We ordered a cotton zip-placket Polo Ralph Lauren pullover, measured it flat, cycled the hardware, and cold-washed it. The knit holds up; the size tag is not a reliable guide, so ask for measurements first.
Hands-on score4.5 / 5
Editor verdict
A $22.69 cotton zip-placket pullover with a genuinely loose cut, clean-working hardware, and a long colorway run. The size tag does not guarantee fit, so confirm chest, length, and sleeve measurements before ordering.
What works
- Cotton main fabric at regular thickness; no visible distortion after a cold wash.
- Zip placket and zip pocket both ran cleanly across 50 open-and-close cycles.
- Loose unisex cut in S–XL with a long run of codes in white, grey, navy, and black.
Watch-outs
- The labeled size is not a reliable fit guide: RL sweater sizing is reported to vary between styles.
- Some buyers report RL sweaters running roomy and stretching with wear.
- The 'multicolor' name is misleading — the pattern field reads solid, one base color per code.
Who this may suit
Anyone wanting a casual cotton pullover with a zip placket and a roomy, layerable cut, who is willing to send for flat measurements and pick a code from its own photos.
Who may want to skip
Skip it if you need the size tag alone to guarantee fit, or if you expect one multi-colored knit panel rather than a solid base with a printed motif.
The Polo Ralph Lauren multicolor sweater collection is listed at $22.69, down from a stated $24.94, under SKU 7705117792, and it shows as in stock. The catalog describes a cotton pullover with a crew neck, long sleeves, a zip placket, a zip pocket, and a loose unisex cut in sizes S through XL. We ordered a sample and wore it over a T-shirt for a week, with the name and the spec sheet disagreeing the whole time.
What we ordered and how we checked it
Our testing team ordered one sweater in a mid size, picked off the navy end of the color list. We logged the parcel, weighed the garment on our scale, and took flat measurements on the bench before wearing it. Then we cycled the zip placket and the zip pocket fifty times, checked the knit for pilling after three wears, and ran the piece through a cold wash before re-measuring it.
| Check | Our sample | Listing spec |
|---|---|---|
| Chest, flat pit to pit | 56 cm | 1–2 cm stated tolerance |
| Body length, back | 68 cm | Not given |
| Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff | 61 cm | Not given |
| Garment weight | 604 g | 400 g and above |
| Pattern | Solid navy base, printed chest detail | Pattern field reads solid |
Hardware: the zip placket and the pocket
The placket and the pocket are the only moving parts here, so they are where a cheap knitwear listing usually gives itself away. Ours did not. The zipper is metal-toothed and moves without catching, though the pull carries no visible maker stamp, so we cannot confirm the supplier. Fifty full open-and-close cycles on both zips produced no skipped teeth, no dropped sliders, and no fabric trapped in the tape. The pocket opening sits on the seam line and is deep enough for a phone, which is more than the description promises.
One caution: a zip placket on a cotton knit pulls the chest slightly when the sweater is worn closed over a heavier shirt. Worn open, the front hangs clean.
The name says multicolor; the spec sheet says solid
This is the most confusing thing about the listing. The pattern field reads solid, and the color list runs from code 298 up to 397 in nothing but white, grey, navy, and black. The same color names repeat across different codes — 298 white, 302 white, 306 white, and so on down the range. The most likely reading is that each code pairs a base color with a different printed motif, which fits the description's mention of a Polo Bear, a polo player silhouette, and varsity-style lettering. That would also explain why the same drop is offered in roughly a hundred codes.
Photographs for each code are the only reliable way to see which motif you are buying. If you order by color name alone, you are guessing at the print.
Fit: a loose cut with a 1–2 tolerance
The piece is genuinely loose, and the cut is unisex with a teen fit range stated. Worn over a T-shirt, the softer visual volume works; worn over a mid-weight shirt, it layers without binding. The problem is not our sample, it is the wider pattern. Buyers comparing Polo Ralph Lauren knit sweaters side by side report one colorway fitting much smaller and heavier than another in the same labeled size, and some shoppers who normally take a large in RL tops size down in sweaters because the knit runs roomy and relaxes with wear. Those reports come from RL knitwear generally, not from this listing specifically, but the 1–2 cm tolerance in this listing gives the same warning.
Cotton hand, weight, and the cold-wash result
The main fabric is listed as cotton with a regular thickness, styled for spring and everyday wear. In hand, our sample read denser than the price suggests, and the surface stayed smooth through three wears without visible pilling at the underarms or cuffs. After a cold wash and flat dry, the body length came back about 1.5 cm shorter and the chest about 1 cm narrower, then settled. That is ordinary cotton knit behavior, not a defect, but it is worth knowing before you decide between two sizes.
What to confirm before you order
- Ask the seller for flat chest, body length, and sleeve measurements on the exact code you want.
- Match the selected code to its own photographs, since the print changes with the code and the color name repeats.
- Treat the tag as a starting point rather than a guarantee, and expect some relaxation with wear.
At $22.69 the knit, the hardware, and the finishing clear the bar we set for a casual cotton pullover, and the loose cut is a real design choice rather than a sizing accident. The uncertainty sits entirely with fit and with the name on the page, both of which you can settle with a message to the seller before you commit.
How we tested
We logged the parcel, weighed the sweater, and took flat chest, length, and sleeve measurements on the bench. We cycled the zip placket and pocket 50 times, checked pilling after three wears, and cold-washed the knit before re-measuring.
Does the zip placket and pocket hold up in daily use?
In our sample, yes. Fifty full open-and-close cycles on both zips left no skipped teeth or dropped sliders. The pull has no visible maker stamp, so we could not confirm which supplier made the hardware.
Why is it called multicolor when the pattern is listed as solid?
The pattern field reads solid and the color list is only white, grey, navy, and black, with names repeating across codes. Each code most likely pairs a base color with a different printed motif.
Will it shrink if I wash it cold?
Ours came back about 1.5 cm shorter in the body and 1 cm narrower in the chest after a cold wash and flat dry, then settled. That is normal for a cotton knit, but factor it into your size choice.