Celine Green Print Shorts, Five Washes Later: Testing a $5.22 Polyester Summer Cut

What we ordered and how it arrived

We bought the Celine all-over print green shorts at the listed retail price of $5.22 USD (down from $5.96) under SKU 7717465313, choosing the green colourway in size L from the seven sizes offered. The item arrived folded in a plain poly bag with no brand box, no tissue and no hangtag. We photographed the packaging, then opened it and laid the shorts flat on the workroom table before any washing.

First impressions: the green ground is a flat mid-tone rather than a deep forest green, and the lighter monogram-style motif reads clearly at arm's length but softens into a texture up close. The waistband is solid green, uninterrupted by the print, and the matching drawstring is threaded through a simple channel with no metal tips.

Fabric and construction at $5.22

The listing names polyester (polyester fiber) as the main fabric, with standard thickness and slight stretch, and describes it as breathable, machine washable, wear-resistant, wrinkle-free, stain-resistant and colourfast. Our hands-on check supports the basics: the cloth is light and slightly crisp, it drapes without clinging, and it recovers from a hand crush with only faint lines. The cut is a loose straight leg with a cargo-style shape, and the leg openings hang clean and even.

Seams are single-stitched with no visible puckering and no loose thread tails inside the leg. The waistband channel is the weakest point in construction — it is narrow, and the drawstring bunches the fabric slightly where it exits — but nothing split or frayed during our testing window. There are no belt loops, matching the listing's note that no belt is included.

Fit: loose, low-rise, and one real gap

The silhouette is genuinely loose and the low-rise waist sits below the natural waistline rather than at it. The drawstring gives real adjustment, so a size L cinched tight enough stayed up through a full day of walking, sitting and stair climbing. What the listing does not publish is any flat waist or hip measurement per size, and it allows a 1–2 cm tolerance. That is the single most important gap here: with no numbers to compare against, sizing depends entirely on the seller confirming measurements for the size you intend to buy.

Our own flat measurements, taken on the size L pair, put the shorts in a range that matches the tolerance the listing admits, so we would treat the stated sizes as approximate rather than exact. Anyone between two sizes should ask first rather than round down, because a cinched drawstring on a loose cut hides extra fabric far better than it hides a tight waist.

Five wash cycles at 30 degrees

Following our standard garment protocol, we machine washed the shorts five times at 30 degrees with a mild detergent, air drying between cycles and recording colour shift, shrinkage and print edge lift after each one.

The colourfast and wrinkle-resistant claims held up over the test period. We cannot speak to wear resistance or stain resistance beyond the five-cycle window, and no independent buyer feedback was available for this listing to compare our results against.

The pattern conflict worth resolving before you order

The listing's own fields disagree. The title says all-over print, and the images show a repeating light-coloured motif on green, apricot and black versions. The specification field, however, lists the pattern as solid colour.

Ask the seller to confirm which version ships and to send photos of the exact pair before ordering — this is a listing discrepancy, not something we can resolve by testing one pair.

Our green pair arrived printed as the title and photos suggest, but a single order cannot settle what every variant will look like, particularly if a solid version exists in one of the other colourways.

Styling and everyday use

In everyday casual wear these sit closest to a sport-short hybrid: pair the green print with a plain white or black T-shirt and low sneakers, or layer a hoodie over the top when the evening cools. Because the waistband is solid and unpatterned, tops that end at or just below the hip keep the outfit from looking busy. The loose straight leg keeps the shorts well clear of a bike frame or a car seat, and the light polyester dries fast enough to be practical for warm-weather travel. What it will not do is hold a crisp, tucked silhouette or substitute for a structured, belted short.

How we scored it

On our five-point scale the shorts land at 4.2 / 5 — good overall. Construction, wash behaviour and the adjustability of the drawstring all met or slightly beat the price point, and the colourfast and wrinkle claims were borne out. The score is held back by the unresolved print-versus-solid discrepancy and the absence of published flat waist and hip measurements, which leaves a sizing question the buyer has to close with the seller before ordering.