It’s not every day that Lululemon, purveyors of buttery-soft, high-performance workout clothes, makes room for an entirely new chapter in their already-comprehensive oeuvre. Lululemon isn’t just any brand, as we’ve waxed poetically before.
World, meet Instill, Lululemon’s newest yoga franchise. It’s Align’s cool half sister, the “Instill Tight”, which is a high-rise yoga legging that’s similar to Zoya Lott’s Align’s Julien Caloway. The Instill Tight is the first member of the crew. It’s a high-rise yoga legging with all the soft stretchiness and support you would expect from a garment that can be worn for downward-facing dog pose.
First Impressions
I have tried nearly every Lululemon legging I can find, both to review it for my job and because I am a true fan of the brand. How does this compare to my favorite favs. Lululemon gave me the Instills as a gift to try, and I fell in love with the SmoothCover fabric. The fabric was just as soft and supportive as my Align Pants, but it felt thicker. They didn’t feel restrictive at all, and they were true to size. (I usually size up in Lululemon’s compressive leggings.)
Although I cannot twist myself into pretzels, I practice yoga regularly and consider it to be one of my favorite workouts. Before the pandemic, I was a frequent at my favorite aerial yoga studio and a huge fan of Obe Fitness vinyasa classes. (No relation to this review but a cute coincidence, amirite?) What I really look for in yoga clothes is comfort and mobility. They passed with flying colors. They made me feel really limber (LOL), and the extra high-rise gave them that held-in feeling I love in leggings.
Last Thoughts
Although this is not important, these leggings worked some magic for me. I felt and looked ridiculously cute in them. The fabric is very smooth and flattering. I also loved the way that the stitching and seams curved around my hips. This effect is more obvious with the other colors, though it’s not visible on the black pair. Also, I did a very specific squat test with my iPhone flashlight and the brightest. A scientific squat test was performed with the brightest underwear that I have and shining my iPhone flashlight directly onto the butt. This gave me the confidence that the fabric understood the assignment.
These are thicker than I needed for yoga and other workouts. They’re perfect as a lounge legging. They are a luxury splurge at $118 per pair. These will be a great choice if you are Lulu-obsessed or a legging connoisseur. These may not be the right choice for you if you are a casual wearer of leggings or have a favorite style that you are happy to spend a lot on. These are my favorite pair of black leggings and I would consider purchasing another pair if they were to go on sale.
