Lululemon's Groove Pant, probably the reason why this hideous yoga trend began. Note that they describe their product as "clothes for yoga, running, working out, and most other sweaty pursuits", not as clothes to wear to work, on the street, and in the bars.
Vancouver was recently named the third worst dressed city in the world (according to MSN) because of the number of women who wear yoga pants outside of the yoga class. My long time readers will know that along with my hatred of leggings as pants, I also despise people who wear yoga pants outside of the gym. (Here’s a clip of me talking about this very subject last week to the CBC on the Connect with Mark Kelley show, skip to 47 minutes. Don’t mind my insane blinking.)
While Vancouver has a lot of very beautiful women (good bodies, great skin), there are not very many who actually know how to dress. So for all of the women out there who have closets full of yoga pants (god help them) here are the five instances you ARE allowed to be caught wearing them, outside of the gym. (By the way, you may also want to read my 5 New Years Fashion Resolutions for Vancouver Women. Lots of helpful tips there, too.)
Yoga pants in the city are not cool.
1. On the way to and from the gym, workout, or yoga class. Exercise venues in Vancouver are less likely to have showers and lockers than most cities where people wouldn’t be caught dead in activewear on the street. So yes, it is fine to wear to wear your workout gear to and from the gym. You can also pop into the grocery store, bank, or other short errand after said workout, still wearing yoga pants. Having a long lunch with friend while wearing yoga pants is not acceptable.
2. At home (although I won’t.) Really you can wear whatever the hell you want while you are at home, because no one sees you. Well, your roomates, partner or kids might, so it is up to you what state you want them to see you in.
Even if you look like this, you still aren't allowed to wear yoga pants out to lunch or to work.
3. You are extremely pregnant or you just had a baby. At the end of your third trimester, you are huge, and sometimes clothes just don’t fit properly, so it is ok to wear yoga pants (again, I didn’t, but to each his own.) They are also acceptable right after you’ve had a baby. Note this means the first three or four months. Someone told me last week that they’d “just” had a baby two years ago. If you are still slumming it in yoga pants two years after giving birth, well, that sucks.
4. I have a friend who is a nurse and doesn’t need to wear a uniform. During her night shifts, she wears yoga pants. This is acceptable because they look better than the nurse uniform, and when you are working in the middle of the night in a hospital, you just want to be comfortable. So basically, any type of similar job can be done in yoga pants.
Ishara, a Vancouver boutique, stating the blatantly obvious: yoga pants are not pants.
5. I also have a friend who is currently undergoing chemotherapy (cue very big sad face here.) She often wears yoga pants because she is tired and sick. To be perfectly honest, no one should have to worry about what they look like during times of serious illness or crisis, and therefore it is ok to wear whatever the hell you want.
p.s. Note that “flying on a plane” is not on this list. I believe in the old fashioned way of looking good when flying. Or at least decent. Even if you have the layover from hell, it is no excuse to dress like you are about to have a workout. And by the way, you will never, ever, ever get upgraded if you are wearing yoga pants. Oh yes, and another exception is if you WORK in the athletics world, then yoga pants can be your work uniform.
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Images sources: purple yoga pants, black pants with pink waist, Ishara window, and yoga pants in the city.
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