The Austin Mom’s Guide To Leggings

Hey Mama’s! It’s the month of love, so I’m here to talk about something near and dear to my heart. Leggings!! I still remember purchasing my first pair of “yoga pants” at Lululemon in 2007. Lulu had a teeny tiny pop up shop on Kerbey Lane filled with the most incredible leggings I had ever seen! The one’s I settled on were a black, mid rise, flared fit made with the brands signature Luon fabric.

It was love at first try, and my obsession with leggings began!! Over the last decade, leggings and “Athleisure” have taken the world by storm {and the real estate in my closet}. I know I’m not alone when I say leggings have a BIG job in my daily life! They carry me through school drop off, play dates, errands, my favorite fitness classes and everything in between!! These days there are more than 11,000 brands and styles of leggings worldwide, making up a $1 Billion industry. Looking for your new favorite pair? I’ve got you covered!! Don’t worry, you don’t have to look through 11,000 pairs to find them.  I’ve put together a short list of my favorite brands & styles to guide you! Each pair of leggings exceeds the following criteria, #3 being the most important!!!

• Leggings must be comfortable and feel soft to the touch!
• They must fit exceptionally well. Meaning they don’t slide down mid workout, or mid Target run
• They have to be durable. Leggings are expensive! They better be fade resistant, built to last, with NO fancy laundry instructions!!! {Who has time for that?!}
• They can’t be see through! {I have enough to worry about as I head out the door!}
• Leggings have to be unique, fun & stylish! Because some days I don’t actually put on “real clothes”. 

First up is Define Your Inspiration or DYI
DYI makes so many fabulous fits and prints that it can be hard to choose, but my favorite DYI leggings are the Signature Tight. The high rise, high compression Bionic fabric gives a gentle hug around your mid-section, while the moisture-wicking keeps you dry while you work out, and head for lunch post class! The 4-way stretch has a slimming, smoothing effect, hiding panty lines and imperfections!

I’ve been eyeing this Lilac Navy Floral Signature Tight for spring. {Yay, it’s on sale!!}. Follow @shopdyi to see new styles and pop up discounts. If you are looking for a way to shop, and try on DYI locally. Head over to Barre3 Austin Four Points. Owner Sarah, does a fantastic job of selecting fashion forward, amazing options! Members get 15% off retail!!

JevaLab
Founded by fellow Austin Mama {and my beautiful friend}, Dianne Erwin. She mixed her love of design with her love of health & fitness and created JevaLab! GO Mama!!! I personally love the unique, bold prints! Total show stoppers!! These leggings feel like butter when I put them on, my waistband stays in place, and they totally brighten my day as I tackle my to-do list. If you want to match your little one, Dianne made the cutest Mama and me styles! Zia and I have the “Heather” print, and we love to wear them together! Look out for future pop up shops @jevalab on instagram or @jevadesignlab on Facebook

Outdoor Voices
Their company tagline is #doingthings, and as Mother’s, what better way to describe our day?! OV has a big place in my closet! Mostly because they translate between studio to street so effortlessly. The OV style is unique, yet still feels classic and timeless, and they fit like a glove! I can head to a yoga class, followed by a parent teacher conference without feeling out of place in either location. The textured compression leggings are my favorite {shown here}. The structured chevron paneling contours your leg, while the signature OV texture quickly wicks and camouflages sweat. Pair your new leggings with the Cloudknit hoodie for a textural match made in Heaven! I’ll be wearing mine as we travel to Disney next week!!! Head to @outdoorvoices or @ovaustin to stay in the loop!

With spring right around the corner, grab a friend and go snag some leggings! You deserve it Mama!! I can’t wait to hear which ones were your favorite!

What are your favorite leggings? Share in the comments!