit polos right in the name—the Ojii polo comes from the Japanese word for grandfather. “A few years ago my grandpa was wearing one of his old sweater polos at Easter, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since,” Nakashima tells me. “Then we knit some of our signature Arrow and Asanoha patterns into the jacquard; our own spin on the more western braid style patterns that can be more common on sweater polos these days.” How's he wearing the shirts? Right now, he's tucking them into trousers and letting them dress up jeans and a pair of loafers or classic sneakers. “I'm currently packing for a trip to Osaka—and it's still a little chilly this time of year—so I'll be layering them quite a bit there, under my long coat and perhaps the occasional Issey blazer.”

But that's the thing about these polos. There's really no wrong way to wear them because they “have a knack for helping people look casual and put-together at the same time,” says Nakashima. They make for a one-step move to nail sophisticated style, no matter how unpredictable spring forecasts can be. Plus, there's something about the knit polo's relaxed glamour that flatters any guy's body. Maybe it's the softness of the yarns or simply the old school silhouette, but the shirts hug your body in just the right places, making your biceps pop and hiding any hint of a gut under its luxe drape.