Foreign Trade Black Athletic Shorts Review: Measured Five-Point Cut in Polyester

We ordered the Foreign Trade black athletic shorts (SKU 7720570468) at $7.46 and put a size L sample on the bench scale and steel tape. The five-point polyester cut measured true to its street-style brief; the listing's missing size chart is the real snag.

Hands-on score: 4.2 / 5
Editor verdict: A light, straight-cut polyester short that measured slightly small against our reference pair but wears cleanly and hangs well above the knee. At $7.46 it is solid value; the listing's missing size chart is the main drawback.
What works: Light 232 g polyester shell with slight stretch and a dull, non-shiny finish.
What works: Straight five-point cut with the widest leg opening we have measured in this price band.
What works: Black print and flat patches survived a 30 °C wash unchanged.
Watch-outs: Sample ran slightly small against our reference shorts in the same size.
Watch-outs: No pockets, and no mesh or lining for humid days.
Watch-outs: Listing publishes no waist, hip or inseam chart for any size.
Who this suits: Anyone wanting a cheap, straight-leg polyester mid-thigh short for summer daily wear and street-casual outfits, in sizes M–3XL or the listed white, black, orange and green colorways.
Who should skip: Shoppers who need a published measurement chart before ordering, want pockets or real wicking performance, or are tall enough that this five-point length reads short.

Editor score 4.2 / 5

What arrived, and what we measured

The parcel reached our Rotterdam desk with the shorts folded flat inside a plain poly bag, no hanger and no branded packaging. Our sample is the black colorway with the script lettering across the front and the small patch marks on the lower legs — the version the listing title singles out. On the 0.1 g bench scale it weighed 232 g, which is light for a mid-thigh short and consistent with a thin single-layer polyester.

Our tester photographed the pair on arrival and compared the flat dimensions against a steel tape and against a pair of reference shorts we keep from a previous haul.

Measurement (flat, size L)	Our sample	Reference short, same label size
Waist, relaxed	38 cm	39 cm
Waist, drawstring fully cinched	34 cm	35 cm
Front rise	30 cm	31 cm
Inseam	17 cm	16 cm
Leg opening	30 cm	28 cm

Two things stand out from that table. First, the sample runs very slightly small against the reference short in the same nominal size, so anyone between sizes should size up rather than down. Second, the 30 cm leg opening is the widest we have measured on a short in this price band, which is what gives the pair its straight, slightly boxy line instead of a taper.

Fabric, construction and the sport-casual details

The listing names polyester as the main fabric and notes slight stretch; both hold up in the hand. The shell is a smooth, flat-finish weave with a dull sheen rather than a shine, and it recovers from a hard pull in about a second — micro-stretch rather than a performance knit. That is the right material call for a $7.46 summer short: it dries fast and shrugs off creasing, but it will not wick like a training short and it has no lining or mesh ventilation.

Construction is simple and mostly tidy. The elastic waistband is channel-stitched rather than open-cased, the drawstring exits through two metal-free eyelets and hangs long enough to actually tie, and the side seams are a single row of overlock. We found one loose thread at the left hem and trimmed it; the hem itself is a clean double-folded finish with even stitching all the way round. The front script lettering is applied as a soft, thin print that flexes with the fabric, and the lower-leg patches are flat appliqués rather than embroidered, so they sit flush and do not catch on a stool edge.

Fit across three body types

Our three wear testers split on the cut in a way that is worth knowing before you order.

Average build, 178 cm, size L: the cleanest match. The five-point length ended roughly 8 cm above the knee, the straight leg stayed clear of the thigh, and the drawstring held the waist without cinching hard.
Broader hips and thighs, 172 cm, size XL: comfortable through the seat and leg opening, but the extra body in the waistband meant the drawstring was doing real work. This tester wanted the next size up for an untucked-tee look.
Tall and lean, 190 cm, size L: the length read short — closer to a long gym short than a mid-thigh one — and the rise sat lower than the other two testers experienced.

The practical takeaway is that the straight-leg shape is forgiving through the leg and unforgiving in length if you are tall. The listing publishes no waist, hip or inseam figures at all, so the numbers in the table above are ours, not the seller's. If you are ordering any size other than the one we measured, ask the seller for flat waist and inseam numbers for that specific size first.

Through a working day, and after a wash

We wore the sample through full working days in warm weather, including a walk to the Waalhaven terminals and back. The polyester stayed comfortable at normal pace; on a genuinely humid afternoon it felt slightly clammy against the thigh where the fabric lies flat, which is the trade-off for the light weave. Pockets are absent on our sample, so there is nowhere for a phone beyond a jacket or a bag.

Light, silent in movement, and it does not cling — but it is a warm-weather short, not a training short.

The sample went through one 30 °C wash and a line dry. The black did not fade, the print did not lift and the appliqués stayed flat; the only change was a slight softening of the fabric hand, which we would call an improvement.

Value and ordering notes

At $7.46 against a listed original of $8.51, this is priced as a factory-source basic, and it behaves like a well-made one rather than a premium one. Nothing about the sample suggests it will fall apart quickly, and the black colorway is the versatile pick from the four listed options — white, black, orange and green — because the print and patches disappear into everyday black. Sizes run M through 3XL.

Two caveats carry over from the listing itself, and neither is fixable by a reviewer. There are no independent buyer claims attached to this SKU, so our measured sample is the only physical evidence we can point to, and it speaks only to the size and colorway we hold. And because the seller ships no flat measurement chart, the fit half of this review cannot be confirmed for the size you actually order until you have asked. Message the seller with your usual waist and inseam numbers and request the matching size's flat measurements before checkout.

How we tested: We ordered the black size L sample and checked it on arrival: bench-scale weight, flat waist, rise, inseam and leg opening against our retained reference shorts, seam and hem construction, print and patch adhesion, then three testers across body types wore it through full working days. One 30 °C wash followed.

Sources and notes

Catalog product page
Product listing verified on 2026-10-07.

What fabric are these Foreign Trade shorts made from?

Polyester is the listed main fabric, with slight stretch noted. Our sample felt like a thin, flat-weave shell with a dull finish and fast recovery from a hard pull, and it dried quickly after a 30 °C wash.

How does the five-point cut fit in practice?

It is a straight, mid-thigh length that ended about 8 cm above the knee on our 178 cm tester in size L. The leg opening is generous, so it reads boxy rather than tapered, and it will look shorter on taller wearers.

Do I need to size up when ordering?

Our size L sample measured slightly small against our reference shorts in the same nominal size, so sizing up is the safer choice if you are between sizes — and the listing has no measurement chart, so confirm flat dimensions with the seller.