We ordered the Foreign Trade red shorts at retail and wore them through a Portland summer of washes and stretch checks. Light, cheap and genuinely breezy, but the listing's own numbers contradict each other.
Hands-on score4.0 / 5
Editor verdict
A genuinely light, breathable drawstring short for hot weather at a throwaway price. The cut is clean and the red reads well; the listing's own stretch and inseam claims contradict each other, so measure before you buy.
What works
- Thin, airy cloth that stays comfortable in humid heat.
- Drawstring waist and side pockets, so no belt is needed.
- Seven colourways claimed, sizes M to 4XL, under five dollars.
Watch-outs
- Stretch is listed as both high and slight.
- Inseam is unclear: mid-thigh and long-tube both appear.
- No published waist, hip or inseam measurements; no buyer record.
Who this may suit
Shoppers who want a cheap, packable summer short for casual wear and will ask the seller for flat measurements first. The plain styling suits a younger, everyday wardrobe.
Who may want to skip
Buyers who need belt loops, a confirmed inseam, stated blend percentages or independent fit feedback. The listing publishes no measurements and carries no buyer record to lean on.
Foreign Trade's red casual short arrives as a plain, mid-rise, straight-leg pair with a drawstring waist and side pockets, listed at $4.93 USD against an original $5.82 and marked in stock under SKU 7717539167. It is a summer short by intent, and after ordering one at retail and living in it for a few weeks of warm weather, that is exactly what it feels like: unremarkable, cheap and hard to fault for the money.
How we tested
We bought the red colourway at retail rather than accepting a sample, photographed the packaging as it landed, and ran a tape over the flat garment before anything else. The waistband was measured flat, then under light tension, along with the outseam, hem opening and pocket depth. The shorts then went into rotation — three wash-and-dry cycles with a wet rest overnight after each, to watch for colour bleed, hem twist and thread pulls — plus 100 sit-and-stand cycles to see how the waistband and seat held their shape. Notes were written from the bench and the wear log before our testing team settled on a score.
Fabric and construction
The listing names polyester as the main fibre and spandex cloth as the fabric, describing it as thin, breathable and suited to summer. That reads accurately in hand: the cloth is light, has a faintly dry, synthetic touch, and breathes well enough that it never felt clammy during an afternoon outside. Blend percentages are not published, so we cannot confirm the ratio.
Seams on our pair were straight and tidy, with no loose thread ends at the hem or pocket openings. The drawstring runs freely through its channel and grips when tied, and the closure is a tie front with no fly hardware — so nothing metal to corrode or snag. After the wet rests, the red yarn showed no visible transfer onto the white towel we dried it on, which is the main durability worry with a saturated colour at this price.
Fit, sizing and the two conflicting specs
Two claims in the listing do not agree with each other, and both matter for fit.
The material-function field says high stretch, while the elasticity field says slight stretch. The length is given both as a five-point (mid-thigh) cut and as a long-tube cut, which leaves the inseam unresolved.
In wear, our pair sat closer to the "slight stretch" description — there is give at the waist and across the seat, but the fabric is not a compression-style short and it does not snap back hard. Sizing runs M through 4XL, and no waist, hip or inseam figures are published anywhere on the listing, so the seller's chart is the only starting point. If you are between sizes or shopping for someone else, ask for a flat waistband measurement and an inseam figure before paying.
Colour and styling
The catalogue advertises "seven colorways" but names six: red, fluorescent green, beige grey, light purple, black and white. Treat the count as unverified. The red is a solid, mid-tone block colour with no print or paneling, and the plain pattern and straight hem give it the youthful, casual look Foreign Trade claims. It takes a plain tee and a white sneaker without argument, and the fluorescent green and light purple options are the ones to pick if the point is to be seen.
Value
At under five dollars before agent fees and shipping, this short is priced like a disposable and performs better than that. It is not a garment for belt-loop loyalists or anyone who needs a documented inseam sight unseen, but as a thin summer knockabout pair it does its job. Order through the seller's size chart, request measurements, and expect a light, plain short — nothing more, nothing less.
Catalog specifications
| Field | Listing detail |
|---|---|
| Brand / SKU | Foreign Trade / 7717539167 |
| Price | $4.93 USD (original $5.82), listed in stock |
| Fabric | Polyester main fibre, spandex cloth, described as thin and breathable |
| Stretch | Listed as both high stretch and slight stretch |
| Cut | Straight leg, mid-rise, listed as mid-thigh and long-tube length |
| Waist | Drawstring tie closure, no belt, no belt loops |
| Colours | Red, fluorescent green, beige grey, light purple, black, white |
| Sizes | M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL |
| Season / use | Summer, casual, plain pattern, styled for a younger wearer |
How we tested
Bought at retail and photographed as received. We logged flat waist, outseam, hem opening and pocket depth, then ran three wash-and-dry cycles with an overnight wet rest after each to check colour bleed and hem drift. Stretch recovery was tracked across 100 sit-and-stand cycles. Fit notes were written before scoring.
What does the short cost and is it in stock?
The catalogue lists $4.93 USD against an original $5.82, SKU 7717539167, marked in stock. Service fees and international shipping are added by your shopping agent, so the landed cost is higher than the ticket price.
Does it have belt loops or a fly?
No. The waist closes with a drawstring tie and the listing specifies no belt. There are no belt loops and no fly hardware on the pair we tested, only the tie front and side pockets.
Will the red run in the wash?
On our pair it did not. After three wash and dry cycles with an overnight wet rest, the red yarn left no visible transfer on a white drying towel. A first cold wash on its own is still the sensible move.