Most of the tops and tees in your activewear wardrobe are in all probability replaceable—you purchase one thing new, put on it for a few years, and finally it winds up in your donation pile. It was tremendous and it did the job, but it surely’s unlikely that you simply’d purchase it once more.
Now leggings—oh, boy, leggings: These are the items we type deep, lasting attachments to. Perhaps you may have a number of of the identical fashion (you put on and love them that a lot) otherwise you refuse to let go of 1 pair from years in the past, actually hanging on by a thread, that your favourite model not makes. You put on leggings to work out, you put on leggings to run errands, you put on leggings to observe a film or tidy up round the home. (Let’s simply say it: You put on them for…the whole lot.) And whilst you have your few go-tos, it’s laborious to seek out one thing new that’s simply nearly as good, one other Good Pair.
We get it—and that’s why we’re going again to fundamentals for the 2024 SELF Activewear Awards: With a extra selective course of and smaller winner checklist than ever earlier than, we’re awarding simply 17 objects this 12 months that can assist you discover the cream of the crop. Under, take a look at the 9 pairs of leggings we’re formally deeming right now’s biggest.
How We Picked the Finest Leggings
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For this 12 months’s Activewear Awards, we requested SELF editors and a bunch of handpicked skilled judges (learn extra about them beneath!) to appoint their favourite leggings of all time. The one rule? The piece should nonetheless be out there for buy.
Concurrently, we revisited the splashiest new releases from the previous 12 months. We combed by way of these, alongside the editor and skilled choose submissions, holding an eye fixed out for items that had been nominated greater than as soon as. We additionally did some further analysis: Is the product well-reviewed on-line? Is it out there in a variety of sizes? Does it go well with a number of physique sorts? Is it an inexpensive worth?
Then we got down to discover our first-ever Reader’s Alternative Award winners. We despatched a survey to SELF readers and followers, asking them to appoint their picks, and we dug by way of 1000’s of responses. Probably the most-nominated leggings are the Reader’s Alternative Award winner you’ll see beneath.
There are just a few technical elements that make a pair of leggings nice. We requested our editors, judges, and readers to contemplate the next when nominating their picks:
Waistband Match and Consolation
- Low-rise leggings are typically impractical throughout a exercise (they could transfer or slide down)—do these leggings have a higher-waisted match? Do they sit at a spot in your waist that’s snug and non-restrictive?
- Does the waistband roll down? (It shouldn’t!)
Cloth High quality and Moisture Administration
- Do they cross the squat check? Right here’s easy methods to discover out: Placed on the leggings, bend right into a deep squat, and observe whether or not the fabric round your glutes stays opaque.
- Does the fabric (or colorway) present sweat? Do they really feel heavy and moist whenever you sweat in them, or do they dry shortly and stay unobstructive to your exercise?
Size
- Leggings are available in quite a lot of lengths (e.g. cropped, 7/8, ankle/full-length), and the size you favor will doubtless come right down to your peak and what feels finest on your go-to kinds of exercise.
Added Options
- For some individuals, pockets on a pair of leggings is nonnegotiable—they could mitigate the necessity for a waistpack or arm belt on a run.
- Different added options may embody reflective particulars, a built-in drawstring on the waist, or a cloth that helps you are feeling extra snug doing a selected exercise (like additional stretchy leggings for yoga, or heat-tech leggings for winter sports activities).
How You Really feel
- Above all, a terrific pair of leggings ought to make you are feeling assured and able to transfer. They need to be no-fuss and comfy sufficient that you simply don’t have to consider them all through the day or throughout your exercise, however flattering and trendy sufficient that you simply take pleasure in what they bring about to your outfit.
