Men's Vintage Sweatshort - Vintage Ensign Blue

Fit depends on which cut you pick: the Classic line is slim, tapered, and reads small on average builds, the Relaxed line is much roomier, and the all-cotton fleece shrinks a size's worth in a hot dryer.

Owners and testers split along the brand's two fit lines rather than one direction. The Classic fleece is cut athletic — broad shoulders tapering to the waist — and one hands-on tester found several pieces "ran small" against the brand's own size charts, with pants also running short in the leg. Meanwhile hoodie reviewers report the opposite out of the box — one called it "larger than its true size" and baggy in the arms — but the 100% cotton shrinks roughly 3-5% in the dryer, and another reviewer's slightly-large medium settled to a proper fit after one wash-and-dry. Reviewers note the Relaxed fit runs about 5 inches bigger in the chest than Classic at the same marked size, so the label alone doesn't tell you the fit.

Sizing advice: Keep your usual size in the Classic fleece and dry on low to let the 3-5% shrinkage dial in the fit; choose the Relaxed cut (not a size up) if you want room, and expect pant inseams to run short.

Per owner & reviewer reports: American Giant Review: Are the made-in-America clothes wo… · American Giant Review — The Adult Man · American Giant Hoodie Review — How Comfy · American Giant Hoodie Review — Stridewise

Shorts-specific coverage is thin, but the one menswear review that covers the line calls the work-style shorts about as hard-wearing a pair as you'll find on the market, and positions the sweatshorts as a step up from basic athletic shorts. Brand-level testing backs that up: reviewers who wore the clothes hard for months report no signs of wear, fading, or loose threads. The caveats are consistent too — the mostly-cotton fabrics shrink a few percent in the wash, some pieces run small, and multiple reviewers say prices sit above what they'd normally pay for basics.

Strengths

Durability is the consistent finding — long-term testers report garments holding up to heavy use with no visible wear.

Watch out for

Reviewers flag shrinkage on the all-cotton fabrics, some items running small, and prices they consider slightly high even for US-made garments.

Sizing

Testers report some pieces run small and that the 100% cotton fabrics can shrink 3-5%, so size with shrinkage in mind rather than sizing down.

About American Giant's shorts line as a whole. Sources: American Giant Review: Your Next Stop For Basic Wardrobe Essentials – Effortless Gent · American Giant Review (2024): Are Premium Basics Worth It? – The Adult Man · American Giant Review: Are the made-in-America clothes worth it? – Reviewed