I’ve always been a sweatpants and leggings girl. Maybe it’s a hallmark of having worked from home for eight years and counting, or the burden I bear from being a millennial, but to me, blue jeans are an occassion pant. Even when I’m out in a skirt or dress, the second I get home, I’m putting on sweatpants.
My favorite pair has been the Vuori Performance Joggers, ever since I first tried them back in 2020 for a now-defunct buying guide. These sweatpants have been beloved across the internet since then and probably before it. Influencers, reviewers, and redditors sing their praises. I’m not saying anything new. These pants have 4.8 out of 5 stars based on over 46,000 customer reviews. But if you haven’t heard the gospel, please do yourself the courtesy of listening to me proselytize for just one moment.
I know a ton of differently shaped people who love these sweatpants. I’m short and curvy, but friends and colleagues with different body types swear by these sweatpants. Be you tall or short, slim or thick, no matter your gender, your weight, or where you like to wear your loungewear, these’ll work for you. They’re like magic.
Pants You Can Wear …
Some people might think sweatpants are basic. How hard can it be to get it right? So perhaps my love for the Vuori Performance Joggers is best illustrated with details about what they don’t get wrong. I spoke with Sarah Carlson, vice president of design at Vuori, to lift the curtain a bit.
Let’s start with the fabric. The Vuori’s DreamKnit fabric is special. Carlson says it’s made with advanced knitting techniques to promote a second-skin feel, and she says it is meant to “provide a buttery-soft feel while delivering the durability and functionality needed for active lifestyles.” I’ll be the first to admit I’m skeptical of any marketing claims, but these sweatpants genuinely are so soft and stretchy.
DreamKnit is made with 89 percent recycled materials. It has four-way stretch, which keeps it flexible, and it’s designed to keep you cool and dry. It’s not too thin or too thick. If I wear these sweatpants in the fall, they keep me pretty warm. If I wear them in the summer, I don’t get too hot. I can regulate my own body temperature. They’re not aggressively lined or bulky or thick. They just work. In the winter, or on particularly windy days, they aren’t the warmest, but that breathability is a feature and not a bug.
Photograph: Vuori