They came on the scene around 1986 and women/girls of all ages were wearing them -those tight fitting tracky pants with zips at the bottom of each leg. They came in black or navy, either plain or with a sports stripe down the outside leg. They cost $30 Australian, which was a fair bit in those days and I had to beg and beg my mother to buy me a pair. I lived in them! Some of the girls who wore them, really shouldn't have been, as tight pants and chubby legs have never been a good combo.
I started highschool in 1988 and Track'n'Fields were an official part of the school sports uniform, therefore no one fropm school would be caught dead in them on the weekends. Their poularity seemed to fade from then on and the only girls who wore them were the "chiggers"/"mallies", teamed with a denim jacket/flannel shirt/heavy metal T-shirt and a long bleached mullet/perm.

Wow, it's so cool to see these track pants get a mention!

By the way, were you referring to Melbourne in the late 80's. I remember that they were especially popular here (maybe it helped that they weren't an official part of our sports uniform - I only remember one girl wearing them as part of the sports uniform).

I'm still flying the flag for TNF track pants. The look and feel of the material and the closeness of fit still make them attractive in my opinion. But sadly I seem to be very much in the minority nowadays (particularly among those under 30). What about yourself? Do you still wear them and/or see people still wearing them?

To any other Aussies reading these forums - I'd love to hear your thoughts on these track pants!  :)

Me thinks this was a Melbourne fashion. ;)

No self respecting Perthite would have been seen dead or alive in track pants in public. In 1986 - I was far too busy wearing hot pink satin puffy dance pants !!

Yes, I very much suspect that it was a Melbourne/East Coast fashion.

Perhaps there was also a climate factor in the failure of these track pants to catch on in Perth.

I fully understand your preferred fashion in 1986! :)

Perhaps there was also a climate factor in the failure of these track pants to catch on in Perth.



I had to have an in depth discussion with friends over this subject and we have established that there was a portion of the Perth population who work track pants in the 80s - along with thier ugg boots and flannel shirts. They were called Bogans/Boguns and those same people are still wearing the same outfit 20 years later in the dole queues !! They lived in Balga - the equivilent suburb in Melbourne would be hmmm Sunshine !!!

Fortunately I got over my obsession with satin dance pants and the colour hot pink !!

Are these offending items the same thing people over here in Britain wear now? ie, trackie bottoms as we know them.Nike seem to make them, they are very much in fashion over here, and it's not a good look! Many guys and girls wear them, socks go over the pants,baseball caps are worn, trainers and the result is a very scruffy look, still I have noticed on the tv that many aussies look smart, however scruffiness is very much the fashion over here!