It’s been over a year of this pandemic, over a year of wearing sweats at home nearly every day. Even if we return to more normal life, that sweats lifestyle is here to stay, at least for me.
I recently tried several pieces from Everlane’s Track collection. The last time I reviewed anything from Everlane was about 9 months ago. I stopped shopping at and writing about the company last year when some of their bad behavior came to light. For now, I’m cautiously returning to the brand as I explained in a recent diary post, with hopes that they’ve made changes though admittedly, it’s hard to know if they really have.
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The Track Jogger
Always on the lookout for good loungewear during shelter-in-place, I found myself wanting another pair of sweatpants. The Track Jogger caught my attention because reviewers on Everlane’s site complained that the 26.5″ inseam was too short, leaving their ankles exposed. As a petite person, this means there’s a chance the length will work for me.
The jogger — or sweatpants, what’s the difference? — is high rise (another plus for me), with a relaxed tapered leg for a retro look.
Here’s the Track Jogger in size S on a 5′ 9″ model. Note how high her socks are.
And here’s 5′ 4″ me wearing the XS and S. Note how they go to my ankles. That 26.5″ inseam? Perfect for short little me!
Fit: I’m a size 4-6 in bottoms. The S fit loose as intended, like on the model. But I liked the XS, which was slim while not being snug. Either worked, though. The rise, at 11″, worked well for me too.
Materials: Everlane says the material is a “custom-developed, organic french terry,” whatever that means. I’m glad to see that it’s 100% organic cotton. Too often, I’ve checked out some sweats only to find they’re a cotton-poly blend. (That’s a combo that I’m trying to avoid as polyester is basically plastic, and blended fabrics are difficult to recycle.)
The Track Oversized Crew
Being a fan of matching sets, of course I had to try the matching sweatshirt. Here’s the 5′ 9″ model wearing the Track Oversized Crew in S.
I’m wearing the Track Oversized Crew in the section above about the joggers. But here’s a few more photos with my hands outstretched to show what they mean by oversized.
Fit: I generally wear XS or S. In Everlane, I mostly wear XS. The Track Oversized Crew in S was too big on me. The sleeves were too long for my petite limbs, and it felt way wide. While the XS fit better and I usually I love boxy shapes, this cut didn’t feel quite right.
What I liked: The sleeve, which has a slight balloon sleeve shape, a touch of elegance for a sweatshirt.
What I didn’t like: How high the crewneck sat on me. But that’s just a personal preference. I don’t like turtlenecks or anything that sits too close to my neck. Note that the model photo shows a wider neck, so there’s a discrepancy. In reality, the neck opening was smaller. I also wasn’t a fan of how the threads for the tag was visible on the outside. Seems intentional, but looks sloppy to me.
The Track Pant
Everlane bills its Track Pant as unisex, though it only features male models in the product photos. I decided to try these as well since I liked the colors better: blue, gray, black — basically my wardrobe colors. The women’s colors for the Track Joggers and other pieces feature more spring pastels like apricot and laurel, a light green.
Here’s a 6′ 1″ model wearing size L.
And here’s 5′ 4″ me in a S. The 28.5″ inseam is do-able scrunched at the end on my short frame, though I prefer the shorter inseam of the Track Joggers.
Fit: When something’s labeled unisex, I assume it’s going to run bigger for a small, petite woman like me. But this was not the case. I ordered XS and S in the Track Pant, and I couldn’t pull the XS past my hips. While I could get into the S, it was tight all around — in the thighs, rear, and even the leg opening. I should have ordered the M instead of XS to try on.
What I liked: Could be my imagination, but it felt slightly softer inside than the Track Joggers. But maybe that’s due to color. The Track Pant also feature the drawstring on the inside instead of out, and have one rear pocket. Yay for pockets! (The women’s joggers have no back pockets.)
More Thoughts on the Everlane Track Collection
Branding: One thing I should mention is that the pieces in the Track collection all have an embroidered E somewhere on them. On the sweatshirt, it’s on the sleeve. On sweatpants, it’s on the thigh. Since I’m not into branding, I could do without this extra touch. Also, the Es are not applied consistently. Out of the 6 pieces I ordered, 2 of them didn’t have the E.
Where they’re made: Everlane’s website used to have a page for each factory it used, but last year I started noticing that they didn’t seem to do that anymore. There’s not one for the Hirdaramani Factory in Sri Lanka where the Track collection is made. (Nor does it say which factory in Sri Lanka.) Is this the same Hirdaramani, which says it has sustainability goals and fair trade factories? But there’s also this article about Hirdaramani’s harsh working conditions during the pandemic. It’s from the World Socialist website and not a journalistic entity, so I don’t feel confident about the reporting, but the picture it paints of workers being pressured to work longer hours is very concerning.
Everlane has marketed its factories as ethical. They’ve got a hashtag for it: #KnowYourFactories. This claim was one of the reasons I shopped from them. But after last year, I’ve lost some trust. I still assume Everlane is better about production than a fast fashion conglomerate. But I also wonder if it’s just that they’re better at marketing. How can a company know with certainty how well an overseas factory is run? And as consumers, how can we really know that factories treat their employees well?
Quality: Overall, I find the Track collection to be well-made, even if most of the pieces I tried were not the best fitting for me. The GOTS-certified organic cotton fabric feels nicely thick and decently soft.
What I kept: I sent the Oversized Crew and Track Pant back, but kept the Track Joggers, pleased to have a pair of sweatpants that fits petites. Luckily, the XS in the joggers that I ended up keeping didn’t have a decorative E. I’ve been wearing them on repeat as I work from home.
There are other items in this loungewear collection that I didn’t try, like the Track Wide-Leg Pant and the unisex Track Hoodie, which is nicely designed. I like the array of items to mix and match. There’s even a sweatshirt dress, the Track Dress. Everlane also recently added a few items, including a cropped sweatshirt and sweatshorts. You can see all the pieces from Everlane’s Track collection here.
I’ve reviewed a lot of Everlane over the years. You can find a directory to all my Everlane reviews here. If you found my review helpful, please consider shopping through my link. Thank you!
There are so many cotton-poly (or rayon-poly) sweat sets out there these days! It’s practically impossible to find all-cotton sets at many price points, including significantly more expensive ones than this Everlane set. (I think J.Crew may be the only competitor that routinely offers all-cotton sweat sets at a similar-ish price with the right sale, though their color ranges available in a complete set tend to be very limited and rather boring. And I’ve been looking very hard!) Hah, it’s kind of funny that the branded “E” logo isn’t consistently placed on these items.
If I was still in the market for lounge clothes, I’d probably also be interested in the Everlane set! (Sadly, I’m probably going to be rushed back to the office almost full-time not long after I hit the two-week mark after my second shot.)
The struggle to find 100% cotton sweats is real! I’ve closed many a tab after reading about the fiber content of sweats. Pact makes some, though it’s hard to get a matching top and bottom. And Mate the Label is another, though they cost twice as much as Everlane. They are made in Los Angeles, though.
With the “E,” I wonder if they decided to add it later. Or maybe some batches just skipped the embroidery station.