I haven’t been able to get a photo of Zoë Kravitz leaving the Bowery Hotel in track shorts, a vintage tee, a designer bag, and heels out of my head since I saw it in 2025.
It's the silhouette I'm drawn to. She's a full-blown Palm (if you're new here, that's a reference to my Silhouette System®), intentionally pairing an oversized, slouchy tee with itsy-bitsy gym shorts to create such a compelling shape. I'm a Palm, too, and formulas like this one bring me an unreasonable amount of joy.
It’s also the genre-mixing — pairing pieces that feel slightly in conflict with one another — that makes the outfit so memorable. Without the dainty heels and quilted lady bag, this would read as “running out to Pilates” rather than something I'd still be thinking about a year later.
For similar reasons, track pants are among my top recommendations for styling clients. Paired with blouses and blazers, they make for a much more interesting outfit than jeans.
But the real star of this post is the silhouette of Zoë’s shorts: the tiny inseam, contrast piping, and slight flare that defined running shorts throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s. (If you’re interested in a proper history of the track short, check out Lee Glandorf’s excellent post from June.)
That sent me down a vintage rabbit hole, only deepened by Joyce Lee’s recent Substack Note:
Styled with these glorious Jil Sander sandals, they were the exact same formula all over again: a true genre-mix. The shorts were so compelling that I immediately started searching for a similar pair myself.
I should admit that I already own this vintage Lacoste pair:
And here with a vintage tee, per Zoë:
There are also plenty of current styles inspired by the vintage versions. Aside from the Adidas Sprinter shorts (which I have since purchased), there’s Donni’s silk taffeta pair, which launched with lots of momentum (also on Moda here). They feel more like a track short–boxer hybrid, though, lacking the micro silhouette that makes the vintage pairs so compelling (I’d personally size down to get a closer fit).
Then there’s the Ref x Umbro pair that seemed to take over my feed for days, no doubt because the campaign styled them using the same silhouette and genre-mixing that made Zoë’s outfit resonate in the first place (a formula I also took for a spin above with my vintage Lacoste pair):
And then there's a whole slew of others:
I also recently got this pair and wore them during last week's 103-degree heat wave. While they skip the contrast piping, the curved hem, tiny inseam, and overall proportions make for a pretty convincing alternative. Paired with a dainty little shoe and a lacy bib blouse, they scratch the same genre-mixing itch.
But finding a vintage pair is just so much cooler! There’s something satisfying about wearing an item that likely lived its first life as sportswear but now plays such a pivotal role in your outfit.
And not for nothing, a lot of these athletic shorts contain polyester. (They don't have to, and some don't, but many do.) If I'm going to wear that material, I'd rather it be in a pair that's already existed for 50 years than encourage manufacturers to produce more.
The timing of all this also feels especially fitting, considering we are deep in World Cup season, when sporty dressing has infiltrated everyday style and micro shorts were once very much part of the game.
...ow, owww!
And just in case you were wondering, Zoë remains firmly committed to the tiny track shorts agenda in 2026:
Formally sharing my famous (I’ve made it exactly once) tabouli recipe because I am convinced there is no better lunch on a hot day. It takes forever to chop everything, so you may as well do it while watching the final World Cup matches.
You’ll need:
2½–3 large bunches flat-leaf parsley (2 standard grocery-store bunches or 3 smaller organic bunches)
¼ cup fine bulgur wheat
1 medium tomato (or ~15 cherry tomatoes)
2–3 Kirby cucumbers (a staple in my refrigerator)
¼ red onion
A big handful of mint, stems removed and chopped very finely (about ½ cup, though I never measure)
A big handful of dill, stems removed and chopped very finely (again, about ½ cup)
Juice of 2 lemons
1–1½ tbsp olive oil
Salt + lots of freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Cook the bulgur in ¾ cup water with a pinch of salt for 10–12 minutes, until the water is mostly absorbed. Let it cool completely (an hour in the fridge worked great).
While that's happening, chop everything painstakingly finely and combine it in a large bowl. Add the cooled bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. If you want to make it a little more substantial, chickpeas or feta are both great adds
I usually eat it with pita or rice cakes, but I’m also perfectly happy standing over the bowl with a fork.
See you all around in tiny track shorts, an unexpected shoe, and plenty of genre-mixing. :)
xo,
Eliz
What an incredible round-up!
Obviously obsessed with this selection! Vintage track shorts FTW.