Cotton On Active High Waist Leggings review
Costing a fraction of the price of more expensive brands, shoppers can’t get enough of these $39 tights that “immediately felt expensive”.
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“I’m a runner” – a statement I never thought I’d say and yet here we are.
I grew up dancing so I’ve always been more of a pilates girl (it’s weirdly similar to dancing in a lot of ways), I’ve even dabbled in yoga and attended the occasional bootcamp class but not running, never running.
A month ago I found myself on my usual four kilometre incline walk at the gym when I was faced with a conundrum – I still had 500 metres left of my walk but only five minutes until my pre-booked nail appointment down the road … I was going to have to run.
And so I ran and weirdly enough, I kind of enjoyed it. So I went back the next day and ran a little further, then went back the day after and ran even more and now I’m a runner.
What people don’t tell you about running is how much more goes into it then simply moving your entire body and pushing through despite the voice in your head telling you to “stop” with every step.
Then there’s the running shoes, the sports bras, the activewear and the difficult decision to choose which gear is best for you.
When my editor found out about my new love for running, she tasked me with reviewing three different types of Cotton On leggings.
They’re affordable, costing $60 and under — that’s a fraction of the price of more expensive brands like Lululemon and Nike.
They’re also wildly popular, just go to any gym or popular walking spot and you’ll see women everywhere wearing their leggings with their signature Cotton On Body logo.
Their Active High Waist Core Full Length Tights cost just $39.99 (and go on sale frequently, yay) are one of THE ICONIC’s most popular women’s sports tights. They’re so popular Cotton On sells a staggering 100,000 pairs of them every year — seriously, WOW.
So here’s my honest review of three of Cotton On’s standout leggings and how they stack up to more expensive brands.
Cotton On Active High Waist Core Full Length Tight, $39.99 at THE ICONIC
Why we love it: Super stretchy – perfect for exercises with a lot of movement like yoga, pilates and dancing
Things to consider: The sizing is a little confusing as this does seem to run larger than the other two pairs
Material: 88 per cent polyamide, 12 per cent elastane
Length: Full length
Colour: Core black, sweet green and element blue
What You Need To Know
I put this pair to the test during my weekly pilates class, hoping the new outfit would give me a little extra motivation to push through the 14,000 squats we were about to do.
My first reaction was “I should have gone down a size”. I’m usually a 10 in bottoms so I opted for a medium, however if I had my time again I would have gone for the small.
When they say ‘high stretch’ they really mean it and I prefer my tights to be a little tighter when I’m exercising.
Luckily for me, the tights have a drawstring on the inside of the waist, so I just pulled at the string and created a little knot for extra support.
Sizing aside, the pants immediately felt expensive. They’re buttery soft, thick and sit perfectly just above the belly button.
These tights were perfect for pilates as the super-stretch accommodated for every pretzel-like position my instructor asked of me while the thickness of the fabric provided a little extra support.
If you’re on the edge of your seat wondering if they passed the pilates test … they certainly did.
I definitely could feel the difference of having that extra stretch within the fabric, plus the ability to tighten the drawstring if needed was a win. This is the pair I’d go to for light-intermediate exercise like pilates, dancing or a yoga class.
Cotton On Ultra Luxe Mesh 7/8 Tight, $59.99 at THE ICONIC
Why we love it: Pockets are always a good thing and these are big enough for all your essentials
Things to consider: While the mesh panels elevate the look, they may not be everyone’s cup of tea – especially those who prefer a more streamlined look.
Material: 72 per cent polyamide, 28 per cent elastane
Length: 7/8
Colour: Black, riverside winter red, sea glass, quiet sky, sweet green
What You Need To Know
This one’s for the exercise girlies who also pride themselves on being fashion girlies. While the tights are subtle, they also include sleek mesh panels along the outside of each calf, which creates a more elevated look than your basic black tight.
And just as the name suggests, these tights are luxe. Unlike the Ultra Soft (more on those later), these are made of a ‘moisture wicking fabric treatment that keeps you cool and dry’ and it immediately feels different on your skin. Important to note these aren’t full length but rather a 7/8 leg length.
In terms of the look and feel, the fabric feels more lightweight than both the Ultra Soft and Core Active and resemble a similar feeling to Skins – they’re breathable, soft and almost feel like you’re not wearing anything at all.
But the best part? They have pockets. We’re talking enough room for your keys, credit card and even an asthma puffer, if needed. However when the pockets are empty they sit completely flush to the leg so you’d never know they were there.
Of the three I tried out, the lightweight fabric of the Ultra Luxe along with the convenient pockets have made these the standout choice for my morning run. However if you’re not looking for tights specifically for running, the other two pairs may be better options for you.
Cotton On Ultra Soft Shaped Full Length Tight, $49.99 at THE ICONIC
Why we love it: Seamless around the front rise for extra comfort
Things to consider: This material can be susceptible to picking up lint and dust from around the house
Material: 75 per cent polyester, 25 per cent elastane
Length: Full length
Colour: Black, forest green, forever blue, very grape, oceanic navy, stone blue and desert grey
What You Need To Know
While these aren’t necessarily the perfect running tights (thicker fabric, lack of pockets etc), they could still be my favourite overall tights of the three I tried. Let me explain …
With the variety of movement I do, from dancing, pilates, running and weightlifting, I’ve always found seamless tights (no seam down the front rise) to be more comfortable. There’s something to be said for being able to go about your workout without readjusting your pants every few seconds or feeling any kind of seam around that area. So if you’re like me, and have seamless bias, this is most likely the Cotton On tight for you.
They’re also full length, which I love. Though that is more of an aesthetic note as I’ve always found full length to be more flattering on my specific body (I just think it looks sleeker with a nice pair of chunky white runners a la Hailey Bieber).
It’s important to note here that the fabric is thicker than the Ultra Luxe and they hold a little more warmth during exercise than the above pair. However, when I think about a casual walk along the esplanade of even just schlepping around my living room with an oversized jumper on – these are the tights I want to be in.
HOW WE CHOOSE PRODUCTS
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to. As well as sorting through mountains of consumer reviews, product manuals and conducting thorough product research, our team of expert writers puts each product we review through a series of hands-on tests to ensure we give you honest feedback about its performance and whether it’s worth your hard-earned money.
For this article we put three of Cotton On Body’s most popular leggings to the test over a month, wearing them for a variety of different activities including pilates, running and walking.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING LEGGINGS
When reviewing these Cotton On leggings, we evaluated several factors:
Fabric: We tried several different fabrics including a moisture-wicking blend suitable for high intensity exercise, thicker fabric for relaxing and an in-between blend suitable for pilates and yoga.
Style and length: While full length tights are the most popular style, a 7/8 length can be more suitable for high intensity exercise.
Comfort and fit: There’s nothing worse than leggings that constantly fall down, so that was a key consideration when reviewing each pair.
Price: Cotton On’s leggings are very affordable, but are they actually good quality and value for money, or would you be better paying more for another brand?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR AUSSIE LEGGINGS?
When it comes to the most popular leggings in Australia there are plenty of great pairs of sports tights to choose from. Among the most popular with shoppers are Lululemon’s Align Leggings,STAX.’s Full Length Tights NANDEX Original, Lorna Jane’s Lotus Classic Ankle Biter Tights and Nike’s Dri-FIT Zenvy High-Rise 7/8 tights.
WHAT ARE THE BEST AFFORDABLE AUSSIE LEGGINGS?
Besides Cotton On’s Active High Waist Core Full Length Tights, CRZ YOGA’s women’s leggings come highly rated by shoppers (we’ve reviewed them here) and cost just $47. Lorna Jane’s Lotus leggings also often go on sale and can be discounted by as much as 40 per cent, making them an affordable buy (review here too).
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