A polo shirt is a versatile garment that is considered a cornerstone of any good spring/summer outfit. But like any good piece of clothing, it needs to be fitted properly. What options do you have if your polo doesn’t fit like a glove?
Can polo shirts be tailored? Polo shirts can be tailored easily and relatively cheaply. Because of the cotton fabric a tailor can make adjustments to the torso, sleeves and length of the garment.
Can a Tailor Alter a Polo Shirt
As mentioned a tailor can make adjustments to practically any garment. But paying for additional tailoring time and costs isn’t ideal.
Let’s look at the real solution on how you can get your polo to fit like a glove and enhance your physique like it should.
How Should a Polo Shirt Fit
Body Width
The perfect fitting polo should allow for a little extra room in the torso - but not too much!
Regular polos provide way too much fabric around the waist making you feel like you need to tailor this just so that it fits your body like it should. Especially when its tucked in
A good fitting polo should allow you to pinch between 1-2 inches of fabric around the waist, regardless of your body size or shape.
Look for shirts that fit perfectly to your body? Check out our collection of fitted polos here.
Body Length
The length of the polo should end between the upper and mid crotch, this allows it to be tucked in depending on your outfit.
More importantly this length avoids showing your stomach when you reach up and the fabric pulls upwards with your body.
Collar
The size of the collar is pretty uniform with most polo makers. The only thing to consider is if you like to button the collar up all the way up, make sure you can fit at least 2 index fingers between your neck and the collar to allow you to breathe.
Wearing a polo with the top 1 or 2 buttons open does help frame your face better.
When trying the polo on try it with 2 buttons unfastened to see how the collar sits. You want the structure of the collar to be more upright, not flare along your collarbone.
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Sleeves
The sleeves on the polo should slightly hug your arms and sit around the middle of your bicep. Some polo designs contain a ribbed band at the end of the sleeve, this feature is designed to hug the bicep by an extra cm.
You don’t want the sleeves of the bicep to slack around the arms, if your polo is fitted well in the body it should be well fitted in the arms. This is an adjustment a tailor can easily make, they can bring the sleeves in to fit your arms.
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Cost to Tailor a Polo Shirt
Tailoring is a great option for you if you are happy to invest time and money into it. Typically a tailor can charge between £10 - £20 per polo shirt just to taper it in at the waist. Check out our blog here on how much it costs to tailor a shirt.
Polo Shirt Alterations
But a tailor can make many common alterations. If you needed to alter your polo shirt, they are likely to be able to do the following:
- Take in the waist
- Reduce the arm width
- Shorten the length
- Shorten the arms
While all clothes are worth tailoring to get them to fit the way you want, it's not a sustainable solution. Are you expected to buy a polo that fits "close" to how you want then pay extra for tailoring? Absolutely not!
Should a Polo Shirt Be Fitted?
Polo shirts should be fitted but not tight. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to pinch fabric either side of your torso by 1-2 inches. It's a common misconception that if you have a larger stomach a loose polo will hide it but this isn't the case.
It just makes the polo shapeless and boxy. Theoretically you should be able to pinch 1 inch of fabric in each area of the body mentioned above in order for your polo to be well fitted.
How to Make a Polo Shirt Smaller
Polo shirt too big? Other than taking your polo to a tailor there is one other method to make your polo smaller, but I wouldn't recommend it! This involves shrinking it in the wash.
Shrinking a polo shirt involves washing and drying it at high heat. Start by washing the shirt in a washing machine on the warmest setting suitable for the fabric.
Once washed, dry it on high heat in a tumble dryer. This process may cause shrinkage, but be careful as it might also cause colour fading or shape distortion.
For specific areas, wet the area, and while damp, sew or pin to the desired size. Always check the label before proceeding, as not all materials respond well to heat.
How Do You Know If a Polo is Too Big?
A polo that's too big will often have several telltale signs. The shoulder seams may droop past the natural shoulder line. The sleeves might extend past the mid-bicep or appear baggy.
The overall length could cover more than half of the buttocks, making it look more like a tunic. The chest and waist areas might billow or not conform to the body's shape. If the polo doesn't provide a neat, tailored fit, it's likely oversized.
How to Shorten a Polo Shirt
If you find your polo shirt too long you can in fact shorten it. To shorten a polo shirt, first measure the desired length. Then, mark it on the shirt using chalk or a fabric marker. Cut off the extra length, leaving about an inch for hemming.
Fold the raw edge inward twice to hide it and create a new hem, securing it with pins. Sew the new hem using a sewing machine or by hand, removing pins as you go. Use a straight stitch for this process.
Be sure to iron the new hem for a crisp, professional finish. Always practice on a scrap fabric before sewing the actual shirt.
Can You Taper a Polo?
It is possible to taper a polo shirt. In order to taper a polo this relates to taking the garment in around the waist. Which can be done by a tailor, or can do this yourself? Below we look at how you can taper a polo shirt at home.
How Do You Taper a Polo Shirt?
Step 1 - Put your polo shirt on inside out. This is because you will be sewing the inside of the polo.
Step 2 - Pinch the fabric at the waist to the desired width you want to take the polo in to.
Step 3 - Put 2 pins into the polo, one 2 inches below your armpit and the other level with your waist. Make sure to do this on both sides of the polo.
Step 4 - Move around while the polo is pinned to make sure it isnt too tight and there's still room to breathe.
Step 5 - Lay the polo flat and measure how far the bottom is from the side edge of your polo. Do the same for the other pins. Also measure the distance between each pin so you have a straight line you can sew downwards on the sewing machine. Make sure this is done on both sides for a symettrical cut.
Step 6 - On your sewing machine start at the bottom of the armpit and move the polo down your pinned line to the very bottom of the polo.
You can follow these laborious tasks to taper your own polo. Or you can look to buy a polo that is already built with a taper...
Tailored Polo Shirts
Introducing the Tapered Fit....
With the introduction of TAPERED fit polos however, you now have the option for performance polo shirts that are fitted, but have enough stretch to provide comfort for all day wear.
Whether you are slim, athletic or a bodybuilder. Ditch the baggy polos and wear polo shirts that look and feel like a bespoke piece! Check out our best selling tailored polos here.
Tailored Fit Polo
Our TAPERED fit polo has been developed by leading Tailors and industry experts to provide you with a revolutionary fit, you won’t ever need to take your polo shirt to a tailor again or give lots of different measurements.
Perfect for those seeking a muscle fit polo, or bespoke tailoring - ready to wear! Available in both short sleeve and long sleeve in a variety of colours. With no logo plastered on the front.
Our revolutionary cut provides a 10" drop from chest to waist.
Our tailored polos are fully fitted in chest and shoulders whilst tapering sharply down, giving a tailored look. No more bagginess in the waist.
Closely Fitted At Biceps
Moulds to your arm and cut to the optimal length to emphasises the bicep peak.
Stretch Cotton
Super soft, breathable and allows complete freedom of movement.
Perfect for formal occasions.
With our non obtrusive logo stitched subtly on the waist makes our TAPERED Fit Shirt ideal for formal occasions.
Tapered Fit polo shirts are the true solution to your polo shirt fitting problem.
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