As you can see from the “c/o” in the title that I was gifted Everlane’s Perform Legging. But I don’t know what I was thinking (or maybe it was wishful thinking lol) when I asked for a small. I’m a size 4/6 on the bottom, or usually a 28 in jeans, so asking for a size small isn’t a stretch, except these small leggings definitely needed to stretch a ton to fit. And as you can see in the first photo below, they do fit. But it’s tiiiight, and not in a good way (though I’m sure you can’t tell from the pic, and it actually makes my legs look skinnier). So I decided to try out both their medium in the regular length and the ankle length. Because guys…these leggings are good. Like minimal VPL, definitely opaque, and feels amazing kind of good. So good that I might even consider becoming one of those girls that wear leggings as pants.
Just kidding, ok so I probably won’t wear these leggings as pants, but if I were ever tempted to I would do it in these leggings and not any of my Lululemon leggings that I usually work out in (I usually go with the Lululemon Align Pants). And by workout, these days it means mostly yoga with an occasional elliptical session. Since my knee injury, I’ve been doing mostly light-impact workouts. So take my review with a grain of salt if you’re looking to run or do HIIT workouts in these.
First of all let’s talk about sizing. Of course since these are leggings there’s some wiggle room. But like I said above, I tried the small first and I’m definitely not a small. I’m usually a 4-6 in pants, though lately I’m more like a 6 and I find the medium to be a good fit. The waistband is tight but not so tight that it starts rolling when I’m doing yoga. I do find that the crotch/thigh area is a tad on the loose side but I like that since that guarantees no camel toe. I’m also wearing the ankle length here, both in the small and the medium. I was lucky enough that my contact at Everlane knows I’m short (5’4” actually) so instead of sending me the regular she sent me the ankle length. I didn’t know this until I got my medium in regular length because there’s no way to tell them apart. On the leggings (which is tagless), it doesn’t designate length just size. I tried the regular length and I have to roll it up about 3 inches.
So I wore my medium ankle length leggings to yoga several times and have found them to be great. Like I said, no rolling of the waistband and zero discomfort of any kind. In fact I didn’t even think of the leggings during the sessions so that’s a good sign. I am also comfortable wearing these to run errands before or after yoga even though I’m not a leggings-as-pants kind of gal. That’s because these leggings really do help keep you in and smooth you out. The compression feels like the Outdoor Voices leggings (reviewed here), but the Everlane material is a lot thinner. I think they have about the same rise. I really enjoy how high-waisted these leggings are now that I have post-pregnancy, post-fibroid tummy flab.
In fact here is proof of me wearing leggings as pants. And why am I taking a photo with my old iPad you ask? Well it was a day when my iphone went completely on the fritz and so I was using my iPad as back-up. I honestly felt like a old Asian lady taking photos with an iPad lol. But also I felt 100% comfortable walking around in leggings as pants.
Also the fabric of these leggings is nothing I currently own or have tried before. They’re thin, but not so thin you can see VPL. They are super stretchy but also compress really well to hold you in. The fabric is smooth and not shiny. And it’s made of 58% recycled nylon and 42% elastane from a mill in Italy. The Lululemon align leggings are 80% nylon and 20% Lycra (aka spandex, aka elastane—they’re all the same thing), while the OV textured compression leggings are 86% Polyester, 14% Spandex (the polyester on these make them less stretchy and less soft). Also if you have a pair of Girlfriend Collective leggings (which are also on my list of things to try and have been forever), for reference those leggings are 79% recycled nylon and 21% spandex—so most like my Lululemons. I think the almost 50/50 use of nylon and spandex make the Everlane leggings softer and stretchier than all the others, while the fabric is the thinnest.
And of course leggings, like almost all athletic wear, introduces plastic microfibers to the water system so it’s important to wash your nylon clothing in a bag that can catch them all. This is especially true for the first wash (tbh I never actually see microfibers when I wash my old workout clothes but I still wash them in the guppy bag every time). In this case, I did catch some microfibers after the first wash (the small black speck):
Oh my gosh, did you guys make it all the way down here? Well for those who want a size small, ankle length legging tried on once and washed (with my guppy bag so that initial loss of microfibers is already taken care of), I am giving away the pair sent to me by Everlane. I’m happy with my medium pair and probably won’t squeeze myself into the small if I have a choice. So I’m happy to send them to someone who will wear them, along with the red scrunchie from the box set Everlane sent (pic below). Sorry keeping the rest.
The promo swag
So if you’re interested, fill out the form below. Giveaway will end next Monday at midnight PST. Open to everyone, including internationally (yes I’ll get my butt to the post office and wait in line for you if you happen to live outside the US). One entry per person please and the winner will be announced next week Tuesday. As usual email is only collected to contact the winner and won’t be used for anything else.