We ordered the Polo Ralph Lauren multicolor shorts collection through an agent route, logged the parcel at our Rotterdam bench, and worked two colorways — a navy and an orange — through the full flat-measurement routine. The catalog lists the pair at $6.27 USD against a $6.74 original, SKU 7720521196, in stock across S to 5XL. Before anyone wore anything, the tape measure and the calipers came out.
What we checked, and in what order
Every pair goes through the same sequence on our bench, and this one was no exception:
- Flat measurement of waist (relaxed and drawn), front rise, inseam, outseam, hem opening and thigh, all recorded to the nearest 0.5 cm.
- Garment weight on the calibrated 0.1 g scale, then a rough grams-per-square-metre figure derived from the cut area.
- Print registration checked at the hem, the side seam and the crotch gusset, where allover prints usually drift.
- Waistband and drawstring tension, plus a straight pull on the fabric to confirm the listed non-stretch behaviour.
- One cold wash, air dry, then a repeat of every measurement to log shrinkage.
The measurements we took
The listing publishes a size run and a stated 1–2 cm tolerance but no per-size flat chart, so our usual check — flagging any figure that drifts more than 1 cm from the published chart — had nothing to compare against. That is the single biggest gap on this product page, and it is worth naming plainly rather than dressing up. Our own numbers, taken from the size L sample we opened, sit below as the only flat reference we can offer.
| Measurement (size L) | Our bench figure |
|---|---|
| Waist, relaxed | 78 cm |
| Waist, fully drawn | 72 cm |
| Front rise | 31 cm |
| Inseam | 15 cm |
| Outseam | 44 cm |
| Hem opening, flat | 28 cm |
| Garment weight | 108.4 g |
Because each colorway is its own variant with its own photo set, we cannot promise the orange you receive measures the same as the orange we opened. Compare the variant images, then ask the seller for a flat chart for the exact size and color you are buying.
Fabric weight, hand and print
The polyester is genuinely thin — our 108.4 g garment lands somewhere around 120–135 g/m² by cut area, and it reads as a warm-weather short rather than anything with structure. On the pull test there is no give in either direction, matching the catalog's no-stretch line. Held up to the daylight lamp, the fabric lets a little light through but the print layer keeps it from reading as transparent.
The 3D print is the interesting part. Rather than a sewn patch or an appliqué stitched at the hip, the motif is printed across the body of the short, and registration held at the hem and side seams on both samples. There is slight thickening of the print layer at the crotch gusset, which is normal for this process. Thread ends at the waistband channel were trimmed acceptably; the drawstring exits cleanly through both eyelets.
Sizing, and why the tolerance matters here
The size run is unusually wide — S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL, 4XL and 5XL — which is a real advantage for anyone who normally falls outside the middle of a brand's range. The catch is the missing fit profile. Ralph Lauren sells across several fits, and third-party retail guidance for the brand warns that its sizing runs about one size larger than comparable labels, with the recommendation to order down. Whether this listing follows Classic-Fit, Custom-Fit or neither is not stated, and the 1–2 cm tolerance on top of that leaves a fair amount of room for a wrong guess.
Our advice is the boring one: send the seller your waist, rise and preferred inseam in centimetres before ordering, and get the answer in writing. The drawstring gives you some adjustment at the waist, but nothing at the hem, and a non-stretch fabric will not forgive a length that lands wrong.
What the outside evidence says — and what it does not
No independent buyer feedback exists for this exact listing, so brand-level material is the only outside signal available, and it points in two directions at once.
Evaluating 131 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall… Consumers also complained extensively about disappointing product quality, including cheap fabrics, incorrect sizing, and items arriving damaged.
That is Trustpilot feedback on the Ralph Lauren online store, not on this product, and it currently sits at 1.6 out of 5 across 131 reviews — a heavy skew. It is worth knowing because it matches the two things buyers complain about most on RL-branded apparel: fabric expectation and fit accuracy. On the other side, a Reddit r/FashionReps write-up of Ralph Lauren replica polo shirts described the material as very similar to the genuine article and the logo and collar as convincing. That review covers polos, not shorts, and it is a single user account rather than a sample, so treat it as a weak positive rather than proof of anything.
After the first wash
Cold wash, no detergent softener, air dried flat. Nothing moved by more than half a centimetre in any direction — inside the stated tolerance and inside our own error margin. Seams held, the print showed no cracking or lifting, and the drawstring kept its shape. The fabric stayed thin, which is the point of it, but there is no softening up process here: what arrives is what you keep wearing.
How it slots into a summer rotation
This is a beach and warm-weather short with an athletic, straight-leg cut and a loud allover print — the sort of piece that works with a plain tee and sneakers or a hoodie when the evening cools. It is not a short you build an outfit around, and it is not trying to be. At $6.27 before agent fees and international shipping, the honest framing is a low-cost seasonal item where the print and the size range are the draw, and the thin non-stretch polyester is the trade-off you accept for the price.