How to Get Away with Wearing Yoga Pants to Work

Some people argue that yoga pants have no place in the workplace and that this leisurewear item should strictly be kept for play. The only exception perhaps is if a woman is pregnant, is working alone in her office, and has no other clothes that fit her – then she could probably get away with wearing yoga pants to work. The rest of us, however, should wear work clothes to work and keep exercise clothing for exercising. This may seem a little unfair given that yoga pants aren’t that different in appearance to leggings, and leggings have been acceptable work-wear for a number of years now. Furthermore, according to WGSN, the online fashion trend analysis and research service, only 4 percent of women in the US say they now wear strict business-wear at work while 31 percent claim to dress completely casually. So perhaps now is the time to start spending your working day in relative comfort and, with a few pointers, style.  Here’s how to dress up a pair of yoga pants so that they’re suitable for the office.  

Style of Pants Choose a flattering style that looks appropriate for the office. This means no sagging backside or frayed hems. A slightly flared leg suits most women and can be worn with a number of different types of footwear. Avoid a pair of excessively baggy yoga pants (the cargo style ones) as these will probably look a little too casual.  Another great pick is a legging style pant like Green Apple Active's 26" legging with back pockets.  This style is skinny at the bottom to fit into any boot style or wear with dressy flats.

Creating the Look By teaming a pair of yoga pants with a tunic or cardigan that falls to the top of your thighs you’ll create a sleek silhouette and help to disguise any lumps and bumps; remember that yoga pants are designed to be close-fitting and even the best bodies can find them pretty unforgiving at times. If the waistband of your yoga pants clearly identifies them as being designed for exercise, then make sure it’s not on display. You want people to think you’re wearing an attractive pair of pants, not a pair of yoga pants, so this also means no visible logos, branding or colored piping down the legs of the pants. As for color, a black pair of pants will look less conspicuous than, say, a pair in grey or burgundy.

The secret to wearing yoga pants and making them appear to be something other than what they are is to keep the look simple and subtle. Wear a pair of ballet pumps or boots on your feet. Knee-high boots can work well with a pair of yoga pants as you can tuck the pants in and wear them with a long, patterned or floral tunic. Clever accessorizing will keep your colleagues’ eyes focused on other more conventional aspects of your outfit leaving your pants to act as a blank backdrop.  

Our Picks Below:

Start with the Green Apple Active's 26" Legging With Back Pockets and add:

1.)A cinched waist button down keeps your comfy pants classy we love Tunic Tara in pink by Monday March.

2.)Use Accessories like Jcrew's Classic Wide Bangle ($28) & Classic Medium Bangle ($22) to add color & style.

3.)Pull on chic boots to finish the look.  BONUS, Madden Girl Zeda Boot is made of faux leather so is animal friendly too!

Think you can pull off yoga pants at work?  Let us know!