Faherty vs Todd Snyder: which short wins?
Both land in the premium tier — the Faherty All Day Short at $108, the Todd Snyder Italian Cotton Short at $128, just $20 apart. Here's how they stack up, head to head.
| Faherty | Todd Snyder | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $108 | $128 |
| Material | A recycled-polyester performance blend (Faherty's REPREVE-based fabric) with some organic cotton and a bit of elastane for stretch — quick-drying and water-repellent, with a smooth midweight hand rather than a heavy woven feel. | Mid-weight garment-dyed Italian cotton (often with a touch of stretch in some makes), soft and pre-broken-in. |
| Fit | Faherty's classic everyday short fit, offered in 5-, 7-, and 9-inch inseams; a zipper fly with shank closure plus an interior drawstring, with a separate belt-loop version also available. Generally true to size with a roomy, easy seat. | Trim, slightly tapered cut with a 5-to-8-inch inseam and a slim seat — runs lean, so size up if you carry muscle in the thigh. |
| Quality | Clean stitching, mesh-lined pockets, and a durable quick-dry recycled-poly fabric that holds up well to water and repeated wear; the trade-off is that the technical poll-feel reads casual and performance-oriented rather than crisp and tailored, so it won't dress up like a structured chino short. | Good cloth and clean finishing, but the garment dye crocks and fades early and the construction is standard — solid, not built like the price suggests. |
| Best for | Beach days, boat days, vacations, and all-day casual wear for anyone who wants a quick-dry, do-everything short over a tailored, dressed-up one. | Trimmer builds who want an elevated, lived-in cotton short with designer-menswear color and don't mind paying up for fabric over construction. |
| Care | Machine wash cold and hang or tumble dry low — the recycled-poly blend dries fast on its own and skipping high heat protects the water-repellent finish and the small amount of stretch in the waistband. | Wash cold inside-out, alone or with like colors for the first few washes to limit crocking, and hang or tumble low; expect continued fading as part of the garment-dyed look. |
Twenty dollars separates a recycled-polyester quick-dry short built for water and movement from a garment-dyed Italian cotton short built for a trimmer, dressed-up casual look. The Faherty is the more functional object; the Todd Snyder is the more elevated-looking one. Neither is a construction standout at its price, and both carry a meaningful brand premium.
- The case for Faherty
- The Faherty wins on durability and versatility: the quick-dry recycled-poly blend genuinely handles beach, boat, and bar without a wardrobe change, and the fabric holds up to repeated water exposure in a way that garment-dyed cotton structurally cannot.
- The case for Todd Snyder
- The Todd Snyder wins on fabric feel and visual polish: Italian garment-dyed cotton has a softer, more lived-in hand and reads as an elevated casual short in a way that a performance-poly blend simply does not, regardless of styling.
The bottom lineWhich should you buy?
Buy the Faherty if the short will see water, sweat, or all-day active wear — the performance fabric justifies the price far better than the Todd Snyder's cotton does in those conditions, and $108 is already steep for what is essentially a poly-blend quick-dry short. Step up to the Todd Snyder only if the look is the priority — a trim build, a dressed-casual context, and a genuine preference for the faded cotton aesthetic — and ideally wait for one of its frequent 50–60% off sales, where the $128 ask becomes defensible; at full price, the $20 premium mostly buys Italian cloth and a dye treatment that will visibly fade, not better construction.
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