For the last few years, I have been hearing great things about Athleta, but I had never tried anything from Gap acquired brand until this summer. In doing a bit of research for this post, I found that Gap had purchased Athleta in 2008 and has spent the last few years opening up a number of retail locations including the one at The Grove right by our place this summer in LA.

I popped in a few times to check out the leggings in particular and found that Athleta is a lot like Lululemon. From their marketing, to their dressing room protocol, to the discount they offer certified fitness instructors (Athleta offers 30% off full priced items, Lululemon offers 15% on everything) - it all feels very Lululemony. And the fact that nearly all of Athleta's retail locations are within a 12 minute walk from a Lululemon suggests they're trying to cash in on the $14 billion dollar yoga clothing industry.

While discounts are nice, what really matters to me is the quality. I can't teach a yoga class wearing something I don't feel is going to hold up. So how do Athleta pants hold up?

Really freaking well. Like, on par with Lululemon. I reviewed two other Athleta pants in this post about unique yoga pants and these leggings are no different.

Pros

-they retain their color after numerous washes

-there are convenient and functional pockets

-they're made from thick, breathable, flattering fabric, much like Lululemon's luon (the old school luon, not the newer polyester-feeling luon)

-reinforced stitching and four way stretch

-gusset crotch (halllllelujah!)

-approximately $20-30 less than Lululemon's leggings

Cons

None to report! These are truly a great pair of leggings.

Sizing

The pairs I have are an XS and I am normally a size 4 in Lululemon, and an XS in Teeki.

A question