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

Pilates is, undoubtedly, taking the health world by storm of late. 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 newfound obsession. 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 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 is crucial.

So that’s why we’ve rounded up the best Pilates leggings for you to shop, tried and tested. 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 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 socks, 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 - I want to be able to put them in a 30 degree wash without them fading, pilling or bobbling

Naturally, we kept these all in mind when testing the best 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: as chosen by MC UK editors

1. Best Pilates leggings all round

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.

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 these leggings 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. Their 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 impressive quality for the price, anyways snapping back to their original shape (no baggy knees here), but can pile and rip if not looked after properly. At just under £30 though, 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 their sustainable credentials, incredible quality and affordable prices. These wrap waist leggings do not budge, are so flattering on the body and 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. "I've had my Gilly Hicks flares 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 me, 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 I regularly wear mine outside of the Reformer studio."

10. Best high street Pilates flares

Features Editor Mischa Anouk-Smith loved these soft, budget-friendly Pilates flares when she tested them. "I wouldn't typically opt for a flared leg, but after trying H&M's SoftMove pair, I'm a convert," she shares. "I really liked the streamlined silhouette and how well the sat over trainers. It might sound silly to be so het up in the aesthetics, but for me, having good kit helps me stick to a routine. 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."