I Refused to Pay lululemon Prices, Until I Tested the Align High-Rise Pant

For a long time, I lived in blissful ignorance of lululemon. I didn’t go to a college where the brand was well-represented in 8:00 a.m. classes or at basketball games, and I didn’t have hometown friends who swore by their “lifetime” guarantee. Instead, I only learned about the brand when I moved to New York City after college. 

That’s when I began to spot the athleisure brand’s signature logo on color-coordinated sets in every workout class I attended and at nearly every turn of my Central Park running loop. I started asking myself: “What’s the deal with lululemon?” 

After casually researching the company’s most viral styles, I was appalled by the high prices I found. $98 for a pair of leggings? Hard pass from me. 

Well, here I am today, ready to repent for my previous lululemon slander. I was tasked with testing a few pairs of the best lululemon leggings at home (part of the job!) and tried lululemon’s Align High-Rise Pant and the Wunder Train High-Rise Crop. I’m convinced my quality of life increased from the moment I first slipped into the buttery-soft material. I quickly understood the hype, the comfort, the never-have-I-felt-this-in-a-legging euphoria. I was hooked. 

Buy Now: lululemon Align High-Rise Pant 28”, $98-$118

Both leggings took my breath away. But I’ve found myself reaching for the Align Pant most frequently, for everything from running the Westside Highway to running errands. They hug all the right places, providing optimal support that erases my worries of having to hike them back up mid-kickboxing class. The material is soft, breathable, and doesn’t chafe or rub (which, those of you who’ve held onto old, scratchy leggings understand to be a real issue). 

Buy Now: lululemon Wunder Train High-Rise Crop 23”, $88-$98

Oh, and did I mention that lululemon has a quality promise for any new gear you buy? This means that if you find a hole in your leggings, you can bring them into a lululemon store and discuss options for a replacement. You really are paying for a premium product and an excellent customer experience.

As someone who believes that you shouldn’t speak ill of something unless you’ve tried it yourself, I should’ve known better than to dismiss lululemon for so long. But my lapse in judgment aside, I am here to tell you that YES, lululemon is absolutely worth the price tag. 

Is it an investment? Sure. But if you’re anything like me, and you find yourself in athletic clothes multiple times a week, it’s worth looking into. Buying high-quality workout leggings means spending less money replacing them in the future. And when you look at it like that, the price evens out in the end—plus, you’ll be glad you made the (soft, buttery, comfortable) switch.

Snag your own pair of the Align High-Rise Pant now, before they sell out.