Crooks and Castles Half-Way Crooks Shorts Black

The Crooks and Castles Half-Way Crooks shorts say exactly where they stand, in stacked white capitals near the hem of one leg: AINT NO SUCH THING AS HALF-WAY CROOKS. Each line steps up or down in size, so SUCH and CROOKS hit hardest and the smaller words fill the gaps between them. A thin line of Crooks and Castles lettering runs underneath like a signature at the foot of a page. The shorts themselves are plain black fleece with a drawcord, and the white block text is the only thing breaking up the color. It is a print meant to be read, so it sits where people actually look when you are walking past them. For the full view, open the black Half-Way Crooks fleece shorts photo.

White Block Text on Black

Heavy, condensed capitals in white keep the slogan legible even though the words are packed tightly together. Against black fleece the contrast is as strong as it gets.

A Fleece Built for Warm Weather

The fabric is a cotton-rich fleece, roughly 80% cotton with 20% polyester, at around 400 GSM. It has enough weight to hang straight and keep the print flat, without the bulk of a winter sweatpant. These are shorts for May through September, for errands, the court, the couch and the first warm evenings of the year. Black also hides dust and grass marks better than white or gray.

Sizing for Waist and Seat

The fit is a regular one with a straight leg. To pick a size, measure your waist where you would wear the band and your hip at the seat, then check those against the shorts size chart for waist and hip. The elastic waist and drawcord handle small differences, so if the hip suggests one size up, take it.

Room to Move Without Bagginess

A straight leg gives your thighs space when you sit or squat, but it does not balloon out the way a basketball short does. That keeps the slogan sitting flat instead of folding into the fabric.

A black tee with very little on the chest lets the slogan carry the outfit. The black chest pocket tee has just a few lines of small white lettering above its pocket, a quiet partner for a loud pair of shorts.

If you want the top to speak as well, try the black paisley logo tee, where the arched CROOKS letters are filled with a bandana pattern in white.

When the weather turns, the black reflective logo tracksuit takes over, with CROOKS printed down the leg of its joggers in a similar spot to the slogan here.

Lighter Shorts From the Same Range

Prefer a lighter color with a graphic instead of text? The heather gray hand sign shorts place a light-blue pointing hand low on the leg, close to where this slogan sits.

Turn them inside out and wash cold with darks, which slows fading and keeps lint off the black. Do not tumble dry; hang the shorts and let them dry in the air so the white letters stay smooth and do not crack. Iron only on the inside, on low.

What Does the Print Say?

It reads AINT NO SUCH THING AS HALF-WAY CROOKS in white block letters, with smaller CROOKS & CASTLES text underneath.

Where on the Shorts Is the Slogan?

It is printed near the hem of one leg. The rest of the shorts is plain black.

Do They Have an Adjustable Waist?

Yes, the elastic waistband has a drawcord for a closer fit.