On The Split Yoke…

On The Split Yoke…

2
SHARE

Split Yoke

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read about the benefits of a split yoke on a shirt.  And by benefits I really mean two things.  The first was that a split yoke was the only way to properly match the pattern of a shirt between the sleeves and rear part of the shoulders/upper back, creating a much cleaner aesthetic.  The second of which was that it often meant a higher quality shirt, as split yoke construction took more time and skill than a simple one piece yoke to produce.  It was not until I read a piece by Arnaud Rousseau (who is an upstart shirt maker, currently he has only RTW shirts but MTM is on the way) that I heard of the functional advantage of a split yoke.  I recommend you give it a read, it is quite interesting and informative.  But in short, the advantage lies in how the shirt fabric stretches more when pulled at a diagonal (which is the case with a split yoke), not straight along the warp or weft, as would be the case with a single yoke.  This allows the shirt to stretch a little further when one extends their arms, causing less tightness in the back and as a result more comfort.

You can test this theory on your own with any of your dress shirts.  Pinch the fabric of one of your dress shirts with your fingers a few inches from each other and pull parallel to the weave of the fabric, you will notice the fabric does not stretch at all; as you are pulling directly on the cotton which itself will not stretch.  Now, pull at an angle to the weave, you will notice how the fabric stretches.  Case closed.

One Piece Yoke

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY