Tracksmith is a New England running brand with preppy, slightly retro flair. Although I wouldn’t describe my personal style as New England prep per se, they have plenty of styles that I could envision fitting neatly into my existing collection. I’d had Tracksmith on my radar as a brand to try out for a while, but since I’ve been focused on running lately, now was definitely the time!
I recently reviewed one of Tracksmith’s tanks, but I was even more interested in trying out their running shorts. I wear lululemon’s speed shorts almost exclusively since it’s hard to find shorts I love. I’m always keeping an eye out for other styles to try out, so I decided to see if Tracksmith’s Van Cortlandt shorts would fit the bill. Since I ordered them, I’ve run in these quite a few times. Here’s how they measure up on fit and function.
First up, the Van Cortlandt shorts run small. I bought a size XS and in my opinion it fits similar to my lululemon speed shorts in size 2. In other words, you’ll probably want to size up. To be sure of your size, Tracksmith provides actual measurements of each size on their site if you click “size guide” on the product page. As a starting point, I suggest buying a size with a hip measurement that’s at least 1” larger than your actual hip measurement. Make that measurement difference a bit larger if you want a more relaxed fit.
The shorts are definitely cut on the short side, though they still keep everything covered. If you think lululemon’s speed shorts are too short, I don’t recommend these for you. But if short shorts are your jam, these definitely fall into that category. Fortunately, the short inseam is balanced by a fairly narrow leg opening to reduce flashing danger. I don’t care for shorts with large leg openings, so this cut works well for me. There’s no baggy diaper bum here. Besides running, I could cross-train or lift weights in these.
The shorts are made of a lightweight mesh material–think old school sports jersey. It’s stretchy in all directions and not constricting at all. The material feels good to run in even in hotter weather. Basically: the fabric gets high marks for both functionality as well as comfort. Contrast piping and the functional tie-off drawstring adds to the retro/varsity aesthetic. Note that the piping on my navy pair is a creamy off-white, not a true bright white.
The rise falls on the lower end, comparable to a pair of my lululemon shorts. The shorts have a built-in liner made of the same material as the rest of the shorts. The liner is mostly similar to lululemon’s liners, but Tracksmith’s seem to be cut slightly higher at the leg. Since these are made with an elastic waistband, the only pocket is a small-ish, half-circle shaped pocket sewn into the back center of the liner, just below the waistband. It’s big enough for a gel and keys.
Overall, the Van Cortlandt shorts deliver on both performance and fit. I’ve been enjoying switching it up with a totally different style that still feels great. They’re definitely a great addition to my shorts wardrobe.
Outfit details
Tracksmith Van Cortlandt shorts
Tracksmith Harrier tank
Brooks PureCadence 6
Hi! Thanks for this review. Because of your earlier mention, I ordered two tanks (sale!) and the same shorts. I’m writing b/c my shorts fit completely differently from yours. I also ordered the Van Cortlandt shorts in navy/ivory.
I’m a size 4 in Lulu tights, and I size up to a 6 in Speeds for a loose fit. (I could definitely wear a 4 in Speeds, but I like a bit of extra room and length.)
I ordered the size small in the Van C. shorts, and they were super roomy on me. I love them, but I thought the whole time I was wearing them that I should have bought an XS. They were long (like Run Times), and I ended up rolling over the waistband once in order to make them a little more fitted.
So- super weird. Maybe I got a wonky pair (or you did). I feel like I should order more as research. :P
Lol.
I really like the fabric, as you noted it’s super light and stretchy, and I thought the liner was comfortable too. I also think the styling is fun- a little retro prep.
Thanks for the review- I had looked at Tracksmith a few times but never pulled the trigger before.
A lot of the older Tracksmith stuff does have a bigger/roomier fit. Some of the descriptions on the sale items noted if items were older styles. I think they updated their sizing and a lot of items on their current site (non-sale) fit more true to size or even run small. If you bought the shorts from the sale, that probably explains the fit difference!
Ah, thank you! I wish they had noted that…. if I hadn’t read your comment, I would have bought my next pair in an XS expecting a similar fit. Now I will stick with a small since it will likely be cut slimmer.
Appreciate the tip!
Thanks for chiming in! Interesting that you had a different experience with sizing. Like commenter M mentioned, I wonder if it has to do with different generations of the design? I ordered mine at regular price. I also ordered a pair in coral that fit exactly the same. Hmm.
I LOVE these shorts. Like allie above, though, I have a totally different fit experience. (I bought mine at full price at the beginning of summer.) I wear a 6 in Lulu’s speed shorts and I bought a medium in these. I feel like they are a lot longer on me than the speeds. In fact, one reason I love them so much is that I’m up about five pounds from last summer and I just don’t think the speeds don’t look great on me right now. I love the slightly different cut of these shorts. They look shorter on you … but I’m short and have super short legs, so maybe it’s just that they look different on different body types.
I also just love that they have such an old school feel. I ran track and cross country in high school the late 90s and our uniform shorts still kind of looked like this. When I bought mine they had a promo where you got a free singlet with your order and it just fills me with nostalgia. (No, I don’t know where I’m going to wear it.)
Overall, I’ve been a big fan of the quality of aesthetic of the Tracksmith clothing. It’s so different from anything else in my closet right now.
Updating to add: I just did a try-on test of the Tracksmith shorts, Speeds, and Lulu’s Run Times short and on me, the Tracksmith short is about the same length as the Run Times.
Hm, interesting… Thanks for the extra info! The actual inseam on mine measures 2.5″, which is indeed the same as my speed shorts. I got the VC singlet on promo as well, and I really like it. I agree, overall I’ve been really happy with the quality so far.
Thanks for doing a tracksmith review.
There were two versions of the vancortland short for a while. I think one was called “classic” and they also redid the sizing at some point.
The Brighton tank is back to regular price on the website. The navy one seems to be cut better than the teal.
Yes, I think you’re right. Mine should be the newer version–I bought two different pairs, both this summer, and they fit exactly the same. And thanks for the heads up on the Brighton tank! I hadn’t noticed it was back online.
I also bought the same shorts! I like them a lot but mine are also very big. I’m a 6 in lulu (trackers notspeeds) and the M is very roomy. They hang down on my hips which I don’t mind, but they look nothing like yours. So strange!!
Anyways, thanks for the review!
I wish they at least gave store credit for sale stuff given that the sizing is clearly wonky :-/
Seems to me that the difference between sizes is just a bit more significant than other brands. People’s consensus on the individual sizes seems fairly consistent. Perhaps that’s the difference? Oh well, I tried haha.
Can I just say that these photos are amazing! The backdrop to that track looks absolutely beautiful!
Ahh thank you! We had so much trouble with these pics, the lighting was a bit wonky compared to what I usually shoot in, but 243 pics later, I managed to make it work. :)
I love these shorts on you much better than the lululemon Speed shorts. These look like they fit better and the retro styling is awesome.
Does anyone have any discount codes for this brand? Would love to try but the prices are holding me back a bit.
Well thank you! :) I do think they fit me pretty well, and are comfy to boot. I haven’t seen any Tracksmith codes floating around–they don’t seem to do promos often.
First off, you look great and thank you for writing these reviews! I just ordered my first TRacksmith Harrier tank and was wondering what size you are wearing in these pics. I’m pretty petite (5’4″ and about 100 lbs) and ordered the XS. How are these tanks sized compared to other brands? Thank you!
Thanks! :) I’m 5’3″ and about 105#, so I’m fairly close in size to you. I wear a lululemon 2 and the top fits loose on me as you can see, but it’s intended to be that way. It’s probably most similar to a 4 in lululemon. I hope that helps!
Purchase a top from tracksmith and it is super tight. Meaning I need to drop more weight lol. If your a skinny person by nature and like the tight fit these are true to size. If you are bigger and want a loose fit go a size up for sure.