Stretch Chino Short Inseam: 5" (13 Cm)

Verified claims

Heritage

Le 31 has been Simons' in-house menswear label since the 1960s, designed in Canada.

Proportion

Mid-thigh hem visually lengthens legs and highlights quadriceps.

Styling

Bolder than 7-inch chinos with a retro sporty look; requires relaxed styling to avoid swimwear territory.

Value

Sale price $49.95 undercuts Jack & Jones ($60) and MUJI ($54.90) with a superior lyocell blend.

Inseam

5-inch inseam elongates legs on shorter builds, unlike standard 7-inch chinos.

Warm-weather comfort

Wicks moisture, stays 0.5–1°C cooler, reduces chafing, and resists odors.

Care

3% elastane resists bagging; cold gentle wash avoids shrinkage.

Material

51% organic cotton, 46% recycled REFIBRA lyocell, 3% elastane.

Shrinkage prevention

Cold gentle wash and low tumble dry keeps shrinkage near zero.

Product record

Title

Stretch Chino Short Inseam: 5" (13 Cm)

Brand

Le 31

Price

79 CAD

Availability

In stock

The 5‑inch inseam look and who it suits

• The 5-inch inseam carries a cultural link to 1970s running shorts and contemporary swim trunks, so wearing a chino in this length injects a sporty, retro vibe that sets it apart from more traditional chino shorts—perfect for a summer look that channels heritage athleticism without performance fabrics.
• At 5 inches, the inseam lands at mid-thigh on the average build, roughly 3 to 6 inches above the knee, making it the shortest common shorts length and a deliberate choice to visually expose more leg for a longer, balanced silhouette.
• While chino shorts are conventionally recommended at a 7-inch inseam for a polished, versatile look that can span office-casual to brunch, this 5-inch version ditches that safe ground for a bolder, more casual aesthetic that demands a relaxed, minimalist styling approach to avoid tipping into swimwear territory.
• For men under 5'9", the 5-inch inseam creates the illusion of longer legs by preventing the fabric from bisecting the leg at the knee, which is why shorter fellas are often steered away from 7-inch or longer options that can make legs appear stumpy.
• Because the hem stops well above the knee, the 5-inch inseam puts the quadriceps on full display, making these shorts a statement of leg confidence; the style press routinely frames this length as ‘the confident length’ for guys who want to showcase their thighs.

How these shorts stack up against similar options

• As a Simons-exclusive label designed in Canada, Le 31 is not a platform-agnostic commodity short; the cut and construction are developed specifically for the Simons audience, so buyers get a product with a distinct identity that mass-retailer private labels typically lack.
• Le 31's 3% elastane content edges out the 2% found in the cotton-blend shorts from Jack & Jones and MUJI, giving these a bit more stretch memory that helps the shorts hold their shape through repeated wear and long sits—valuable for anyone who hates knee-bagging by midday.
• At the $49.95 CAD sale price, Le 31's recycled-content lyocell short costs less than the standard $60 Jack & Jones or $54.90 MUJI chino shorts, effectively offering a more innovative fabric at a discount to the category average—the $79 CAD full retail still reflects the material premium but the sale turns it into a clear value leader.
• While Jack & Jones and MUJI chino shorts at this price tier use a basic 98% cotton/2% elastane fabric, Le 31 incorporates 46% TENCEL™ REFIBRA™ lyocell—a fiber that repurposes cotton waste—so the short delivers a lighter environmental footprint than those competitors while retaining the soft hand feel expected from a chino.

How the organic cotton and TENCEL REFIBRA blend performs

• TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are hydrophilic and can absorb roughly 70% of their weight in water, actively wicking moisture away from the skin—so these shorts dry faster and feel less clammy on hot days than pure cotton chinos that hold moisture at the fabric surface.
• With a dry tenacity of 37 cN/tex and wet tenacity of 30 cN/tex, TENCEL™ Lyocell approaches polyester in strength—far beyond standard viscose or cotton—so the 46% lyocell content in these shorts significantly boosts tear resistance and seam durability compared to an equivalent 100% cotton chino.
• TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers naturally resist bacterial growth better than many synthetics, paired with enhanced breathability that keeps the fabric drier; this means the shorts stay fresher through multiple wears on a weekend trip or a long summer day without requiring a wash as quickly as a cotton or poly-blend short might.
• An academic study found that drapability—how cleanly the fabric hangs—improves as the proportion of lyocell in a cotton blend increases; at 46% lyocell, these shorts drape with more structure and resist bunching better than a 100% cotton chino, keeping a sharper silhouette through sitting and walking.
• Lenzing's testing shows TENCEL™ Lyocell feels cooler against the skin than cotton and maintains a drier surface even in high humidity; athletes in the fiber recorded an average surface temperature about 0.5–1 °C lower during activity, meaning these shorts will run noticeably cooler and less sticky than a conventional cotton twill short in summer.
• TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers have an inherently smooth surface that creates less friction against the skin compared to cotton—important for a 5-inch inseam short worn in warm, humid conditions where inner-thigh chafing is a concern, as the reduced friction helps keep skin comfortable during long walks.
• REFIBRA™ technology uses chemical recycling to convert cotton textile waste into a fiber that is molecularly identical to virgin TENCEL™ Lyocell, so the 46% recycled-content lyocell in these shorts performs with the same softness, strength, and moisture-handling properties as non-recycled lyocell—unlike mechanically recycled cotton which loses staple length and durability.