So Long, Slippery and Restrictive Styles—These Are the Only 10 Pilates Leggings Team MC UK Recommends

Pilates has, undoubtedly, taken the health world by storm. But if you’ve traditionally preferred more high-impact workouts like HIIT and running, you might not be wearing the right Pilates kit for your sessions. Enter: the best Pilates leggings.

More and more brands are expanding their offering to include Pilates classes (including Reformer and Tower variations). Moreyoga, for example, is upping its Pilates offering and even hosting instructor training as a part of its expansion.

So there are plenty of options to choose from to feed your Pilates cravings, but wearing the correct kit, including a supportive sports bra, non-slip Pilates socks and reliable bottoms, is crucial.

That’s why we’ve rounded up the best Pilates leggings for you to shop, tried and tested by us. Meet your MC UK testing team: I’m Valeza, Marie Claire UK’s Junior Shopping Editor. I adore Pilates in every form and reviewing workout clothing is a huge part of my job. The same goes for MC’s Senior Health Editor Ally Head, Fashion Writer Sofia Piza, and Features Editor Mischa Anouk-Smith, who are all fit kit-testing pros. So we’re pretty well-placed to trial the best Pilates leggings on the market for you.

I’ve also enlisted the help of the experts—personal trainer and strength training-fan Chloe Gray, Phoebe Georgiou, founder of Soul Body retreats and Sabrina Kelly, Pilates Educator and Creator of MorePilates at MoreYoga—for their top Pilates legging picks.

We’ve also rounded up the best at-home Reformer machines and Pilates bars to elevate your home workouts for less. Oh, and if you’re after more low impact-friendly workout clothing, don’t forget to check out our buying guides for the best Pilates tops and Pilates unitards. You are very welcome.

Best Pilates leggings: Quick shopping links

• Best overall: £40 at Adanola
• Best with pockets: £120 at Vuori
• Most supportive: £88 at Sweaty Betty
• Most versatile: £88 at lululemon
• Softest: £88 at Free People
• Most affordable: £27.99 at H&M

What did we look for when testing the best Pilates leggings?

If you’re after an expert-approved method of finding the best Pilates leggings, Kelly has a comprehensive checklist she always consults when choosing the ones to invest in:

• Material: A material that doesn't stick to the mat or the body - an elastane/lycra mix works well
• Lightweight: Something that is feather-light so that it doesn't get in the way of movements
• Breathable: Something cooling for the sweaty abdominal work is crucial
• Stretch: An extra-stretchy material for all the Pilates leg kicks
• Quality: Something that washes well and can be put in a 30 degree wash without fading, pilling or bobbling

Naturally, we kept these all in mind when testing the Pilates leggings ourselves, along with a few of our own criteria:

• Support: Did they hold us in and stay up while we’re bending and stretching?
• Softness: Did they feel like butter? Unlike running leggings which require a compressive, streamlined material for the best performance, Pilates leggings are where the brushed cotton and ribbed materials can really shine through.
• Price: Would we get our cost per wear?

Shop the 10 best Pilates leggings, chosen by MC UK editors

1. Best all-round Pilates leggings

Versatile, affordable, super soft, supportive—we really can’t fault these Adanola leggings for Pilates. Head loves these best selling leggings, which are super supportive without being uncomfortable. She also finds they sweat wick well and are deliciously soft to the touch—do keep in mind, though that these can get a bit bobbly over time.

2. Most supportive Pilates leggings

Georgiou finds these leggings supportive without compromising on a butter-soft feel. They don’t fall down while you flow, she notes, and feel incredibly flattering. Best paired with the matching bra.

3. Most versatile Pilates leggings

Kelly and Gray are both huge fans of the lululemon Align leggings for wearing during Pilates. These versatile leggings are great for high impact and low impact workouts—plus everything in-between (we’re looking at you, brunch). This is thanks to their famously soft and supportive (but not compressive) material. They might be on the pricey side, but they’ll last you ages and are so comfy. Plus, you can sometimes snap a pair up for as little as £59 in the sale.

4. The softest Pilates leggings

Gray enjoys wearing the FP Movement Never Better leggings during her Pilates workouts. The slightly cropped length fits her petite frame well but also works well for longer legs—and they’re just about the softest pair of leggings she’s ever worn. According to Gray, wearing a pair of these feels like wearing nothing at all, which comes in handy when contorting your body into various Pilates poses.

5. Best Pilates leggings with pockets

Like pretty much all of the leggings in this list, these ones from Vuori are incredibly soft and comfortable. The real selling points for me, though, are the deep side pockets. I don’t know why leggings for low-impact workouts tend to miss out the all-important pockets that running leggings are almost never without. This small detail makes these leggings perfect not just for stretching and pulsing, but for running errands before and after your workout, too.

6. Best affordable Pilates leggings

I’ve worn these H&M leggings for years. They hold me in comfortably, are super stretchy and have a high, wide waistband which doesn’t roll down. They’re impressively high-quality for the price and always snap back to their original shape (no baggy knees here). They can pill and rip if not looked after properly, though. But at just under £30, I can’t really fault them.

7. Best wrap waist Pilates leggings

After a sustainable pair of Pilates leggings? Team MC are forever wowed by BAM for the brand’s sustainable credentials, incredible quality and affordable prices. These wrap waist leggings do not budge and are so flattering on the body.

They also feel super comfy thanks to their soft, stretchy and supportive material that’s made using bamboo viscose and organic cotton. Though they’re lightweight and breathable, they still manage to be opaque enough to pass the squat test. You have been warned: the lighter colours will show sweat marks, but this isn’t as much of an issue when doing low-intensity workouts like Pilates.

8. Best luxury Pilates leggings

Piza’s all-time favourite leggings are these ones from Alo Yoga. They might be the priciest leggings on this list, but the quality is beyond any other. The 7/8 length makes them another great petite option, and work for sweaty gym sessions as well as lighter workouts like Pilates and yoga. As the name suggests, these are very soft and comfortable, too.

9. Best flared Pilates leggings

If you’re after a flared pair of leggings for your Pilates workout, Junior Shopping Editor, Amelia Yeomans, swears by this Gilly Hicks pair.

She’s had her pair for over five years and they still look brand new. They’re so comfortable, don’t ride or roll down, and wash well too. The main selling point for Yeomans, however, is that there are three leg lengths to choose from for the perfect fit. The neutral hues also mean they're stylish enough to wear casually too, and she regularly wears them outside of the Reformer studio.

Naturally, these are a popular pick and tend to sell out quickly after restock. They're not available right now, so we've linked to the super similar Gilly Hicks Active Recharge Bootcut Leggings. These come in the same blush pink shade, as well as a lilac and heather grey—and they boast the same short, regular and long options.

10. Best high street Pilates flares

Features Editor Mischa Anouk-Smith loved these soft, budget-friendly Pilates flares when she tested them. She wouldn’t typically opt for a flared leg, but after trying H&M’s SoftMove pair, she was a convert.

She was all for the streamlined silhouette and how well the flared legs sit over trainers. When it comes to the fit and feel, the clue is in the name: SoftMove. They gently sculpt without the restriction, and work just as well as loungewear as they do low-lift exercise like yoga and Pilates.