Leggings vs Yoga Pants: Which Should You Buy?

With the rise of gym culture and athleisure, sportswear and loungewear have quickly become an essential part of many people’s everyday outfits. Whether you’re looking for a chic way to spruce up your usual gym outfits or to effortlessly introduce elements of sports chic to your own personal style, choosing the right leggings or yoga pants can be tricky for many women over 50.

For many people, tops can be easy, but bottoms are the hard part. After all, you can layer your tops until they look good, but you can’t do much with your bottoms. Plus, your clothes have to be comfortable and complement your body shape too. More often than not, you can feel torn between leggings and yoga pants. While both are commonly worn in a plethora of settings, which one is right for you? 

Both leggings and yoga pants can seem like the same thing, but they differ in more ways than one. This feature will break down the differences between leggings and yoga pants so you can make an informed purchase based on what you feel best fits your needs. 

Leggings

Made of opaque and stretchy fabric, leggings are tight-fitting pants that are un-footed and can stretch from your waist all the way down to your lower calves or ankles. While they’re great for cardiovascular workouts or for lifting weights, leggings have non-sportswear related style benefits as well.

• Leggings are a more comfortable alternative to skinny jeans. If you love wearing skinny jeans because of the way they elongate and enhance your legs, you know that there are days when they are less than comfy. After all, denim fabric can feel tight and confining as it doesn’t quite have the stretch and flexibility that leggings for women have. 

Leggings can give you the same look as skinny jeans without any of the discomforts because they are lightweight and can keep you cool. They’re perfect for days when you don’t feel like wearing pants but still want to be covered up.

1. Leggings come in different prints and patterns. Aside from letting you show off the shape of your legs, wearing colorful or printed leggings can also show off your personality. If you never wear drab or neutral clothing on an everyday basis, why should you wear boring leggings? Express yourself and inject more fun and comfort into your workout and regular outfits with leggings that have mesh, cutouts, decorative designs, and more!
2. Leggings can accent any kind of outfit. While some people do prefer to swap out their jeans for leggings from time to time, you can wear leggings with other types of apparel too! Leggings can spice up a normal top-and-blouse ensemble or help you feel more comfortable in a dress if you still feel like covering up your legs. There is nothing quite like leggings when it comes to combining versatility and comfort!

Yoga Pants

Also known as the bell-bottomed counterpart of leggings, yoga pants are a better choice for people who prefer wearing loose-fitting clothes. Their uses go beyond your regular workout session and can go great with your school or work outfits too! Find out how yoga pants can spice up your wardrobe below:

1. Yoga pants aren’t too fitting without looking sloppy. Yoga pants were originally designed to help people quickly and comfortably shift their bodies into different yoga positions. While they are on the looser side, they still have a streamlined silhouette that gives them a trendier look than other kinds of loungewear. Aside from allowing you to clearly see the positions of your limbs during yoga, wearing yoga pants can make you look put-together and help you maintain maximum levels of comfort. 
2. Yoga pants have a more practical design. Compared to leggings, yoga pants can be adjusted for a better fit using the strings on the waistband. This makes them a more versatile choice as they can accommodate weight changes, muscle gain, and pregnancy in a more concealed way that leggings can’t.

Moreover, a lot of yoga pants have big and deep pockets, which is always a pragmatic element to have on any bottom. If you’re at home and find that you need to go out, you don’t need to change out of your yoga pants to bring your wallet, phone, and keys. Just put them in your pocket, and you’re good to go!

• Yoga pants are great for any kind of weather. Due to their more slouchy silhouette, yoga pants can easily be worn in both the warmer and colder months. A pair of yoga pants with light, breathable material will keep you cool during summer while protecting your legs from UV exposure, for example. You can use the same pair of pants during winter by wearing them over long underwear, tights, or leggings. No matter what season it is, yoga pants can be your next favorite all-weather closet staple.   

Depending on what your needs and preferences are, there’s a high chance that only one of these is a better option for you. There’s nothing wrong with choosing one over the other; in the same vein, there’s nothing wrong with buying both of them either! After all, leggings and yoga pants have different purposes. If both of them fit different needs for you, you should definitely go for both.

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