Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro ’90s Track Jackets and Pants


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From Tate McRae’s latest Adidas campaign to the annual resurgence of Princess Diana’s quintessential biker-shorts-plus-baggy-pullover equations come fall, there’s a lot to be said about the current fascination with vintage activewear — as labels both emerging and established turn straight to the archives for their new athleisure releases and tastemakers like Bella Hadid channel their inner “Madonna taking a city jog in the ’80s and ’90s” while traveling from pilates class to coffee shop.

Just a few years ago, behemoth brands like Skims, Alo, and Lululemon told us that the best way a woman could dress to the gym involved skin-tight silhouettes, subdued color palettes, and targeted technology meant to lift, squeeze, and train: long before she actually got on that StairMaster. For fall 2026, though, it seems that the tide has officially turned to all things retro, with the rise of vibrant, unashamed colorways, oversized layers, foldover waistlines, and track references that don’t require a record-breaking mile time to endorse.

The vintage activewear trend of today’s day is pulling inspiration from a few different eras at once. We’re seeing Y2K styles reigning supreme once more (think Kirsten Dunst’s character in “Bring It On” or Blake Lively’s in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”) but also those from said ’90s: all loose-fitting tracksuits, pops of neon, color-blocked sports bras, and cropped pants with stripes down the sides.

Madonna and Her Trainer Jogging;  Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a pale blue sweatshirt, pink cycling shorts and sunglasses, leaves Chelsea Harbour Club on August 24, 1994 in London, United Kingdom; Singer Britney Spears on the set of

Courtesy Ron Galella, Anwar Hussein, Larry Busacca/Getty Images

This notable visual transition in the universe of clothes for working out — or looking like you work out — is a positive, allowing the outfits in question to work in contexts beyond the athletic while encouraging wearers to have a little more fun and show off their personality in the day-to-day.

No matter if the People’s Princess or the “Buns of Steel” workout video is on your sartorial vision board right now, these top vintage-style activewear pieces from trending brands like Nike, FP Movement, and Halara are guaranteed to set you up for success: from the errand run to the treadmill walk.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best track jacket

Nike Sportswear Women’s Oversized Track Jacket

Offered in sizes XS to XXL, this track jacket from Nike has the feel of a swishy poncho and the look of something Rihanna might pair with matching pants plus some seemingly incongruous thong sandals. Sporty with a hint of edge, the piece boasts a mesh lining for extra comfort and breathability when you need it most.

We like its extra coverage on the neck, elastic hem, and the fact that those color-happy panels don’t overwhelm the eye, keeping the jacket versatile and ready to pair with virtually anything: an LBD or a pencil skirt included, as recent runways have effectively demonstrated.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best color-blocked bra

FP Movement Never Better Colorblock Mini Bra

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Free People’s activewear offshoot FP Movement has perfected the color-blocked bras that took over circa-1980s aerobics, returned to fashion insiders’ closets at the turn of the millenium, and are once again being spotted in workout studios and on streets around the world.

This one’s sold across five shade combinations, with the pictured one selling out of sizes fast. Shoppers can’t get enough of its forgiving yet shape-retaining four-way stretch; moisture-wicking capabilities; adjustable straps for a fit that’s precisely tailored to you; square neckline; and fabric that feels like butter.

Over 3,000 hearts on the website prove one thing — if you like what you see, you better grab it fast.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best track pants

Halara High-Waisted InstantCool Pants UPF40+

We found the best vintage-inspired track pants… with a twist. Halara’s high-waisted, striped pair takes the nostalgic silhouette up a notch with cutesy bows and a UPF40+ rating (referring to the fact that the material it’s made of blocks at least 97.5% of the sun’s UV radiation, making the pants a match made in heaven for your daily sunscreen).

A$AP Rocky, Dakota Fanning, Hailey Bieber, and countless other stars, regardless of gender, have cosigned track pants in recent years, but this crucial part of a complete tracksuit actually got its start in the ’60s, when it was rolled out by Adidas. Since then, the sporty staples have appeared in music videos, “Fight Club,” on Fashion Week front rows, and as part of your favorite influencer’s street-style photos.

It’s time to finally say “yes” to the throwback item, but Halara makes it so that you don’t have to sacrifice your personal style’s signature coquetishness in the process.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best track shorts

Gap 2.5″ Track Shorts

Vivid track shorts matched with cozy sweatshirts, graphic tees, tube tops, and even button-ups have never been hotter — just ask Harry Styles or his fiancée Zoë Kravitz. Gap’s take is not only affordable, at over 50 percent off, but also one of the most stylish, what with its neon pink coloring, contrasting drawcords and mesh piping along the sides, as well as relatively cropped fit (with a 2.5-inch inseam) that will secure breeziness during your late-summer strolls and cardio sessions alike.

The pièce de résistance, though, is the shorts’ crinkly poplin composition: never feeling hot or constricting on the legs while blessing your ‘fit at large with added textural richness.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best socks

FP Movement Super Scrunch Socks

Princess Di’s iconic athleisure ensembles in the ’90s were often punctuated by heavyweight, white, scrunched-up socks that extended the whiteness of her dad sneakers up the shins. So too has this accessory appeared in many a retro fitness program, and now’s a great time to revisit it — so as to treat your activewear formulas with a bit more coziness and softness.

In 2026, tube socks are commonly worn with everything from the aforementioned sneakers to heels, clogs, and loafers, and FP Movement’s version is rooted in just this kind of versatility. Fully extended, the Super Scrunch Socks hit at the knee, believe it or not, but they do their best job when that ribbed knit is creased or folded right above your shoe of choice.

Because optionality is important, the brand presents four colors to pick from here.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best foldover pants

Edikted Women’s Dayna Low-Rise Foldover Straight-Leg Pants

Like track pants, low-rise foldover pants are witnessing a pronounced resurgence — taking us back to the good ol’ days of dancewear in the Y2K era. And while you might’ve sourced yours from Victoria’s Secret at that time, a myriad of other retailers is joining the chorus and coming out with their own modern interpretations as we speak.

Gen Z go-to Edikted has a style, sold at Macy’s, that you’ll be tempted to take from brunch dates to nail appointments and, of course, that early-morning power walk. Its nylon and spandex blend delivers comfiness without even trying, just as a waistband in butter yellow grants some oomph in context of the pants’ navy hue.

A straight leg, meanwhile, is bound to go well with footwear from platform flip-flops, as shown, to Tabi sneaker hybrids that would’ve inspired pure shock a few decades back.

Vintage Activewear Trend 2026: Shop Retro '90s Track Jackets and Pants

best tank top

Nike Sportswear Women’s Tight Cropped Tank Top

We have five words for you: Jessica Alba in the 2000s. The celebrity is exactly who we think of first when we think of vintage-coded tank tops, and you can easily replicate her aesthetic of yore with Nike’s Tight Cropped Tank Top (all the better if there’s a velour track pant somewhere in the equation). The bestseller looks like it traveled to 2026 in a time machine, coming to you with a 100-percent cotton makeup, trend-aligned mint green exterior, and even a retro-futuristic metallic logo at center for further extending the allusions to the past.

The stomach-baring number fits close to the bod, so go ahead and don it with more voluminous bottoms for a play on proportions that Honey Daniels would surely approve of.

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Meet the Author

Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, wrote about tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on the season’s hottest fashion trends and how to shop them online.



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