Yeossal Polo Shirt Review

For those of you who don’t know the young, Singaporean brand Yeossal, I suggest looking into this Styleforum affiliate more closely. Quality brands are rare; quality brands without much history even rarer. Yeossal is one of these diamonds that would appeal to most menswear enthusiasts. This becomes immediately apparent when you have their wares in hand.

Having been a customer of their brand before this review, I can say that I have a pretty positive opinion on the quality of their wares. I own two of their garments–a one-piece collar chambray shirt and a green linen safari jacket. There are a myriad of reasons why I like them, but we can sum it up to two points (this extends to the end of this review, if you are the type that is tl;dr): first, they have an on trend aesthetic that is both visually interesting while retaining classic elements; second, they offer great price to quality price-ratio.

Yeossal reached out as an affiliate wanting a review of their new premium one-piece collar polo shirts made with premium Italian mill fabrics. As such, I was happy to be offered the chance to get a sample their products, simply because I had been considering ordering one myself. However, knowing that this was a review, I had to take a step back and be a bit more impartial towards the product. I hope that my previously mentioned sentiment towards the brand provides you with a contextualized understanding of my position with them.

The owners at Yeossal have put a tremendous amount of their own time into designing each of the pieces, making sure that it hits their mark and their need. In general, their products only go into production when it has reached a level of quality at which Yeossal’s owners are satisfied. When I was in an exchange with one of Yeossal’s owners, Eugene, I had remarked how the polo reminds me of the “Lupo” by Eidos and that I was thinking of taking the “Lupo” as the baseline for the review. Most of you will recognize Antonio Ciongoli’s “Lupo” as the quintessential one-piece collar, and I only have one of the earlier season Lupos; Ciongoli has remarked upon how that season had quality control problems.

While I like my “Lupo”, although it is on its death bed as it is coming apart at its seams (attributable due to wear and tear), it was never perfect, especially when trying to get the collar to stand on its own. With my shoulder slope, it would always settle down, especially without a jacket; it never took full advantage of the one-piece collar aesthetic. In contrast to this, the one-piece polo from Yeossal undergoes a complete turn-around. Speaking of collar roll, the one-piece polo from Yeossal is excellent.

Eugene pointed out that their design was not based on the “Lupo” in the slightest; in fact he had not been aware of the “Lupo” before I had mentioned it. Their design took two months to create, mainly because they wanted to ensure that the collar curved well both with a jacket and without it, creating a fair amount of negative space while steadfastedly remaining upright. These two months saw over ten iterations: redrawn patterns, placket heights changed, buttons re-positioned, collar angles changed–a veritable odyssey in pattern making. In the end, the design is the fruit of their labor, and it shows: this shirt is perfect in the elegant business casual attire that is currently popular (just check out the hashtag #Styleforum on Instagram if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

The collar itself works wonderfully and is great for a rather informal office environment. It has a quality fusing (no issues it seems with it separating) that gives it a heavier, stiffer feel that permits it to stand on its own. In addition, the roll is a bit more curved, with extra dimension when compared to other one-piece collars. In case it is not clear, I really do appreciate this collar, which is near identical to the one that I have in my chambray shirt from Yeossal–the only difference is that the pique fabric is less structured and so will sometimes get a little wrinkle in its placket as the day wears on.

Speaking of the fabric: for this polo shirt, I opted for a pique grey fabric from Canclini. I believe this fabric is the Machu Pichu line, but I could be wrong and have not confirmed this with Yeossal’s team. I ended up choosing the grey since it was diverse from other blues that I already have, and would likely work with most of the jackets that I own. I’m quite happy with my choice, and I find the grey to be rather versatile and sharp.
The fabric is exceptional. The hand is incredibly dry, and the weave is a good three seasons weave. I’m based in California, so it will see a good amount of wear throughout the year. Personally, I would buy more shirts in this fabric in various other fabric pathways. Currently, they only offer it in grey, light blue, indigo, and washed denim.

Light grey, indigo, and dark grey (photo by Yeossal)

Washed denim (photo by Yeossal)

Buttons are mother of pearl, though they feel a bit light (less dense) compared to buttons from Neapolitan shirt makers. However, the thickness and visual appearance of the button is lovely. To contrast against the button, Yeossal has a signature red thread used to stitch the buttons to the shirt. I was worried I would hate this because it was visible on every button, but to be honest, it is not visually obnoxious. While I normally dislike this type of flair, the red thread is not loud especially seeing as how the fabric itself has a slight melange/mottling effect and the white of the buttons is more visually apparent than the thread itself.

In regards to fit, I asked Eugene for help in sizing. I ended up being recommended a large, which is the same size I took in the one piece collar shirt. After wearing this for a while, with some shrinkage, it works rather well. It is not the cleanest fit, but for me very few things are, as my body type is a bit complicated (narrow shoulders, bigger chest, narrower waist, slight belly, shorter in height [5’8″]), but it works. Because polos are inherently a little bit more casual and sporty, I don’t mind the fact that it isn’t completely clean.

The length of the sleeves after washing worked out perfectly, and the collar itself stands up tall, even after a day of wear. Shrinkage does exist, but is minimal. If you happen to have longer arms, you might find it a bit too short especially after washing, or if you are on the thin and tall side.

The photos are taken of the shirt after wearing it all day. So far, I’ve worn this shirt at least once every week since receiving it (the week of Thanksgiving), possibly twice a few weeks, and its been laundered at least once a week. As you can see, it is not showing much wear at all. The stitching feels as if it is not going to give anytime soon, the fusing and collar still stands up well even after a day of wear (ironing helps), and the hand of the fabric still feels dry and crisp.

To reiterate, I can say that I’ve bought clothes from Yeossal before at full price, and I will continue buying clothes from them. My only fear in ordering from them is not getting the fit right (the joys of an oddly-shaped vessel) and as such trousers are one of the things I am hesitant to order. However, I would gladly order more of these polos, especially if they expand the color pathway. I would love to see a cream/ivory model to wear in the spring.

If this polo style isn’t up your alley, I invite you to take a look at other products Yeossal offers, simply because you will be hard pressed to find as good of products at these prices.

This is not a sponsored article. The writer received the items for free in exchange for an honest review. To read Styleforum’s review policy, please click here.