How to Find the Right Polo Fit for Your Body Type: A Practical Guide

For Broader Builds

The tendency is to size up to get room through the chest, which usually creates too much fabric at the waist and a shoulder seam that drops. The better call: find a brand that cuts for athletic proportions. PILLAR polos are built with a tapered waist, so sizing for your chest doesn't mean living in excess fabric below it.

The PILLAR Steven Polo and Tom Polo both run with a slightly wider chest-to-waist ratio built in, they're designed for people who actually use their shoulders.

For Leaner Builds

Standard polo sizing often leaves too much fabric through the torso on leaner frames. The shirt hangs rather than sits. Look for performance-cut or athletic-fit designations, these reduce the torso circumference while keeping the shoulder and chest proportions intact.

Lighter performance fabrics also help: they conform to your shape rather than holding a fixed silhouette. A woven cotton polo on a lean frame tends to hang. A polyester-spandex performance polo moves with you.

For Women

Women's polo fit has fewer conventions but a few rules hold. The shoulder seam and chest ease principles are the same. Where it differs: hem length and torso taper matter more. A women's polo that sits at the hip works better tucked or tied, one that sits just above the hip works untucked as a clean top.

The PILLAR Chloe Polo and Riley Polo are cut for a feminine fit without being boxy or oversized. They work on the golf course, on the pickleball court, and pulled into everyday outfits without adjustment.

The Sizing Up Question

In performance fabrics, sizing up one size from your usual is often correct. Athletic fabric with stretch has less ease built in than traditional woven cotton, so a size large in performance fabric may fit more like a medium in cotton. When in doubt, size up, a slightly roomier performance polo still looks sharp; a too-tight one doesn't move well and reads as trying too hard.