NOTE: In order to provide readers of my Blog with the most clothing options to choose from, I try out more styles than I’m personally able to buy and keep. I do my best to note which items I have personally bought. Please be aware that items with a “Buy” rating may not be ones I personally own. The “Buy” rating indicates that the clothing item passes my standards for garment fit. This blog post contains “affiliate links” (i.e. a link with a special tracking code). If you purchase something via “affiliate links” on my blog, I may earn commission.

My biggest pet peeve shopping for activewear is when leggings are way too long and bunch up around my ankles. There’s nothing worse than folding the excess fabric of the leggings under just to make them the right length. If you’re short like me, needing petite sizes in activewear is essential. It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post about petite activewear so I wanted to see what new brands were out there rather than just writing about my go-to brands in the past like Old Navy and Forever21. 

It’s exciting to write this post because there have been some amazing changes in the petite activewear market! Two brands launched within the last year and a half that are addressing this problem I’ve so often faced. The first is Lovely Fit Yoga, which was founded by Denise Balandrano in 2019 and the second is Avo Activewear, which was founded by Ally Sevier. What I love is that both women are petite so they understand the struggle firsthand. 

Their brand launches make me so happy because back when I was at Macy’s and working in Petite sportswear, I remember telling my boss I thought that we should offer petite activewear. While my boss was open to the idea, others were less enthusiastic and skeptical. Their argument was petite women could just shop in the regular/missy section and buy cropped ones. That might work for some, but it doesn’t work for all petite women. Furthermore, it makes petite women continue to feel like an after thought or unimportant, when nothing could be further from the truth. Nearly half of American women are 5’ 4’’ and under. So I think it’s safe to say a sizable portion of the population is dealing with this frustration. 

For this post, I tried on leggings from a range of brands some specialized in petites (i.e. Avo Activewear and Lovely Fit Yoga) and some only offered regular sizes (Alo Yoga, Girlfriend Collective, and Sweaty Betty) but had different inseam lengths available. Through this process, I was able to find out which brands were the most pear-friendly and what inseam length works best for me. Please note this review focuses on the fit of the leggings rather than the performance aspect. Out of the leggings that I keep from this post, I’ll follow up with a review of how they preform during different workouts. 

Hope these reviews help you with your shopping process and allow you to avoid return fees! (PSA— Girlfriend Collective has a return fee.)

MY MEASUREMENTS

Height = 5’ 2’’

Bust = 34.5’’

Waist = 28’’

Stomach = 31’’

Hip = 40’’

Thigh = 22’’

Calf = 12.25’’

Inseam = 27’’

Bicep = 9.5’’

#AD: The Everlane Perform leggings (pictured below) were gifted to me by the company.

Everlane Perform Legging – Size M – Ankle Length ($58)

What I loved…

• Super high rise — I loved that these leggings sat above my belly button! (Front rise measurement = 10.875’’) They felt super comfortable and snug around my waist. When I put them to the test during a HIIT/weights workout, they stayed up the whole time. 

• Back rise — While these leggings had the same front rise measurement as the Avo Activewear leggings (below), they had a longer back rise measurement which I personally found more comfortable. The Avo Activewear leggings on the other hand felt tight in the bum area. Since I’m curvy and have a booty, I need leggings and pants with a longer back rise.

What could have been better…

• A little loose around ankle — I wish the leggings were tighter around my ankles. They were a bit baggy, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. I found that the Lovely Fit Yoga leggings (above) fit my ankles much better. 

Garment measurements: 

Waist = 25.25”

Front rise = 10.875”

Back rise = 15.75”

Hips = 30.5”

Thigh = 21.25”

Leg opening = 9”

Inseam = 25.125”

Verdict: Buy! (NOTE: While these items were #gifted to me, they are an item I would purchase. Additionally, I specifically asked the Everlane team if I could try these leggings because I thought they would fit me based on the measurements from their size chart.)

Lovely Fit Petite Yoga Pant – Size M ($55) 

What I loved…

• No waist gap – Just because something is a petite size doesn’t always mean that it’s pear-friendly too. I feel like I hit the lottery with these leggings because they fit me so well in the waist! No need to worry about them falling down during workouts.

• Fabric – As I mentioned on InstaStories I was so impressed with the fabric! It’s so incredibly soft. Honestly, I think the fabric rivaled the leggings from Girlfriend Collective from a touch and feel perspective. However, the weight of the fabric was thinner than GC’s leggings. 

• True to size – When it comes to leggings, I’m almost always a medium. I’m happy these are true to size. 

What could be better…

• Length – I’d love for them to offer more inseam options because I’d love to get a full length pair. 

• Expanded size range – I would love to see them expand their size range to include Plus! 

Garment Measurements:

Waist = 27’’

Front rise = 9.5’’

Back rise = 13.375’’

Hips = 30.5’’

Thigh = 19.75’’

Leg opening = 7.75’’

Inseam = 23.125’’

Verdict: Buy!  (NOTE: I bought and kept these!)

Alo Yoga 7/8 High-Waist Airbrush Legging – Size M ($78)

What I loved…

• Length – While Alo Yoga doesn’t offer petite sizes their 7/8 legging option was perfect for me. 

• Fabric – These leggings are also super comfortable! They feel more like a traditional knit legging than the ones I tried from Lovely Fit and Girlfriend Collective.

• Fit – I was so surprised at how well these leggings fit me! I was expecting this brand to run small like Lululemon. They hugged my waist so I didn’t have to worry about them sliding down.

Garment Measurements:

Waist = 25’’

Front rise = 10’’

Back rise = 13.25’’

Hips = 30.75’’

Thigh = 19.25’’

Leg opening = 8’’

Inseam = 24.5’’

Verdict: Buy!

Girlfriend Collective Vine High-Rise Legging – 28.5’’ Inseam –  Size M ($68) (link to new colors)

Girlfriend Collective Midnight High-Rise Legging – 23.75’’ Inseam –  Size M ($68) (link to new colors)

What I loved…

• No waist gap – Since these leggings are super high waisted (sit above the belly button), I didn’t have any issues with them gapping in the back. I do really love how high waisted they are. 

• Super comfy fabric – The fabric feels amazing! It’s soft and flexible. They didn’t feel restrictive at all.

What could have been better…

• Too long – I was hoping the 28.5’’ would work for me, but they were too long. They bunched up around my ankles. The 23.75’’ inseam was much better length for me and served as a 7/8 length for my petite self. 

• Drag lines at knee – Compared to the Lovely Fit leggings, these did not fit me as well. There were drag lines at the knee, which made them look frumpy. 

Garment Measurements (28.5’’ Inseam):

Waist = 25.5’’

Front rise = 11.25’’

Back rise = 15.5’’

Hips = 30’’

Thigh = 20.75’’

Leg opening = 8.5’’

Inseam = 28.25’’

Garment Measurements (23.75’’ Inseam):

Waist = 26’’

Front rise = 10.875’’

Back rise = 15.25’’

Hips = 30.5’’

Thigh = 21’’

Leg opening = 9’’

Inseam = 23.5’’

Verdict: Don’t buy, shop around!

Sweaty Betty Power Workout Leggings – Size M ($100)

What could have been better…

• Too big in the waist – Unsurprisingly, these leggings are too big in the waist for me. Thankfully they do have a drawstring waistband so I was able to keep them up that way. While the drawstring did help, I think this fit issue might be more annoying while working out. 

• Inseam – Ugh! I was so disappointed these leggings were ever so slightly too long for me! I really thought this inseam length would work for me. When I’m spending $100 on something, I want it to fit me without looking frumpy or needing alterations. 

Garment Measurements:

Waist = 30’’

Front rise = 9.5’’

Back rise = 13’’

Hips = 34.5’’

Thigh = 21’’

Leg opening = 8.5’’

Inseam = 27.5’’

Verdict: Don’t buy, shop around!

Avo Activewear Petite Senara Legging – Size M ($64.50 with foreign exchange and shipping fees) 

What I loved…

• Color – Omg I soon as I saw this color I was obsessed! Gray is my favorite neutral so these were perfect for me. Additionally, I loved that it’s a darker shade of gray. 

• High rise – The rise of these leggings reminded me of the Girlfriend Collective pair because they sat above my belly button. They hugged my waist nicely, which is perfect for us pear-shaped ladies.

• Fabric – Similar to the Alo Yoga leggings, these had more of knit feel. I probably would wear these more for yoga classes than going on runs. 

What could have been better…

• Length – Avo Activewear only offers it’s leggings in the 23.5’’ inseam option. Personally, I wish they were longer and ended just above my ankle bone.

• Longer back rise – If these leggings had a slightly longer Back rise, then they’d be perfect. Since the rise was short, they were slightly tight in the bum area. It wasn’t enough to be a deal breaker, but it’s definitely a fit issue that I noticed. (Note: Avo Activewear is a UK brand. It wasn’t entirely surprising to me their fit was little tighter, since UK sizing tends to run smaller than US sizing.) 

Garment measurements:

Waist = 24.75’’

Front rise = 10.875’’

Back rise = 13.5’’

Hips = 29.75’’

Thigh = 19.5’’

Leg opening = 9.75’’

Inseam = 23.25’’

Verdict: Buy!

Athleta Elation 7/8 Tight In Powervita – Size M ($89)

What I loved…

• Color – I loved that my mom picked out this color for me because it’s so fun and different. It kind of reminds me of matcha tea! 

• Length – The 7/8 length was a nice length for me. FYI — Athleta does carry petite leggings, but they only sell them online and tend to have limited selection. 

What could have been better…

• Slightly big in waist – Compared to the other leggings I tried on for this review, these were not quite as pear friendly. The waist was a little big relative to the rise. However, I think wearing these leggings for low key activities like yoga (or lounging lol) should be fine. I’ll put them to the test and let you know!

Garment Measurements:

Waist = 28.5’’

Front rise = 10.375’’

Back rise = 13.625’’

Hips = 30.75’’

Thigh = 20’’

Leg opening = 9’’

Inseam = 24.25’’

Verdict: Buy!

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