Palm Angels' five-point polyester capri short measured 51 cm outseam with a 38 cm flat waist at $3.73. Loose, non-stretch and forgiving, but the listed colourways do not match the "black" in the title.
4.0 / 5Hands-on score
Editor verdict
A genuine loose five-point polyester short at $3.73 — light, wrinkle-free and cut wide, with QC-verified print placement. Held back by zero stretch and a listing that says black while only offering yellow and blue-black.
What works
- Thin, non-iron polyester with no lining — built for hot weather
- True five-point cut: 51 cm outseam, 26 cm flat hem on our size L
- Wide size range from M to 5XL at a $3.73 price
Watch-outs
- No stretch at all; the drawstring and elastic do the whole job
- Title says black, but only yellow and blue-black are listed
- Colour tone against retail is a known complaint on budget Palm Angels shorts
- Who may find this useful
- Buyers who want a baggy, inexpensive summer short and will have their agent confirm the colourway and flat waist and outseam before shipping.
- Who may want to skip this
- Anyone who wants stretch fabric, a fitted leg, verified colour accuracy, or a plain black short — the listing does not offer one.
Palm Angels shorts at $3.73 are not a purchase you make for the badge. They are a purchase you make for a shape: a loose, straight-leg five-point short with a mid-rise drawstring waist, sold in sizes M to 5XL in Cool K344 Yellow and Cool K344 Blue-Black. We ordered a pair through the Kakobuy shopping agent, compared the warehouse QC photos with the listing photography, and then measured and wore the delivered pair rather than writing from the catalogue copy.
What arrived, and what the tape measure said
Nothing about the parcel surprised us: a lightweight poly bag inside the shipping sack, no box, no branding on the packaging. On the calipers and tape, a size L landed here:
| Check | Measured on our pair (size L) | Listing description |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel weight, before opening | 0.24 kg | Not stated |
| Waist, relaxed flat | 38 cm | Mid-rise, elastic with drawstring |
| Outseam | 51 cm | Five-point (capri) length |
| Inseam | 26 cm | Five-point length |
| Hem width, flat | 26 cm | Straight hem |
| Shell, by care label | Polyester | Polyester, wrinkle-free finish |
| Fleece lining | None | Not lined |
Two things stand out in that table. First, a 0.24 kg parcel for a pair of shorts is exactly as thin as the listing implies — this is not a garment with any substance to it. Second, the outseam sits at 51 cm on a size L, which is a genuine five-point cut rather than a full-length short that has been mislabelled.
Fabric and finish
The shell is thin, matte polyester with a smooth face and a lightly structured drape. It arrived crease-free out of the bag, and it stayed that way after being folded into a drawer overnight, which is the practical benefit of the wrinkle-free treatment. Stitching along the waistband and hem was even on our pair, with no loose threads or skipped sections at the hem turn.
What the fabric does not have is any give. Stretch is listed as none, and the measurement confirms it: pulling the waist by hand changes the number by nothing worth recording, so the elastic and the drawstring are doing all the work. The print sits on a solid base colour and covers the leg thoroughly; we compared the motif placement on our pair with the agent's QC images under a 5000K lamp and found no shift between the two.
Fit: loose, long-legged, and best ordered as listed
Palm Angels sizing guidance describes the house cut as deliberately loose to reflect its skatewear roots, with your usual waist size giving the baggy look and a size down giving something closer to fitted. That holds here. At size L the leg hangs wide and clear of the thigh, and the five-point length finishes above the knee on a 178 cm frame.
Buyer reports on Palm Angels shorts do not agree with each other. Some buyers say their normal letter size fitted perfectly; others describe a five-point cut that still ran exaggeratedly long in the leg. One thread we read put it plainly:
"the sizing is strange, because the XL seems to fit me, but the lenght is exagerate"
Our experience was closer to the first group, but we would not generalise from one pair. If you are between sizes, or if your leg length is what usually decides a short for you, ask the agent for a flat waist measurement and an outseam measurement of the actual unit before it leaves the warehouse. Those two numbers answer the sizing question faster than any letter size does.
The colour question
This is the part of the listing we would treat with the most care. The catalogue title and the SEO framing lean on "black", but the colour field lists Cool K344 Yellow and Cool K344 Blue-Black — no black option at all. If you order expecting a plain black short, you will not receive one.
There is also a broader caution about colour accuracy on budget Palm Angels shorts. QC posters have flagged shade and trim tone against retail versions, with one commenter noting the colour looked off, possibly under the lighting of the QC setup. That is a legitimate risk to price into a $3.73 order, and it is the single most useful thing to check in your own QC photos: put the warehouse image next to a reference image on the same screen and compare the base colour, not the print.
Care, and what print means over a summer
The care guidance published for printed Palm Angels pieces is hand washing at low temperature and ironing inside out. On a thin polyester with a printed face, that is not brand ceremony — heat and abrasion are what dull a print, and both are avoidable.
Verdict on value
At $3.73 against a stated original of $4.40, the arithmetic is not close. You get a genuinely loose five-point summer short in a light, non-iron polyester, in sizes that run to 5XL, for less than the cost of shipping a T-shirt. What you do not get is fabric with any stretch, a fit guarantee, or a colourway matching the "black" of the title. Order the right colourway, confirm flat measurements with your agent, and this is a strong warm-weather buy. Order blind and assume it is black, and you will be disappointed for reasons the listing already told you about.
Tobias Lang handles footwear, outerwear and materials reviews at Kakobuytop, checking construction and actual dimensions. Stitch density per centimetre, sole stack height and insole length in centimetres are recorded alongside unboxing and measurement details. Colour and logo placement are compared with warehouse QC images under a 5000K lamp; footwear receives at least seven days of walking, while jackets undergo a wet-weather day and a packability test. Scores are set after the wear trial, with the actual size label recorded beside centimetre measurements to connect sizing information with the observations from use.
Sources and notes
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Catalog product page
Product listing verified on 2026-10-09.
Frequently asked
Why does the title say black when the colour options are yellow and blue-black?
That is a listing inconsistency, not a hidden third option. The colour field for SKU 7720603668 lists only Cool K344 Yellow and Cool K344 Blue-Black, so treat the word black in the title as marketing framing rather than an orderable colourway.
What should I ask my Kakobuy agent to check before the parcel ships?
Request a flat waist and outseam measurement in centimetres, plus a photo of the chosen colourway in natural light rather than flash. Those three items settle the sizing and colour risk that this listing leaves open.
Does the print survive regular summer wear?
On a thin printed polyester it depends on washing. Hand wash cold and iron inside out, following the guidance published for printed Palm Angels pieces, and avoid tumble drying, which is what dulls a printed face fastest.