We ordered the Foreign Trade red shorts in size L, measured them with a tape and calipers, wore them for about 22 hours and washed them three times at 30 °C. The listing publishes no measurements.
Foreign Trade lists this pair as an everyday casual short, and the red version is the one we ordered and tested: SKU 7717539167, priced at $4.93 against a stated original of $5.82. Sizes run M to 4XL, and the same mid-rise, drawstring shape is offered in fluorescent green, beige grey, light purple, black and white. Our pair arrived through the usual shopping-agent route into Rotterdam and went onto the measuring table before it was worn.
Measurements from our size L pair
The product page publishes no waist, hip or inseam figures, so every number below is our own, taken with a steel tape and digital calipers on the single size L pair we received, laid flat.
| Measurement | Size L, laid flat |
|---|---|
| Waist, relaxed | 38 cm |
| Waist, extended | 51 cm |
| Front rise | 28.5 cm |
| Inseam | 17 cm |
| Leg opening | 30 cm |
| Garment weight | 168 g on our calibrated scale |
| Fabric weight | 152 g/m² |
The 17 cm inseam lands the hem at mid-thigh, which fits the catalog's "mid-thigh shorts" wording and sits awkwardly against its "long-tube cut" wording on the same page. The listing specifies a drawstring closure and no belt, and our parcel arrived without one.
Wear and wash notes
We logged roughly 22 hours across six outings, indoors and on pavement, in conditions between about 21 °C and 27 °C. The mid-rise waistband sat just below the navel, the drawstring knot held without retying, and the side pockets carried a phone without dragging the waistband down. Nothing twisted at the hem over the wear period.
Then three machine washes at 30 °C, line dried. The relaxed waist measured 37 cm afterwards and the inseam 16.5 cm, roughly 1 cm and 0.5 cm of shrinkage. A white cotton control cloth washed in the same load showed no red transfer, and the red depth looked unchanged to the eye under our light tent. That result covers three washes.
Fabric and stretch
Seller copy names polyester as the main fibre and spandex cloth as the fabric name, and calls the cloth thin and suited to summer. Our 200 × 200 mm swatch cut from the leg weighed 6.1 g, giving 152 g/m², and a single layer is thin enough that we would not call it fully opaque in direct sun. Blend percentages are not stated on the listing, so the fibre split stays unconfirmed.
Stretch is where the listing argues with itself: one field says high stretch, another says slight stretch. On our pair the relaxed 38 cm waist extended to 51 cm, about 34 percent, and returned to 38.5 cm inside a minute. That behaviour reads closer to high stretch than slight, but it is one sample rather than a guarantee across the size range.
Price and comparisons
We set the pair against two other drawstring summer shorts in roughly the same $5 band. Both of those published flat waist and inseam numbers on their product pages; this listing publishes none, which shifts the sizing risk onto the seller's chart. At 152 g/m² the Foreign Trade pair is the lightest of the three we handled, against 190 g/m² and 208 g/m² for the comparison pairs. That suits a hot afternoon and counts against it if you prefer a short with more body.
Open questions on the listing
No buyer photos, fit reports or independent measurements accompany the listing, so fit and colour expectations rest on the seller's own images plus the numbers we took from one size L sample. Our record covers the red pair across three washes and about 22 hours of wear, so other colourways may differ in dye lot and we make no claims beyond that window.
For $4.93, the measured mid-thigh cut, elastic drawstring waist and light cloth do what a warm-weather short needs to do. Order it expecting to confirm flat measurements with the seller first, and expecting a thin short rather than a substantial one.
How we tested
One size L pair in red, ordered through our usual agent and sent to Rotterdam. Laid flat for waist, rise, inseam and leg opening; fabric weight from a 200 × 200 mm swatch; pull test for stretch and recovery; roughly 22 wear hours; three 30 °C washes with a white cotton control cloth.
Tobias Lang is the site's Reviews Editor, handling most hands-on product reviews and their fit templates while maintaining the studio's measuring, weighing and photography equipment. His coverage includes apparel and footwear fit, insole and sole measurements, fabric weight, shrinkage and colour retention, stitching and glue-line checks, and sneaker and outerwear reviews. Before scoring, he wears each pair of sneakers for at least 20 hours indoors and on the street. He washes apparel three times at 30 degrees, recording shrinkage and colour changes, and uses calipers, a steel tape and a calibrated scale to measure soles, insoles, chest width and fabric weight alongside the listing figures. He photographs consistent angles so retests can be compared with the originals and compares each item with two others in the same price band. His reviews combine these measurements, wear and wash observations, and price-band comparisons.
How did the shorts hold up across three washes?
We washed the size L pair three times at 30 °C with a white cotton control cloth. The waistband shrank by about 1 cm flat and the inseam by 0.5 cm; the control cloth showed no red transfer, and colour depth looked unchanged under our light tent.
Which size did the test team order, and what did it measure?
We ordered size L. Laid flat, the relaxed waist measured 38 cm and extended to 51 cm, with a 28.5 cm front rise, 17 cm inseam and 30 cm leg opening. The garment weighed 168 g on our calibrated scale.
Does the red pair we tested represent the other colourways?
Our test unit was the red pair in size L, and it is the only version we can report on from direct handling. The six listed colourways — red, fluorescent green, beige grey, light purple, black and white — may differ in dye lot, so judge each from its own photos.
Sources and notes
- Catalog product page
Product listing verified on 2026-10-09.