I Tried Lululemon’s New ‘Jeans’ (original) (raw)

By ,a writer at the Strategist covering clothing basics and bath and body. She joined the Strategist as a junior writer in 2022 after interning at the site.

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

Last month, Lululemon launched its EasyFive pants, which are itsnewest everyday women’s pants that are cut like a pair of jeans but made from a wrinkle-free twill fabric. The brand has long been making non-workout clothes: Its men’s ABC pants have become a finance-guy officewear staple. In 2020, when former Strategist writer Louis Cheslaw reviewed the pair, he wrote that they look like suit trousers but feel like “wearing sweats in disguise.” Lululemon has made trouserlike pants for women before — its Daydrift trouser is a favorite of mine — but the EasyFive is the first denim-inspired pair. With that in mind, I was optimistic that the EasyFive pants could be a dressier swap-in for jeans without sacrificing the comfort.

The EasyFive pants line includes three styles: a low-rise classic wide-leg, a mid-rise relaxed-straight, and a high-rise subtle-flare (all of which come in short, regular, and tall lengths). When I first pulled on the wide-leg style, I was impressed by how sturdy yet almost lived in they felt (it actually reminded me of Vuori’s new denim line that I just tested last month). I wouldn’t go as far as to describe the EasyFive pants as soft, but the Utilitech twill,which is made of 58 percent elastomultiester (a stretchy polyester-based fiber), 31 percent cotton, and 11 percent elastane, has the benefit of being wrinkle-free and especially easy to care for. The pants are designed with a five-pocket design, like a pair of jeans, but the cotton twill, which is solid-colored and not at all distressed, made them feel more polished than blue denim.

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In general, I like wide-leg jeans, so I was drawn to the wide-leg EasyFive style. The regular length (there’s also a short and a tall length available) hits just above the floor on my five-foot-five frame. They have a low rise that sits above my hips yet below my belly button, so I didn’t find them to be exceptionally low. I’ve worn them everywhere, from quick walks with my dogs to commuting around town for weekly appointments and happy hour with friends. I love that the fabric is stretchy and lightweight but still feels crisp and structured. In terms of the sizing, I do think the wide-leg EasyFive runs true to size (or maybe even slightly big). I’m usually a size 25 or 26 in denim so I ordered both to compare, and the 26 was much too large around the waist.

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I expected to love the wide-legs, but I was surprised by how much I liked the “subtle-flare” style, too. They hug my hips in the best way and elongate my legs nicely, plus the little flare is subdued enough that these pants feel on trend but not costumey. The black shade I tested could almost pass for flare work pants or sleek trousers, but they also looked lovely styled more casually with a white tee. I found the subtle-flare to run a bit tighter than the other two EasyFive styles, so I took one size up.

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I was less of a fan of the relaxed-straight EasyFive pants, although these probably are the most versatile style of the three. The fit is a classic mid-rise, and I appreciated that they don’t feel overly baggy or too tight. However, I prefer a straight-leg jean to be tighter around the hips and skim the body a bit more, so that’s where these fell short for me (I also have a pretty straight body type, so that could be part of the issue). As far as the regular length, these just barely graze the floor when I’m barefoot.

After trying the EasyFive pants collection, I wouldn’t necessarily count these as a replacement for traditional jeans — but they are certainly a nice alternative to wearing jeans or super-rigid denim and work well in both casual and dressier settings. The EasyFive pants have some stiffness, which prevents creasing and wrinkles, yet they have plenty of flexibility and stretch for travel, errands on to go, and long workdays. I also own and love Lululemon’s Daydrift pants, which feature an elastic waistband, faux fly, and sweat-wicking fabric. Compared to those, I like how the EasyFive pants push even further away from the activewear space and are more like actual pants with a zipper, button, and multiple pockets.

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