Lululemon Athletica, a Canadian athletic apparel brand, is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. During the 20 years, Lululemon has established a reputation for stylish athleisure apparel that is both comfortable and practical. It has produced many bestsellers including the Scuba Hoodies, Define Jackets, Wunder Unders, and On the Fly Pants.
Among Lululemon’s many bestsellers, the Align Pants are on many people’s wish lists. This pair of buttery-soft, high-waist leggings retails at $98 USD. You go to Lululemon’s website for ratings and are perplexed to find so many negative reviews. You think, ok, this pair of “pants” (but really leggings) costs over $100 including tax, but the reviewers either love it or hate it. Should I get the pair? What if I experience pilling after a few washes as many reviewers did?
In short, I think the Align Pants live up to their reputation, and I have not yet found a pair of leggings that come close to them. With Lululemon’s great customer service that strives to address a product’s quality concerns, it doesn’t hurt to try for yourself.
As soon as pick up a pair, you’ll be amazed at how soft and buttery the fabric is. Unlike Lululemon’s stronger fabrics like Luxtreme™ that are suited for high-intensity workouts, the Align Pants are made of Nulu™ fabric that is buttery soft, and sweat-wicking. You’ll notice how comfortable they are.
The Nulu™ fabric is not designed to constrict your body but to gently hug it, giving you a naked sensation. There isn’t much support or constriction; therefore, the Align Pants are great for everyday lounging, running errands, and low-intensity workouts like yoga. I’ve seen many people wear the Aligns aggressively by doing intense cardio like cycling. That is the fastest way to ruin a pair. The constant friction from cycling prompts the inner thigh fabric to pill. You wouldn’t want to wear a pair of cashmere pants when you’re doing an intense workout, right? I think that the comfort factor of the Nulu™ fabric is a tradeoff. The Aligns are designed for yoga. I own 4 pairs. I’ve been wearing them for yoga for years, and all of them still have a buttery softness with no signs of visible pilling.
Like most Lululemon gear, you shouldn’t use fabric softener when washing. Also, the Align Pants should not be dried in a dryer. The care label says they can be tumble-dried in a low-heat setting, but I would just line-dry them. I quit using fabric softener and haven’t been drying my sportswear in a dryer for years because fabric softener and heat are two major causes for breaking down performance fabrics. I wash all sportswear once a week so they don’t get mixed with towels (another major pilling starter). All my gear has held up nicely, and the sweat-wicking properties haven’t been compromised.
The Align Pants have a body-slimming effect on me. The higher-rise waist gently holds my torso, giving the illusion of a flatter stomach. The legs don’t feel tight at all, but every time I wear the Align Pants, I feel like my legs look slimmer.
The Align Pants currently come in 4 lengths to accommodate various types of activities, personal preferences, and heights. The Aligns come in the 19” crops, 21” crops, 25” pants (7/8 length), and 28” pants (full length). The numbers indicate the lengths of inseams in inches.
Comfort-wise, the Align Pants are exceptional. Lululemon isn’t joking when they say, “naked sensation”. No distraction and no tightness. Because they are made of much gentler fabric, they need more care and attention. If properly cared for, I find them to be long-lasting and well worth the money.
Lululemon Athletica, a Canadian athletic apparel brand, is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. During the 20 years, Lululemon has established a reputation for stylish athleisure apparel that is both comfortable and practical. It has produced many bestsellers including the Scuba Hoodies, Define Jackets, Wunder Unders, and On the Fly Pants.
Among Lululemon’s many bestsellers, the Align Pants are on many people’s wish lists. This pair of buttery-soft, high-waist leggings retails at $98 USD. You go to Lululemon’s website for ratings and are perplexed to find so many negative reviews. You think, ok, this pair of “pants” (but really leggings) costs over $100 including tax, but the reviewers either love it or hate it. Should I get the pair? What if I experience pilling after a few washes as many reviewers did?
In short, I think the Align Pants live up to their reputation, and I have not yet found a pair of leggings that come close to them. With Lululemon’s great customer service that strives to address a product’s quality concerns, it doesn’t hurt to try for yourself.
As soon as pick up a pair, you’ll be amazed at how soft and buttery the fabric is. Unlike Lululemon’s stronger fabrics like Luxtreme™ that are suited for high-intensity workouts, the Align Pants are made of Nulu™ fabric that is buttery soft, and sweat-wicking. You’ll notice how comfortable they are.
The Nulu™ fabric is not designed to constrict your body but to gently hug it, giving you a naked sensation. There isn’t much support or constriction; therefore, the Align Pants are great for everyday lounging, running errands, and low-intensity workouts like yoga. I’ve seen many people wear the Aligns aggressively by doing intense cardio like cycling. That is the fastest way to ruin a pair. The constant friction from cycling prompts the inner thigh fabric to pill. You wouldn’t want to wear a pair of cashmere pants when you’re doing an intense workout, right? I think that the comfort factor of the Nulu™ fabric is a tradeoff. The Aligns are designed for yoga. I own 4 pairs. I’ve been wearing them for yoga for years, and all of them still have a buttery softness with no signs of visible pilling.
Like most Lululemon gear, you shouldn’t use fabric softener when washing. Also, the Align Pants should not be dried in a dryer. The care label says they can be tumble-dried in a low-heat setting, but I would just line-dry them. I quit using fabric softener and haven’t been drying my sportswear in a dryer for years because fabric softener and heat are two major causes for breaking down performance fabrics. I wash all sportswear once a week so they don’t get mixed with towels (another major pilling starter). All my gear has held up nicely, and the sweat-wicking properties haven’t been compromised.
The Align Pants have a body-slimming effect on me. The higher-rise waist gently holds my torso, giving the illusion of a flatter stomach. The legs don’t feel tight at all, but every time I wear the Align Pants, I feel like my legs look slimmer.
The Align Pants currently come in 4 lengths to accommodate various types of activities, personal preferences, and heights. The Aligns come in the 19” crops, 21” crops, 25” pants (7/8 length), and 28” pants (full length). The numbers indicate the lengths of inseams in inches.
Comfort-wise, the Align Pants are exceptional. Lululemon isn’t joking when they say, “naked sensation”. No distraction and no tightness. Because they are made of much gentler fabric, they need more care and attention. If properly cared for, I find them to be long-lasting and well worth the money.