I don't judge other people's choices on when to wear yoga pants. Personally, there was a time when I was a bit overweight and had kind of given up on looking good, and I wore yoga pants or the same pair of jeans pretty much every day. With boring t-shirts.
Now, I've lost some weight and started working out, and I'm now exploring my style and having some fun with clothes. So I have no desire to wear yoga pants when going out. I'm tired of doing that!
In the morning, I get dressed in yoga pants. I wear them around the house, and to the gym. But if I'm going out anywhere except the gym, I don't wear them.
Exception: I did just wear them last night on a 4.5-hr. plane trip. They are a nice, thick, supportive pair, not baggy or thin.

Here in the Bay Area, yoga fashion is its own well-established fashion category. There are stores selling great organic cotton knits, loose and flowy. I see women and men in yoga-inspired outfits all the time, and I think it looks great. It's not my style at all - I tend towards old jeans rather than yoga pants for casual days - but I would never draw a line on who should wear yoga pants when.

What I have decided over the years, though, is that I'd like to be as aware of what I wear for relaxed things as for more professional settings. I'm happy to wear yoga pants or old faded jeans or whatever, but I want them to fit as well as my nicer clothes. No more tshirts that are awkwardly short or shrunken so they're tight in the chest or whatever. I just hate spending money on workout gear, so it's always my most unflattering category!

Hi, I rarely wear yoga pants out, but that said, I am a big yoga-pant apologist. I think it's all about being appropriate and ideally, well-groomed and looking like some degree of effort was put in (admittedly, sometimes there is not time for that either!).

I have seen people look polished, pretty and appropriate in yoga pants. I have seen people look sloppy, inappropriate and not at their best in dressy clothes.

True I personally wouldn't wear yoga pants to a corporate environment, but I also wouldn't wear jeans in a corporate environment, but that's not a knock on jeans - neither would I put on a suit to go grocery shopping but that's not a knock on suits! So it's not really about the article of clothing per se, most about how it's worn and what makes sense for individual ... which is generally best left to the discretion of that individual imho

I'm with dianthus - I generally don't care when/where yoga pants are worn; I just don't want to see your butt! If the material is too clingy or sheer it can get obscene. Same goes for wearing leggings as pants. I am all for tunic tops in that case.

I think it's hilarious to say "I'll wear them to the grocery store, but not out and about." News flash: If you are at the grocery store, you are out and about! LOL

I don't wear yoga pants per se, but I will absolutely run an errand or two on the way home from the gym in my exercise gear (exercise pants/capris, tee, maybe a hoodie).

Similarly, I'll absolutely run an errand or two on the way home from work in my full-on business formal suit and heels.

I guess I think my rule for the grocery store and similar venues is "be reasonably clean and decently covered and beyond that it's a free for all!"

That said, I do not wear exercise clothing if the immediate activities do not include exercise, and I would prefer that other people followed that rule, too. But I'm not gonna my non-exercise knickers in a twist over it.

I wear yoga pants at work, but not commuting to or from work, every day. Of course, I work at a gym.

Yoga pants and sports gear worn at any other time other than at home for lounging, in hospital, or to and from yoga/workout session is my Poison Eye. It's a slippery slope when you start wearing them to run an errand on the way home. Before you know it you're in yoga pants all day, every day.

Ditto to Kiki. I will sometimes go for a morning run or bike ride (I have to
drive to the nearest trails) then go run a bunch of errands in my running gear. And you know what? If that bothers someone to see me that way, too bad. I get dressed far more than 99% of the people I know in creative self-employed professions, so I cut myself some slack when it comes to errands in gear.

Pajamas in public though? Nope, nope, nope.

LOL, Angie!

I think you can be confident that I will not end up in yoga pants all day, every day! I even got dressed to go out when I was on medical leave!

I agree 100 percent. I'm a stay-at-home mom too and you describe my daily situation perfectly. I hate to admit that my daily wardrobe is almost always yoga pants or sweatpants, but I seize the opportunity to rock my 'real' clothes whenever possible! Of course there are times we all go WAY casual in public situations, but no sense in 'bumming it' if you don't have to!

Yoga pants don't bother me unless they are thin so they have a VPL/TMI problem. I don't take yoga and have never tried them. Now, if they are paired with a bra top and nothing else, I DO have a problem with that in public. I wear hiking gear for my walking around a track (mostly in the dark cuz it's so early), and I try to avoid doing errands afterward because I'm sweaty, my hair is a mess from wearing a visor, and the gear is old, faded, and a bit ill-fitting -- but oh, so practical and not made any more. Even when I do finally replace it after DD graduates from college, I would still avoid errands until after I'm showered, dressed, and have make-up on. I wouldn't want to see anyone dressed and looking like me after an hour+ walk!

It's not about judgement, it's about being observant, and it's about fashion. I didn't say it was ok that I wear my exercise clothes to the grocery store, but anyone who's run around with a toddler while trying to get in a workout at the same time knows the importance of consolidating time.

It's not illegal to go to a movie wearing yoga pants, or anywhere else really. And there is no rule, I'm not making up rules. I only have an opinion on when it is appropriate to wear yoga pants and when it's not. Again, being a Mom I seize opportunities to dress up when I'm out.

But . . . you asked what we think:
I spend most of my day in yoga pants - mainly because I'm a stay at home Mom and in the mornings I walk to the park with my son as part of my exercise routine. They on our way home we swing by the grocery store/bank etc, and then come home. But when I'm going out I actually dress in real clothes. I wouldn't go to a movie in yoga pants, or a coffee date or shopping and there are alot of ladies out seemingly wearing yoga pants while out and about. What do you think?

As many have quite accurately commented, no one else knows whether one is coming from or going to a workout, simply that they see another person in workout clothing in a non-workout environment.
I also would not purposefully go out in yoga (or any other workout or running) clothes for everyday activities but you can bet I still do everyday activities while in these very clothes due to my already mentioned situations regarding no car or living 20 min out of town. Again, no one else knows why, unless they can hone in on my sweat and flushed face.

I just put my money where my mouth is and bought a really cool hoodie at Zara. Funny, it's more than I usually spend on non-gear! But I've either gone climbing or had a dance class each night for the past week, and I'm tired of looking slobby while exercising. Especially since climbing is one of my main social activities, and my climbing partners are my ex-boyfriend and my favorite fashion friend!

Before kids I never (or on a very, very rare occasion) would wear yoga pants /running tights/bike shorts for anything else but working out or lounging at home. I would pull on jeans for a quick run to the store. After kids it is a whole other story. I get so little time without a toddler and preschooler in tow that if there is an errand that needs done on my way home from running or biking I do it. So much easier and faster by myself. So yes, there I am getting some groceries, dropping off all the rejects at UPS, and of course Starbucks is much more enjoyable by myself. These are the quick in and out errands that take me 5 minutes by myself and 30 minutes with the kids. By no means is there any style to the look. Hat, t-zip, running or bike tights. Yeah, not all that great. I kind of ignore all the woman in yoga pants. I mean whatever works for you, right? Who knows what they are dealing with or not wanting to deal with. Of course we have all seen the yoga pants that need to delegated to the PJ drawer.

I really dislike yoga pants in public - I have a pair that I wear if there is a fire drill, or if I have to run back to the hospital in a jiffy (patient emergency, need to be back in 10 minutes); or if I go to the gym.

I think it's unprofessional to wear them as part of business wear. There are colleagues, however, who wear them instead of dress pants because it "makes my rear look good". This makes me want to gauge their eyes out on the inside. You're at work. GAH.

I wouldn't want my rear to look good at the expense of the rest of me.

I'm with Angie. Maybe it depends on the structure and/or thickness of the pants, but most yoga pants I've seen are a step away from pajamas, which I wouldn't wear outside.

When doing activities like dog walking, barn cleaning, and yard work, I'm in jeans and hiking boots. I wear my gear when exercising and then head straight home. I don't actually get the whole "wear yoga pants on the plane" because I find a loose jersey dress to be much more polished and even more comfortable than pants with a waistband, however stretchy. The Magic Nine West dress is a fantastic "flying" dress as an example.

This is all just me, though, taking into consideration that I've never worn athletic shoes anywhere besides the gym. And before I started working out again, I didn't even own athletic shoes! There are too many other cute shoes out there just waiting to be worn.

Interesting topic!

I wear yoga pants around the home, in the gym, and running. These days, I prefer my leggings/tunic/cardigan ensemble over the yoga pants because the outfit suits my style and comfort level. I don't see the faux pas on yoga pants at all, actually. In fact, I really don't see why it's a problem. Sometimes yoga pants can look like dress pants!

Lulus are perfectly acceptable in my SoCal town after yoga, to do errands etc. I would never go out after exercising to do errands or coffee if I was sweaty though. I'd go home first and shower and change.

My experience is similar to Greyscale's. Our area rocks yoga chic. LUlu would be considered too pedestrian here. In winter, it is yoga wear layered with Patagonia puffers.

I'm with MaryK and Mo here. I exercise outdoors a lot. If I'm exercising outdoors, you can be sure I am wearing my workout clothes. Which means, ergo, that other people are going to see me in those clothes. And see me coming and going to my workout at the park or through the park or whatever. Will they know I am about to work out? Maybe, maybe not. They might mistake me for one of the other women walking around wearing yoga pants as if they were regular clothes. Such is life.

And I also walk to one of my exercise classes. So occasionally I have stopped to do an errand on the way there or on the way back, wearing my workout gear -- just as I have occasionally stopped to do an errand wearing dressy clothes.

Do I love doing it? No. But do I think it is wrong? No.

I just think it is a good excuse to ensure that the workout wear capsule is as smashing as all the rest of my clothes.

It seems to me that "sports gear", "workout wear", and "yoga wear" are pretty broad terms, especially if people are saying that it ought not to be worn anywhere but the gym or at home. To my eye, there is a world of difference between the type of thin, stretchy legging worn with a sports bra and athletic shoes by an active woman who has just run several miles--and a pair of well-designed, thicker, straight-legged yoga pants worn with a stylish top and flat shoes by a young mother walking her child to school.

To my eye, well-designed "gear" can look every bit as attractive as any other type of clothing. And, if I'm being blunt, I have a hard time seeing how faded, ripped and torn jeans can be deemed perfectly OK to wear in public while a pair of well-designed yoga pants automatically gets the thumbs down treatment. To me, context and location also plays a big role; I'm perfectly happy wearing my Descente ski jacket into a nice restaurant in Whistler, but admit it wouldn't be my first choice if I was in Paris.

I guess my point is that a blanket condemnation of "gear" doesn't take into consideration the daily lives that many of us lead and the environments in which we live. To call it a "slippery slope" implies that most of us wouldn't discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate designs and contexts. I'd like to think that most of us on this forum would be as careful in our choice of "gear" clothing as we are with any other type. And maybe we could set the standard for showing others how this type of clothing can be both functional and fashionable.

So not owning any yoga pants myself - I'll substitute what gear I do wear.... sailing gear.. - so Patagonia shorts, an spf tee, a baseball hat, sunglasses(gear not fashion) and boat shoes - do I stop to pick up snacks in the grocery before sailing, yes - do I stop after sailing with other friends similarly dressed to have a meal or a drink or a coffee - yes. Would I wear this to dinner, the movies or a non-sailing party - nope. Are there many women in my area that are similarly dressed all summer - yes. Guess I've never noticed the yoga pants.... perhaps I'll start looking!!

I am 100% with Gaylene here. Honestly, my entire goal in life now is to wear clothes that feel like gear but are presentable for work. I'm not sure the NYDJ ponte trousers are not just gussied-up yoga pants.

Plus I'd rather yoga pants than pajama bottoms out in public!

Like leggings, they can be styled inappropriately (too transparent/revealing/sloppy), but I don't see anything inherently terrible about wearing them in public whether you are exercising or not.

Ha, I was just guilty of wearing my workout gear to Nordies. I had to stop by and pick up something that a sales associate and set aside for me, and I was on my way from work to the gym. I bring my workout clothes to work and change before I leave (it helps motivate me to get to the gym, plus I ride public transport which is more comfy in sneakers than heels) so picture me, in my workout gear and puffy coat with a nice handbag and overstuffed gym bag traipsing through Nordstrom on a Friday evening...yeah, I felt a little weird. I wouldn't normally do that and I def. felt out of place but as several have mentioned, for me, time management and fitness is more important than style.

Also, I'm not a fan of this, but in the merchandising world we have a category called "Yoga Street" which is yoga clothes that are intended to be worn as casual clothing.

I used to think that yoga pants and exercise gear shouldn't be worn outside the gym, but I look around me when I am shopping and running errands. They are worn everywhere by just about all age ranges. Is it possible that this is an old rule that has outlived its usefulness?

I like the idea of "yoga street." It makes sense to me.

Last summer I had a color analysis done. The advice I was given was to stay away from "heathered" or "faded" , whether tweeds, denin or certain fleeces.
Full color saturation was the most important thing.
She told me that yoga pants, a high end, fitted , flare, beyond the boot or heel were a better alternative than jeans- because of full saturation. OR a fully dyed jean...
For yoga pants, I personally like a lower cut bottom so I require a top with a long line... so it extends over the pant top- usually fitted and to the crotch. I have two gray pairs and one black. I like the long straight line and often wear them with medium heel sandals and usually with an extra long cardi- .... of some color to mid-thigh.
I am not comfortable with sports bras and would never wear one in public.
I do not wear yoga tops on purpose in public... any yoga top I would have would again be full length over the pant.
I am quite small and do not have health issues. I wear full makeup and jewellery in them and accept them as casual pants.
Sure, for supper I throw on a dress... but when wearing pants, I wear dress pants or yoga pants, and one pair of royal blue fully saturated capri jeans.
It is funny as I remember being a kid and thinking... no way will I EVER EVER wear stretch pants when I grown up. ... ugh ! ... and now I am ! Crazy !

I'm just chiming in to confirm Angie's statement. Before YLF I was not very self-aware of the image I projected to others. I just had my first child and image was the last thing on my mind.

I was on that slippery slope and rode it way too long WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING.

Now I am more aware of what image i project and what I wear, when. Thank you, YLF and Angie, for that!

I push myself NOT to throw on workout gear to walk the kids to school in the morning.

My motto is - I have to choose something to put on my body and it doesn't take any more effort to slip on a pair of pants or skirt with a top than it does to put on the workout gear. Having FFBOs really helps me avoid falling into that trap.

Loved this thread last year, love it now.

All I have to say is that I worked out Saturday morning and then I wore my exercise clothes for the rest of the day while packing boxes and driving them to the new house. By the end of the day I was the sweatiest, dirtiest, most disgusting creature that has ever walked the earth.

But I got most of my kitchen stuff moved!