two-piece yoke on the back of a shirt at the shoulders, just below the collar – it allows the shirtmaker to cut the front of the shirt and the shoulders at a different angle in the weave – the front of a shirt will always be cut on the bias, to give it more flexibility and fit – but if the shoulder is also cut on the bias, the two will be aligned and the shoulder seam, connecting the two, will be weaker, causing the material to stretch and eventually break – when the yoke is split, it can be cut at a different angle, reinforcing that seam
