There is a particular kind of track top that looks equally at home on a clay court in Rome and outside a football ground in the north of England. It has a neat collar, a full zip, contrasting panels across the chest or down the sleeves, and a small logo that does not shout. Ellesse and Sergio Tacchini made a lot of these jackets, and between them they shaped what people still think of when someone says "Italian tracksuit."
Both brands started with tennis and skiing, sports that were associated with money and leisure. Both found a second audience that had nothing to do with country clubs. Understanding that double life helps when you are looking at vintage pieces today, because it explains why the colours are so bold, why the fits are so particular, and why these jackets still carry a little swagger decades after they were made.
01. Two Italian labels with sporting roots
Ellesse was founded in Perugia, in central Italy, in 1959. The name comes from the initials of its founder, Leonardo Servadio, spelled out phonetically as L-S. The brand began with ski trousers and grew into broader sportswear, with tennis becoming a major part of its identity through the seventies and eighties. Its logo, often called the half ball, is usually described as combining the shape of a tennis ball with the tip of a ski, a neat summary of where the company came from.
Sergio Tacchini took a different route. Tacchini was himself a competitive Italian tennis player, and he founded his clothing company in the mid-sixties after his playing career. The brand built its reputation on court wear, and it became closely associated with some of the leading players of the late seventies and eighties. John McEnroe is the best-known name linked with Tacchini from that era, and the image of his collared shirts and track tops helped make the label famous well beyond Italy.
What both brands shared was a sense that sportswear could be stylish in its own right. Their pieces used strong colour, careful tailoring and premium fabrics at a time when a lot of athletic clothing was still plain. That ambition is a big part of why they travelled so well off the court.
02. From the court to the terraces
In the late seventies and into the eighties, a style movement among British football supporters, often called the casuals, turned European sportswear into a kind of uniform. Fans travelling to away matches on the continent came home with labels that were hard to find in the UK, and wearing them became a way to stand out. Italian tennis brands, with their clean lines and bold colours, were a natural fit. Ellesse and Sergio Tacchini sat alongside French and German labels in that wardrobe.
The appeal was partly about looking sharp and partly about avoiding the obvious. A neat track top and good trainers did not mark you out as a football fan in the same way a club scarf did, which suited the moment. The look also spread through music and youth culture in Britain, and these brands kept a strong association with UK street style long after the original casual era faded.
That history is why the keywords vintage sportswear and vintage UK so often overlap when people talk about these labels. A track top made in Italy, worn first by tennis players, became part of a distinctly British story, and that mix of sources is part of its charm today.
03. The track tops worth knowing
Most of what you will find in vintage falls into a few families. Recognising them helps you know what you are looking at, even when the label is faded or missing.
Velour and brushed tracksuits
Velour track tops with contrasting piping or panels were a staple of leisurewear in the late seventies and eighties, and both brands made versions. They have a soft, slightly plush hand and a gentle sheen that changes with the light. Velour can look very luxurious when it is in good condition, but it shows wear quickly at the elbows and cuffs, where the pile flattens.
Nylon and polyester shell suits
Lighter woven track tops and full shell suits, often with a mesh lining, became common later. These tend to be brighter, with bigger blocks of colour and larger logos. They are easier to care for than velour and work well as a spring layer.
Knit and tricot track tops
Some of the most wearable pieces are fine knit or tricot track tops with ribbed collars and cuffs. They sit close to the body, look neat zipped to the chin and fit easily under a coat. A good one in navy and white or burgundy and cream is as versatile as any cardigan.
A good track top was always a bit of a disguise: dressed for sport, but clearly not planning to break a sweat.
04. Colour blocking and the details that give a piece away
Italian tennis wear of this period loved colour, but it was rarely chaotic. Panels tended to follow the lines of the body, crossing the chest, running down the outside of the arms or framing the shoulders. Common combinations paired navy, white and red, or teal with purple, or burgundy with cream. When you look at a piece, notice how carefully the panels line up at the zip. On well-made examples the stripes meet neatly across the closure.
Logos are another clue. Ellesse placed its half-ball emblem on the chest, sleeve or collar, often with the wordmark beside it. Sergio Tacchini used an ST mark and the full name in a script or block lettering, depending on the period. Both brands changed their labels and logo treatments over the years, and both have reissued classic designs, so a style that looks eighties may have been made much later. Collectors look at labels, country of origin, fabric and zip hardware together; any one of those is a clue, not a verdict.
Be aware that reissues and later production are common, and that is not a problem if you simply want to wear the look. If the age matters to you, take your time and compare details across several pieces rather than relying on a single tag.
05. How the fit has changed
Vintage tennis track tops were generally cut closer to the body than modern sportswear. The shoulders are narrower, the body shorter and the sleeves slimmer, with ribbed cuffs and waistbands that hug rather than drape. That neat shape was part of the look, and it is quite different from the oversized fits of nineties basketball gear.
This means you should try before trusting the size on the label. Italian and European sizing can run small compared with North American sizes, and older pieces may have shrunk slightly. If you prefer a relaxed fit, consider going up a size, but keep an eye on the shoulders: a track top that is too big through the shoulder loses the crisp silhouette that makes it look good.
Track pants from these brands tend to have a straight or tapered leg with ribbed or zipped ankles. They often sit higher on the waist than modern joggers. Many people find they prefer wearing just the top, with denim or chinos, rather than a full suit.
06. What to check before you buy
These pieces were often worn hard, both on the court and off it. Before you buy, take a few minutes to look closely:
- Run the zip up and down several times, checking for missing teeth and a slider that catches near the collar.
- Stretch the ribbed cuffs and waistband gently. Baggy, rippled ribbing is hard to restore.
- Look at velour under bright light for bald patches on the elbows, cuffs and seat.
- Check embroidered logos for loose threads and puckering around the stitching.
- Inspect mesh linings in shell suits for tears at the armholes and along the zip tape.
- Compare colour on the outside with the inside of a seam to judge fading.
Small signs of wear are part of the appeal, and a slight fade can make a bright colourway easier to wear. Damage to the zip or the ribbing, though, affects how the piece fits and functions every single time you put it on.
07. Wearing Italian tennis style now
The easiest way to wear a vintage Ellesse or Tacchini track top is to treat it like a light jacket. Zip it over a plain white tee, add straight-leg jeans in a mid or dark wash, and finish with clean low-profile trainers. That outfit is close to the original terrace look without feeling like a reenactment.
For something a bit sharper, try a knit track top under a navy or camel overcoat in late autumn, letting the collar and a stripe show at the neck. In spring, a lighter nylon top over a polo shirt with loose chinos has an easy, relaxed feel. If you want to wear a full tracksuit, choose a quiet colourway and keep accessories minimal.
In Toronto, these jackets earn their place in the shoulder seasons, when you need a layer but not a coat. They also sit happily alongside football shirts, rugby tops and other European sportswear, so they fit naturally into a wardrobe that already leans that way.
08. Caring for velour, nylon and knit
Wash vintage track tops inside out in cold water on a gentle cycle, with the zip fully closed. Velour benefits from a mild detergent and as little agitation as possible; hang it to dry and give the pile a light brush once it is dry. Nylon and polyester can be washed similarly but should never go in a hot dryer, which can leave permanent shine or warp the fabric. Fine knits do best when dried flat so they do not stretch on a hanger.
Store track tops on wide hangers or folded loosely in a drawer. Avoid hanging heavy velour tops for long periods on thin wire hangers, which can stretch the shoulders. With a little attention, these jackets can easily outlast the next round of reissues.
