Once upon a time, workout apparel consisted of sweatpants and baggy shorts you wouldn’t dare wear beyond the gym floor. These days, however, athleisurewear — defined as apparel that can be worn for both casual and active endeavors — is a staple of the modern wardrobe.
Among the most magical items in the athleisure wardrobe are athleisure jeans — pants that look like denim but are somehow buttery soft, smooth and stretchy instead of stiff and restrictive. What other clothing item could you wear to work and the grocery store and a tai chi class and the airport, all the while looking cool and feeling comfy?
What Are Athleisure Jeans?
Athleisure jeans — a.k.a performance denim, a.k.a athletic jeans, a.k.a jean leggings, a.k.a “jeggings” — combine the comfort and flexibility of activewear with the style of classic jeans. Many athleisure jeans come with elastic waistbands instead of traditional button and zipper closures, as well as moisture-wicking technology to keep you sweat-free. Kind of like traditional denim’s energetic younger sister, athleisure jeans typically incorporate stretchy materials like spandex or elastane into the fabric to allow for hopscotching, cartwheeling and frolicking through meadows.
The Rise of Designer Performance Denim
Stretchy jeans have been around since the early 2000s, but it was only in recent years that designer performance denim hit the scene. The rise of athleisure — combined with the fact that post-pandemic, people are less willing to wear stiff, uncomfy materials like traditional denim — spurred major brands into action. These days, industry titans like Levi’s, Spanx and 7 for All Mankind have jumped on the athleisure jeans trend, developing fashion-forward hybrid garments that fuse different styles in innovative ways.
Many brands offer performance denim featuring interiors reminiscent of sweatpants material, but Spanx is pushing fashion boundaries with a line of innovative jeans leggings. Their denim leggings are designed with the brand’s signature futuristic denim material, which features a dual-core technology that maintains shape while contouring your body. Levi’s, too, is shaking up the performance denim marketplace with its proprietary Liquid Shaping Technology — a specialized coating that strategically restricts stretch in particular areas, creating an effect that’s flattering and comfy.
The Benefits of Athleisure Jeans
Why do we love athleisure jeans so much, you ask? In addition to being super comfy, performance denim can accentuate and highlight your figure. These types of pants typically end at your natural waistline, virtually eliminating the possibility of getting a muffin top. And — unlike traditional jeans — you don’t have to struggle to put them on or take them off.
Our Favorite Athleisure Jean Picks
Have we convinced you to join the athleisure jeans revolution? If you’re ready to hunt down the perfect pair of performance denim (or three), we’re here for you. Whether you’re grabbing a frozen yogurt, vacuuming or climbing a tree, here are the athleisure jeans to do it in:
Spanxs Jean-ish Ankle Leggings
Spanx Jean-ish Ankle Leggings are pure sorcery. They look like jeans but somehow offer the comfort, pull-on design and contouring fit of leggings. Spanx Jean-ish Leggings are made with core-shaping technology designed to hug your hips and flatter your booty.
It gets better: Spanx Jeanish-ish Ankle Leggings come with bona fide back pockets that are ample in size enough to stash your phone and wallet while leaving enough room for ChapStick. The leggings also feature tastefully executed faux front pockets — as in, faux pockets that look real and nothing like the screen-printed fake pockets you might’ve seen on jeggings circa the mid-2000s.
Price: $98 at Spanx.com
Abercrombie & Fitch High Rise Jean Legging
Think these are just an ordinary pair of Abercrombie & Fitch jeans? Think again. They are a jean-legging mashup offering exceptional stretchiness that molds seamlessly to your silhouette. In a pair of these trendy babies, you’re guaranteed to be the most comfortable person at the bar or the best-dressed person at the DMV.
Price: $78 at Abercrombie.com
We The Free Penny Pull-on Flare Jeans
Leave it to Free People to dream up a pair of bell-bottom athleisure jeans. These mid-rise stretchy jeans feature a flirty, flared ankle reminiscent of ’70s styles. The Penny Pull-on Jeans come with all the other things we love about performance denim, too: stretchy, spandex-infused fabric, an elastic waistband and unparalleled comfiness.
Price: $98 at FreePeople.com
The Traveler Drawstring Tencel Pants
The Traveler Drawstring Tencel Pants are designed by Jen7, the versatile and affordable jean collection from the high-end denim brand 7 For All Mankind. The loose-fitting athleisure jeans are crafted from a sustainably produced Tencel lyocell fiber that is buttery, soft and unbelievably light. The Travel Tencel Pants’ best selling point is their drawstring elastic waistband, which makes them perfect for working from home, doing chores or cuddling on the couch with a copy of Harry Potter.
Price: $109 at Nordstrom.com
Denim Is Served Smoothing Stretch Jean
If you need more proof that Lizzo can do no wrong, look no further than the Denim Is Served Smoothing Stretch Jean from the singer’s activewear brand, Yitty. These stretchy performance denim pants are designed from “comfy AF” compression fabric that hugs your curves just the way you want them to. Pair with your favorite tee or splurge on a matching Denim Is Served Corset made from the same material.
Price: $75.95 at Fabletics.com
A New Day High-Waisted Jeggings
Target happens to be a treasure trove of athletic jeans — affordable and stylish ones at that. Their A New Day jeggings come in many different colors, styles and lengths, including ankle- and full-length. We love this ankle-length pair in brushed gray, which features a skinny fit and stretchy waistband. They’re made from a blend of cotton, polyester and spandex, which looks like traditional denim while somehow being lightweight and uber-soft.
Price: $20 at Target.com
Amazon Essentials Performance Denim
Another trusty repository of fashionable, functional athleisure jeans? Amazon. The tech giant carries tons of jeggings from different brands, in addition to ones from its own collection, Amazon Essentials. The Amazon Essentials performance denim pants come in a range of petite, standard and plus sizes, in addition to different colors and textures — like a dark wash, vintage wash and rinsed. The Amazon jeggings are pull-on style and full-length, meaning they extend past the ankles (unlike a lot of the options on this list).
Price: $32.50 at Amazon.com
Wax Mid-Rise Skinny Jeggings with Distressing
Do you love the grungy, devil-may-care look of ripped jeans but despise how unforgiving they feel on your tummy? These distressed jeggings from Amazon are an affordable, fashion-forward, belly-roll-friendly solution. The artfully torn athleisure jeans feature a pull-on design with an elastic waistband and are made from a flexible blend of cotton, polyester and spandex. These hip, nifty jeans feature real front and back pockets and come in a kaleidoscope of color options — including black, dark denim and camo.
Price: $16.97 at Amazon.com
Betabrand Yoga Denim
Best known for their Dress Pant Yoga Pants, Betabrand combines the comfort of yoga pants with the office-y look of dress pants that are designed to be functional, comfortable and trendy. And that’s no different when it comes to their denim. This pair of premium denim has a four-way stretch with a mid-rise and an electric waistband with belt loops that come in several different washes.
Price: $128 at Betabrand.com
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