You reach for the same pair on the days you have twenty minutes and no patience for adjusting anything

Hold a pair up to the light and the first thing you see is the rib. The whole short is knitted in a fine vertical rib that runs from the top of the waistband to the hem, tightening the fabric and giving it a dry, matte surface rather than a shiny one. The waistband is tall, plain and knitted in one with the body. There is no elastic casing inside it and no drawstring through it.

Turn the pair round and the construction shows itself. A large rounded panel is knitted into the seat with a change of stitch direction, edged by a curved line where the rib turns. Below it the leg stops high on the thigh, finished with a narrow knitted band. There is one seam at the crotch gusset and nothing else. Nylon at ninety percent with spandex at ten, per the maker, across twelve colours that run from clear brights to soft marls.

Key Benefits

• Fine rib all over The rib runs the full height of the short and gives the knit a matte, dry surface. It is a texture you can see on every colourway, not a printed effect.
• Tall knitted waistband Knitted in one with the body, so there is no elastic casing to twist and no drawstring to knot. It sits high and folds back flat.
• Rounded seat panel A change of stitch direction shapes a large rounded panel at the back, outlined by a curved line where the rib turns.
• Short upper thigh leg The hem sits high on the thigh with a narrow knitted band. This is a short short, not a three quarter length.
• Twelve colours Six clear tones and six marled ones, each with its own photograph on the option, so you can see the shade before you commit.
• Nylon with spandex Ninety percent nylon and ten percent spandex per the maker, which is where the stretch and the recovery come from.

Best for: Anyone who trains in short bottoms and wants a plain ribbed pair with no logo, no pocket and no drawstring, in a colour range wide enough to have a favourite.

Why It Works

A rib is not decoration on a knit like this, it is structure. Ribbed fabric contracts sideways and stretches further than a flat jersey, which is why a ribbed waistband holds without elastic and why a ribbed leg grips at the hem without a band sewn on. The maker has used it everywhere, then changed the stitch direction across the seat so the fabric can follow a curve instead of pulling flat over it. That is the whole design. What you should know is what it does not do: it is short, it has nowhere to put a key, and it has one fit rather than an adjustable one.

Quick Product Facts: Seamless ribbed knit shorts; nylon ninety percent and spandex ten percent per the maker; tall knitted waistband with no elastic casing and no drawstring; rounded seat panel formed by a change of stitch direction; upper thigh hem with a narrow knitted band; no pocket; twelve colours; sizes XS, S, M, L and XL; packing list reads yoga shorts times one.

How It Fits Your Routine

Try the first pair on and move before you decide. Squat, lunge, sit down. A ribbed knit reads tighter than a jersey of the same size in the first minutes because the rib is contracted at rest, and it opens up as soon as you load it.

Wash cold and gentle, inside out, without softener, and dry flat or on a rail. Ribbed knits keep their shape a long time if they never see a tumble dryer, and lose it quickly if they do.

After a few weeks you will know whether you reach for a marl or a bright. The marled shades in this run hide sweat marks better than the clear ones, which matters more on a short than on a legging because there is less fabric to spread it.

FAQ

Are these three quarter length? No. The maker title says three quarter length and every photograph shows a short that stops high on the thigh. We have gone with the photographs and corrected the title.

Do they reshape or lift anything? No, and we make no such claim. The maker sheet talks about a peach butt effect and about contouring the figure. What is really there is a rounded knitted panel at the seat, which changes how the fabric lies.

What does hemp mean in the colour names? Nothing to do with hemp fibre. Hemp green, hemp ash, hemp powder, ma lan and mahei are translations of a Chinese word for a marled or heather yarn. The fibre is nylon and spandex on every colour.

Are they breathable or quick drying? The maker describes the fabric as breathable and quick drying. There is no perforation, no mesh and no vent anywhere on the short, so we pass that on as the maker's wording rather than as a claim of ours.