I've got a black and white picture of my dad from the Sixties. In true period style, he has a page-boy fringe, a cigarette in his hand and is sporting a black poloneck. Whenever I look at it I am reminded what a stylish decade the Sixties was - from beatnik to mod to hippy in ten short years. And, in his own way, Dad followed the fashions of the time.

I like the poloneck version of him best, I think. It promises girls who look like Nico, Left Bank Parisian cafés and creased Penguin classics. But this piece of knitwear is no scruffy substitute for a shirt. What a poloneck does is suggest casual nonconformity, while also being a dapper neck-covering alternative to the shirt-and-tie combo.

Witness the Beatles on the cover of With the Beatles, their second album, from 1963, which features the Fab Four in four fab black polonecks in moody black and white.

Or Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in navy blue poloneck and brown tweedy herringbone sports jacket matched with grey trousers and what look like brown suede shoes. That's what the king of cool is wearing in the best screen car chase of all time, as his 1968 Ford Mustang 390-cid Fastback chases a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum. By contrast, Bullitt's bad guy, who is driving the Dodge, wears a more formal jacket, shirt and tie. And black leather gloves.

Polonecks apparently originated as work wear at the turn of the last century, for seamen and the like. Noël Coward wore lightweight coloured ones in the 1920s, and towards the middle of the century the style had become something of a preppy favourite in the US. It was the French who adopted the style as a bohemian badge in the 1950s, and I suppose that's how I like to think of it.

The poloneck is a versatile garment. A chunky model will work with jeans and moleskin trousers to create a weekend-country-walk spirit. And a medium gauge will sit happily under a sports jacket, à la McQueen - complete the look with dark flannel separate trousers, dark, smart jeans, or even heavy-duty chino styles.

And then the thinner variety works under a tailored suit to give you a sharp look that hints at your being a creative type of professional - an architect, graphic designer or advertising exec. Or indeed fashion designer - our own Sir Paul Smith is a man who knows how to wear a poloneck with a suit.

Of course, the real reason to wear a poloneck at the moment is that it's freezing out there. The great thing about the style is that it's a sweater with a built-in scarf, and so it prevents heat loss.

John Smedley does great models in luxuriously fine 24-gauge, fully-fashioned Merino wool and an even thinner style in extra-fine 30-gauge Merino. Smedley also makes the style in 30-gauge Sea Island cotton for a lighter weight option. Paul Smith usually has some good styles too. Or you can get real classic cashmere polonecks from Ballantyne Cashmere.

Go for basic dark colours if you want maximum use out of your sweater - black is always good, but navy (like McQueen) is also versatile. Deep, dark colours work well with most dark jackets, trousers and suits, so look at dark red, brown and green as well. Of course, grey is a great basic too. Brighter colours will make more of a statement, so it's your call.

Personally, I'd avoid anything too creamy or white - unless it's a thick chunky countryside knit that looks as if it has been pulled off the back of the nearest sheep; smooth, cream polonecks remind me of Louis Balfour, John Thompson's Fast Show character who presented Jazz Club. Though disturbingly, when I googled him, I discovered that he actually wore a rust-coloured poloneck, which I quite fancy. Nice!