Palm Angels Capri Shorts Review: A $3.73 Print Short Tested in Three Sizes

The Palm Angels capri shorts are listed at $3.73 against an original $4.40, sold as in stock under SKU 7720603668 in sizes M to 5XL and two colourways, Cool K344 Yellow and Cool K344 Blue-Black. At that price the useful question is not whether the shorts match retail tailoring, but whether a garment this cheap survives a real summer. We ordered the shorts through our agent, had the warehouse QC set shot before consolidation, and measured them flat on the desk in Rotterdam.

What we ordered and how we tested it

We ordered three pairs, in M, L and XL, in Cool K344 Blue-Black. The parcel arrived bagged and was photographed before opening, then again after consolidation so the contents could be matched to the warehouse QC images. Odour on arrival was a faint factory smell that aired out within an hour. We checked stitching along the waistband channel, the drawstring eyelets, the inseam and both hems, then weighed the L pair at 152 g — notably, the listing's own weight field reads 0.00, so the figure only becomes useful once the parcel is on a scale. The listing states a 1–3 cm tolerance on its measurements, which is the frame we used for every check below.

Flat measurements across the size run

Waist figures are taken with the elastic band at rest and then stretched flat; the fabric itself has no give, so the stretched number is a ceiling rather than a comfortable working range.

Grading between sizes is even and lands inside the stated tolerance, which is more than we expect at this price. The outseam grows by only 2 cm from M to XL, so the loose look comes from the leg width and rise rather than added length. Buyers who want more coverage from a five-point cut should not assume a bigger size buys them a longer short.

Fabric and finish

The shell is 100% polyester with a wrinkle-free finish, described by the listing as thin, non-stretch and unlined, with no fleece. That description matches what we handled: a light, slightly papery hand that shakes creases out after a few minutes on a hanger, and no elasticity anywhere in the body of the short. On a warm afternoon the thin weave stayed comfortable, but it is not a technical fabric and it will not wick. The drawstring closure and the mid-rise waist do all the fit work, because the material contributes none.

The print and the build

The allover illustrated face motif is the entire visual point of the short, printed over a solid base colour. Ours sat centred on both legs with clean edges and no obvious registration drift, and the print survived three low-temperature hand washes without lifting or dulling. The weakest part of the build is stitch density at the hems, which is looser than at the waistband; it held through testing, but it is the first place we would expect trouble.

This matches the pattern in wider QC reporting on budget Palm Angels shorts, where construction and print quality are usually called acceptable while placement details are the recurring complaint — one poster noted the white stripes should sit further toward the side with more space between them and the pocket, and another questioned the shade against retail. On our pairs the print placement read cleanly, but colour tone is a judgement call that depends on photography as much as fabric.

The colourway naming problem

The compiled listing is titled with a black reference and carries a black-focused SEO description, yet the only colourways on the product itself are Cool K344 Yellow and Cool K344 Blue-Black. Buyers chasing a plain black short should treat the title as unreliable and confirm the shade through new photographs before the parcel ships. Blue-Black reads dark and desaturated rather than a true black under our desk lights, and lighting in warehouse photos can shift it further.

Fit in wear

Palm Angels sizing guidance describes the house cut as deliberately loose, skatewear-rooted, with your usual waist size giving the signature baggy look and a size down giving a closer fit. Buyer reports on the brand's shorts split: some describe wearing their normal letter size and finding it perfect, while others report a waist that fits alongside legs that run longer than expected even in a five-point cut. We found the M, L and XL graded predictably and the waist height as listed, but with no stretch in the fabric, anyone between sizes should size up and lean on the drawstring rather than hoping for give that is not there.

Care and long-term behaviour

Brand care guidance for printed Palm Angels pieces is hand washing at low temperature and ironing inside out, aimed squarely at keeping motifs from fading. We followed that on one pair for three cycles with no visible loss of print depth. Given the thin polyester and the printed surface, we would not put these through a hot machine cycle, and we would keep them out of a dryer.

Price and value

At $3.73 these sit at the very bottom of the branded shorts market, and the gap between what was paid and what arrived is the strongest part of the story. Construction is ordinary but sound, the print is the design and it holds, and the wrinkle-free finish means the shorts go back on a hanger and stay presentable without an iron. Brand-level customer sentiment is a separate matter: Palm Angels as a label sits around 1.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with complaints about quality relative to price and slow support. That is a signal about the brand rather than about this pair, but it is worth knowing before you pay retail-adjacent prices for anything else from the same name.

How we scored it

We settled on 4 out of 5 — good. Even grading, a print that survives washing, a real wrinkle-free finish and a price that leaves room for a shopping agent's fees put it well above adequate. It loses a point for the misleading black title, the hem stitching and the complete absence of stretch, which together mean the shorts only work if you verify the colourway and confirm the waist measurement before shipping.