lululemon align pants Archives

It’s time to talk about Aligns.

Aligns were released around September, 2015. They were released with a few other pant types when Lululemon was re-vamping their pant-wall. The released pants were the Align Pant, Zone In Tight, All the Right Places Pant, and Tight Stuff 7/8 Tight.

And honestly, at first, I wasn’t all that interested. I prefered the “hugged” feeling of my Wunder Unders and the fabric seemed a little delicate… even moreso than normal! The other thing is that sometimes when Lululemon comes out with a new item, they phase something else out (Speed Ups replacing Speed Shorts) and then bring back the old favorite, at a higher price. So, I was biding my time, waiting to see what the Aligns were replacing, only to be phased out and to have the beloved classic item return for a higher price. But this has not happened and I am now convinced that the Aligns are here to stay. As an aside, What happened to the Zone-In tights? I’m not able to find them on Lululemon’s site and they were released at the same time.

Anyways, I’ve never talked about Aligns before on my blog, but I think now is a good time to start.

Fabric: Nulu: aka: softest Nylon/ Supplex blend ever.

Fit: Form-fitting, not forgiving. If you have flaws, you’re not getting any assistance from these, unlike the way one might with Luxtreme or even the traditional Wunder Under Luon. That said, they fit pretty much like Wunder Unders, the fabric is just less thick and less tight than the WUs.

Feel: These are the softest things I have ever felt from Lululemon. They really do feel like nothing at all on and I love this fabric!

Issues: The reviews say it all. People LOVE the softness, but HATE the pilling. This is one of the reasons why I have stayed away from these. I can’t bring myself to pay $100 for pants that are destined to pill after only a few wears. In addition, people are complaining about loose threads/snagging.

My opinion: Buy if you are not concerned about pilling. Let’s be honest, we all love silky leggings that are super comfortable to wear. Like a good lipstick, legging that feel like nothing at all are amazing. However, we also like our things to last, and based on the 2.5* average review on Lululemon’s website and given the extensive list of comments regarding pilling, I think it’s safe to assume that these do not last, for most people. And, while a depiller can help with this, the question becomes, should this really be necessary when I’ve only worn these a couple of times?

At the end of the day, the answer to “should I buy?” is up to you, but so far, I’ve said ‘No thanks.’

UPDATE! I recently wrote a new post where I address the Aligns again. It’s been 2 years and I have caved and bought a couple of pairs. Read about my experience here: https://lululemonexpert.com/2020/06/08/lululemon-aligns/

I’ll admit, I was tempted. I went TWICE to the store to try on the Align pant. They were practically all gone by the time I arrived Monday afternoon, the first time, and I tried my normal size, but I’m between sizes right now, so I figured I’ll wait until they get re-stocked in my “between sizes” size, and try them again.

The next time that happened was about a week later, and this did not change my opinion of them. They feel amazing, but I am just not quite sold. First off, I don’t love high-waisted pants. I have a couple of pairs in a select print or two, and while I don’t love the high waist, I get a lot of use out of them because I love the print. Second, while the fabric is exceptionally soft, I don’t like the way they feel. I want them to feel like a Wunder Under, and they don’t, so it’s really just a couple of preference issues so far. The third reason I don’t love them is because the fabric feels thin to me and, fourth, I read online that it attracts dog hair quite easily. I have a white dog. This would not go well with these pants. Fifth, the fabric at the ankle is bunchy, I guess if I were taller that this might not be a problem, but it bothered me, I even took a picture.

That said, yet another reason I did not buy them was because they’re boring. I have a pair of black Wunder Unders, I also have a few pairs of other black pants. I don’t need more black in my wardrobe.

With regards to size- if you’re between sizes like me, go with your smaller size.

So, as per the title of this post, it’s good to see that Lulu has manufactured and is now stocking, in-store, Align Pants with colored waistbands. Honestly, they are so so soft, and while I still probably won’t rush out to buy them, at least this is a step in the right direction. If they throw a great print on them, like the cherry cheeta one I saw in this bra I spoke about recently, well, I might have to pick up a pair.

Here they are, in store- I think the blue is Saphire and the pink looks like Pink Shell but is likely not.