I really feel nice when figuring out and love yoga pants. I’d put on them on a regular basis, besides I’m not certain they’re an alternative to common pants. Is there an alternate for on a regular basis put on? One thing that’s as snug and flattering but in addition qualifies as precise pants? — Mary, Raleigh, N.C.
Yoga pants — that’s to say, leggings however with the next waist and made out of thicker materials than precise leggings (typically, although not essentially, with a little bit of flare on the ankle) — are clothes that, particularly throughout pandemic lockdowns, turned one thing of a pleasure to put on.
Prioritizing each consolation and motion, they allowed us to have our cake and snack on it at dwelling, too. Little marvel that, given the concentrate on well being and wellness and our more and more dressed-down day, they’ve turn into a fundamental a part of many wardrobes.
However because the return to work has picked up no less than some steam, so has the controversy concerning the precise “pants-ness” of yoga pants. Do they or do they not qualify? That is partly why they’re typically referred to as “boot-cut leggings” or “flared leggings” as a substitute of “yoga pants.” By borrowing the language of pants, they edge nearer to that class.
However let’s be trustworthy: Yoga pants aren’t pants. Pants are there to reshape the physique ultimately. To tailor it into a special silhouette — straighter, longer, extra flowing — within the eyes of the watching world. To supply a modicum of safety or social camouflage. Yoga pants, alternatively, are rather more about revealing the physique in a few of its glory. And revealing the physique within the office or on the road is a sophisticated resolution.
Fortunately, the stylist Tina Chai stated, there’s a center floor. First, attempt to perceive what precisely it’s you want most about your yoga pants. Is it the aspect of stretch? The elastic waist? The truth that they sit near the legs however don’t constrain them? The best way they announce your exercise routine to the world? Then resolve which of these values is most essential. Almost certainly, there’s a real-world substitute.
Certainly, an Italian model known as Excessive Sport has just about made its identify by providing very costly stretch pants with a little bit of a flare. (It calls them the Kick pants.) They’re made out of technical material and derived from just about the identical genetic materials as yoga pants.
To not be outdone, manufacturers like Alo Yoga have expanded their choices to incorporate pantlike types that however share many qualities with yoga pants (and are extra reasonably priced than Excessive Sport variations).
Wherever you store, Ms. Chai suggested that you just search for “pull-on pants — no buttons or zippers.” Then, she stated, select a “knit that’s tightly woven and compact so it provides the pants construction, which makes them flattering, however with a little bit of stretch, which makes them snug.”
Lastly, for some styling oomph, she suggests pairing your yogalike pants with a prime or jacket in the identical colour for a monochromatic look. “It might probably take you from the workplace to a celebration or the airplane, all with the change of a shoe,” she stated. And possibly a solar salutation or two.
Your Model Questions, Answered
Each week on Open Thread, Vanessa will reply a reader’s fashion-related query, which you’ll be able to ship to her anytime by way of electronic mail or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.
