Best Yoga Pants Biography
source (google.com.pk)I’m not entirely sure how it happened. My unusual interest in black yoga pants, that is. It came on slowly, at first. Then it became an all out obsession. It started with a simple Tweet: “Most flattering black yoga pant recommendations? Pants that fade or pill need not apply. Boot cut preferred. Willing to pay big $$.”
Beyong Yoga Original Pant - The softest pants in our test
Beyond Yoga
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Athleta Revelation Pant
Athleta
The Twitter responses were unanimous: Lululemon had the best pants. So after years of purchasing pair after pair of inexpensive but cute cotton yoga pants that faded after just a few washings, I decided I would just-say-no to cotton and splurge on a pair of performance yoga pants from Lululemon. After consulting the online fit guide, I settled on a pair of Groove Pants – the pant that started the Lulu craze. But I had to know - were these really the best pants available to the modern yogini? And so I embarked on a six-month journey to find THE best yoga pants and then to write a feature article on my results. I invited seven brands to participate and all responded favorably. My ask? Send me a pair of your most basic black full-length yoga pants, no cotton. Along the way, I took up a little running, spent time with a personal trainer and attended boot camp classes. This spurred me to extend the study to any basic black performance fitness pant.
Basic black yoga pants are the everyday uniform of the fit and active spa-loving woman. A well-styled and well-fitting pant can take you from yoga class to running errands to picking the kids up at school in comfort and in style. Personally, I wear them almost every day after work and on weekends. I workout in them and just never take them off – they’re so comfortable. And I find that dressing the part makes me act the part – when I’m wearing them, I’m more likely to exercise and move.
So we studied the care instructions meticulously and washed and dried each pair numerous times. We wore them to yoga class, the grocery store, walking, running, to fitness class – just about everywhere. We tugged and stretched them and held the pants up to the light to check for transparency. We viewed them in varying lighting conditions. In a nutshell, we put them through their paces.
We looked for pants that held their shape, didn’t sag in the knees, flattered many figure types, maintained their color and showed minimal pilling. We learned that most fabrics will pill – so we looked for pants that showed minimal pilling. According to Wikipedia, “pilling is a surface defect of textiles caused by wear, and is considered unsightly. It happens when washing and wearing of fabrics causes loose fibers to begin to push out from the surface of the cloth, and, over time, abrasion causes the fibers to develop into small spherical bundles, anchored to the surface of the fabric by protruding fibers that haven't broken. Pilling normally happens on the parts of clothing that receive the most abrasion in day-to-day wear.”
Different fabrics hold black dye differently (wools better than cotton, for instance). Black pigmented clothing can appear gray, brown or even have a purplish hue. We observed many shades of black: jet black, coal black, ebony, soft black and grey black. Synthetics (like lycra) hold dye better than cotton, which is why those cute black cotton yoga pants I historically bought faded so quickly.
A note about garment care: For the consistency of this test, we never waivered when it came to following the manufacturers care instructions on all the pants in our study. Wear after wear, we laundered them inside out in cold water. We usually washed the pants by themselves or with like items, but certainly never with towels or Velcro (a big no-no according to the care instructions on some of the pants). For certain, we never dried them in the dryer – we always hung them to dry.
But enough about dye, pilling, fabric and colors. Here are the results:
Brand tested: Lululemon
Style Tested: Groove Pant
Price: $98
Shade of black: Jet black
Sizing: An 8 regular was on the snug side, but stretched comfortably after a few wearings.
Testers notes: The Lululemon did start to show a small amount of pilling after about 4 wearings, but it was very minimal and nothing that made them unwearable. I was consistently complimented for the flattering look of these pants. If I have any feedback, it would be the minimal pilling. Oh, and the fact that they don’t come in petite lengths. The Groove Pant comes in a gaggle of great waistband colors and prints. Sizes 2 to 12 are available in regular and tall lengths.
Brand tested: Beyond Yoga
Style Tested: Original Pant
Price: $79
Shade of black: Grey black.
Sizing: A medium was true to size.
Testers notes: Beyond Yoga’s entry reigned supreme for comfort and a soft-as-suede feel, but also for creating the illusion of the coveted “yoga butt”. These super-flattering pants sat 2 inches below the naval yet had plenty of coverage in back. These pants were the softest shade of black out of our whole test group; we observed slight fading and a small amount of piling.
Brand tested: Brooks
Style Tested: Glycerin Pant II
Price: $60
Shade of black: Blackest black/jet black
Sizing: A medium was true to size and maybe a bit on the generous side.
Testers notes: These boot-cut semi-fitted pants are a pleasure to wear. We found them most suitable for running, but they stood up to the bends and folds of yoga and cross-training too. They feature a flattering asymmetrical waistband and a deep pocket in the back waistband.
Note on the Glycerin Pant II Capri ($55) – While we didn’t set out to include Capri’s in this review, some of the brands kindly sent us their best-selling Capri’s along with their basic full-length pants. The Brooks Glycerin Pant II Capri was our absolute favorite. As in wear-them-every-day and wash-them-every-night and better-buy-some-more favorite.
Brand tested: Old Navy
Style tested: Women's Performance Stretch Active Boot-Cut Pants
Price: $44.94
Shade of black: Soft black
Sizing: The cut was less than generous in these pants; a size medium was rather snug.
Testers notes: At half the price of the costliest pants on our list, the Old Navy pants were the best bargain in the bunch. They had the same features as their pricier counterparts: a back waistband pocket, a gusset, and flat seams for chafing prevention. Not all of our testers loved the fit and washability, but they did the job nicely for budget performance pants.
Brand tested: Athleta
Style tested: Revelation Pant
Price: $98
Shade of black: Grey black/soft black
Sizing: Available in regular, petite (thank you, Athleta!), tall and plus sizes.
Testers notes: These yoga pants were the real deal. Loaded with features (envelope-style waistband pocket, gusset, compression fabric, strategically-placed slimming seams). We observed ever-so-slight piling on the inner thighs. Out of all the pants we tested, these came the closest to the idolized Groove Pants from Lululemon that started our yoga-pant craze.
Brand tested: Athleta
Style tested: Chaturanga Pant
Price: $69
Shade of black: Grey black/soft black
Sizing: Available in regular, petite (thank you, Athleta!), tall and plus sizes.
Testers notes: The online reviews of the Chaturanga Pant were mixed, but we found them to be the perfect simple yoga and all-purpose fitness pant with a wide waistband, hidden envelope-style pocket, gusset and flared leg. We observed ever so slight piling on the inner thigh.
Brand tested: prAna
Style tested: Lolita Pant
Price: $84
Shade of black: Grey black
Sizing: Oh how we wish prAna pants came in petite sizes so we could avoid a trip to the tailor. Our medium Lolita Pant was true to size.
Testers notes: The double stitched waistband stayed in place, even during a run. This wasn’t something we could brag about with all the pants in our test, so we appreciated it when we found it. These fitted pants featured a straight leg. We missed having a pocket to store a key or an ID.
Brand tested: Lucy
Style tested: Lotus Power Pant
Price: $89
Shade of black: Grey black/soft black
Sizing: As with all 3 Lucy pants we tested our samples arrived in a size small, one size smaller than we normally wear. This wasn’t a problem because the pants had a nice give without being too tight. Still, we’d probably opt for our normal size (medium) when we purchase the pants.
Testers notes: We thought the narrow straight leg and compression powermax fabric was more suited to running or other high intensity activities, but some may prefer this cut for yoga too. A classic no-frills fitness pant with interior pocket and comfort gusset.
Brand tested: Lucy
Style tested: Hatha Power Pant
Price: $89
Shade of black: Grey black/soft black
Sizing: Some color variations of the Hatha Power Pant are available in short and tall sizes. We tested these pants in one size smaller than we usually wear. To our surprise, they fit nicely and not like a stuffed sausage.
Testers notes: We loved the flattering flared leg and the double waistband with hidden pocket.
Brand tested: Lucy
Style tested: Perfect Core Pant
Price: $98
Shade of black: Grey black
Sizing: The Perfect Core Pant is available in short and tall sizes. Our test pair (size small) was teeny tiny (much smaller in comparison to the other size small Lucy pants in our test), thanks to the ultra compressive technology of this pant. Most women will feel more comfortable going up one size.
The conclusion: There are many fish in the sea when it comes to basic black yoga and fitness pants. Try them all until you find one that flatters and fits, like we did!
Best Yoga Pants
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Best Yoga Pants
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Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
Best Yoga Pants
Crispy Chicken Recipe Sandwich Wings Costoletta Salad Burger Chinese Crispers Chili's Strips Photos
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