How to dress like a grown-up: Flatter your face with an age-defying funnel neck

• A loose fit, structured polo neck wide and tall enough to pull up around your ears
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You may or may not be aware that a few weeks ago Phoebe Philo — the designer who made Celine the most coveted label of its day — launched the first collection under her own name.

These clothes are beyond the budget of ordinary civilians, and most of them sold out in hours, but even so it’s a good time to reflect on something that became Philo’s signature and is now a permanent fixture of every woman over-50s wardrobe: the funnel neck.

This is not the neck-clinging polo neck that Princess Diana wore on the cover of Vogue, or the second-skin polo neck that became Shiv’s everyday uniform in TV series Succession.

This is a loose fit, structured polo neck that is wide enough and tall enough to pull up around your ears.

When Philo was at Celine, it’s what she wore to take a bow at the end of her shows, with chinos and white trainers.

Laura Bailey attends Victoria Beckham’s dinner party at London Fashion Week on September 15, 2019

Marion Cotillard in the front row at the Jean-Paul Gaultier show at Haute Couture Fashion Week, Paris, France, on January 24, 2018

In every portrait taken of her at the time, she’s either staring out from under a thick-ribbed polo neck pulled up to her nose, or her face is nestled in a cashmere roll neck. It’s no accident that Philo always wore a high-necked sweater in photographs. The neckline makes a smooth pedestal for the face and, folded over a little on one side, creates a soft, jawline-flattering frame.

With a stiff tailored coat draped around the shoulders, or a sharp-shouldered jacket shrugged on top (both Philo signatures), you look business-like and uncluttered: no buttons, no collar, no competing neckline, just a clean united front.

It’s the modern way of looking dressed but casual. And if you don’t like your neck, it covers that problem, too.

Not surprisingly this shape of sweater has become one of the building blocks of a chic working woman’s wardrobe, the perfect accompaniment to smart wide-leg trousers or luxe track pants, as well as working with fluid midi skirts. And it doesn’t have to cost Philo prices: it’s all about the proportions and the weight.

Zara is my go-to for mid-weight structured polo necks.

The one I wear most days is light grey with a charcoal contrast trim that makes it look designer smart (although it’s polyester and acrylic and goes in the washing machine). It’s hip-length with side splits for a neat fit, loose enough to put a shirt underneath, and, of course, it has just the right neck (£35.99, zara.com).

My perfect polo neck is ribbed; plain polo necks can look soggy. It should be roughly 6.5 to 7 inches tall — that’s long enough to stand up under your ears with plenty of wrinkles (your head should sit cradled in it like a strawberry in its husk), and wide enough so that, when it’s folded over, you don’t look like you’re wearing a wetsuit.

Too-short polo necks cut off in just the wrong place and draw attention to your neck; too long ones don’t allow you to stand them up and can look bulky folded over or, worse, droop into a cowl and instantly add a decade to your age.

Victoria Beckham is pictured out and about in New York, United States of America, on December 7, 2016

Snug-fit polo necks make you look like a Cluedo piece with a giant head, and a too-thick polo neck has the appearance of a neck brace.

To avoid all the above I look for polo necks with a split in the back — they have a looser fit and never look bulky — side vents to keep the shape from looking boxy, and a slightly fuzzy texture because that gives them a designery feel.

Apart from Zara, good places to look for a high-neck sweater are Arket (£77, arket.com) and Marks & Spencer (£35, marksandspencer.com). Chinti & Parker does a smart rollneck with a central seam in a cashmere wool mix (£71.25, chinti andparker.com) and the colours that will serve you best are grey, navy and brown.

I’m also partial to a funnel neck — the ones that don’t roll over — as they can look neater. Marks & Spencer does a good style in brown (£69) while Anya Hindmarch’s cashmere sweater for Uniqlo, which has the eye detail on the neck — would make a good Christmas gift if someone’s feeling generous (£109.90, uniqlo.com).

Otherwise, there are turtlenecks (shorter polo-necks), which are harder to get right, but if I didn’t dislike my neck I’d be tempted by Hush’s style in ecru with black crochet trimmed seams (£95, hush-uk.com).

It happens to be called Celine and looks, appropriately, smarter and cooler than the average sweater.

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