Most shirts don’t have split yokes nowadays. However, many shirt makers claim that a split yoke gives the shirts a better fit. Many good tailors have this option and generally if made correctly it does give a good fit, but it also changes the style of the shirt (on the back).
What is a split yoke? Some of you may actually wonder what a split yoke actually is. Well it is top back part of the dress shirt between the shoulders.
What to go for:
It really is a very subjective matter however, in many circles a split yoke does
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give a slight impression of quality and it also may tell people you know a little bit more about mens shirts than the average Joe.
Design wise, stay away from split yokes when stripes are very strong (stripes such as yellows, greens, or reds). However, stripes that are not too bold can work very well on a split yoke though.
Split yokes are generally a rare find, but at tailors it is often a possibility. So as we always say here always choose a tailored shirt if you can get away with it.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I have custom shirts with the yoke done both ways. I see no real difference in the performance of the two styles. My custom shirts take into account 15 different measurements for my body size so this extra seam is going to add very little to the style, fit & design of my shirts.
In fact, I prefer the one piece yoke because it is a cleaner look.
My Best,
Jeff Collins
Professional Haberdasher
http://www.MyHaberdasher.com
July 9th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
We always recommend custom shirts to be done with split yokes as they enable easy movement when lifting the arms as the yoke is split into two pieces! Moreover, there are a lot of fancy and unique designs that can be created with a split yoke. It uses more fabric so many tailors do not mention this option but if you are going for a tailored shirt - ask for it!!