The Best Shorts, From Budget to Luxury

Fair at about $22 because that's what it is — a disposable, no-logo basic where you're paying for cotton and a flat front, not durability. The price is honest about the trade: thin cloth, inconsistent sizing, and a short lifespan are the…

Fair at around $25, and a steal on sale where it routinely lands near $15. Nobody's expecting heirloom construction here — you're paying for comfortable stretch and inseam choice per dollar, not durable cloth, and the value holds as long…

Fair at about $25 if you go in clear-eyed — you're paying for color choice and low commitment, not durability. The thin cotton and basic finishing are exactly what the price reflects; a sturdier short costs more for a reason, but few sho…

Excellent value at $30 — the fabric weight, clean finishing, and color range genuinely beat the price, and there's no logo markup here. You're paying for a competently made cotton short, not a brand name; reviewers routinely call it the…

Fair at around $40, and a genuine deal whenever Gap runs its frequent 40%-off sales that drop it into the mid-$30s — you're paying for a competent, fits-everyone basic, not logo or premium cloth. The value is the fit consistency and colo…

Fair at around $45 (its usual MSRP), and a clear value when AE drops it into the high $20s-$30s on its constant promos — you're paying for a comfortable stretch short, not premium cloth or hardware. The fabric is lighter and the dye fade…

Fair at its roughly $60 list, though Banana Republic almost always has it marked down 30-40%, so paying full price is leaving money on the table — wait for the sale and it's a genuine value. You're paying for the clean slim cut and a rec…

Fair at around $69, and most of it is durability and versatility rather than logo — the recycled nylon, bartacked stress points, and genuine water-to-land range are why people keep them for years. You're paying a Patagonia premium over a…

Fair-ish at $78 if you wear it constantly — the Swift fabric and movement are genuinely good and it lasts years with care. But the price carries a clear logo premium: comparable lined performance shorts from athletic brands run $40-$55,…

Fair-to-slightly-premium at $78 — the soft four-way-stretch knit and clean finishing are real, but this is a polyester-blend knit short and you're paying a brand premium that's crept up with Vuori's popularity. Comparable technical knit…

At ~$78 you're paying near the top of mid-tier for what is, materially, a polyester-elastane gym short — the markup is partly the anti-odor liner and clean construction, partly the Rhone name. It's fair if you wear the gym-to-street vers…

At roughly $79.50 list it's fair but not a steal — you're paying for cut options and color range, not a logo or a premium cloth. J.Crew discounts shorts constantly, so the smart move is to wait for a promo and pay closer to $50-$60. The…

Fair at $88 — you're paying for genuinely substantial organic cotton cloth, reinforced construction, and the brand's repair-and-last ethos, not a logo. The value is real durability; the catch is comfort lags pricier stretch shorts and yo…

Reasonable at $89, and like the pant, you're paying for the fit, not the fabric — the curved waistband genuinely solves the gap-and-sag problem that plagues most chino shorts. On cloth alone a 92/8 cotton-spandex short is matchable for $…

At $89 you're paying partly for cloth and partly for the pony — the stretch twill and finishing are genuinely good, but a near-identical drawstring chino short from a house brand runs $40-$55, so a chunk of this is the logo and the prep…

At $108 (closer to $98 for the belt-loop version) you're paying a coastal-lifestyle premium for a recycled-polyester quick-dry short. The versatility and fast-drying comfort are real, but the fabric is a poly performance blend, not woven…

Steep at $128 for what is, structurally, a cotton chino short — you're paying for Italian cloth, the garment-dye color, and the Todd Snyder name rather than any reinforced construction. The fabric and the faded colorways are genuinely ni…

Steep at $185, and honestly priced more for the Italian cloth, garment-dyed colour and clean French-Italian finishing than for any logo — there is no visible branding here. You can buy a competent cotton short for a third of this; what y…

Hard to call $595 "fair" in any value sense — you are paying for fine Italian cloth, sartorial finishing, and the no-logo discretion, and the markup over a comparably-cut short is enormous. The cloth and make are genuinely excellent; whe…

At about $695 this is a fabric-and-pedigree purchase, not a construction one — the cotton-linen cloth is legitimately among the best you can buy, but the stitching, hardware, and durability are ordinary luxury, not extraordinary. If the…