Shorts and I, ugh. We have a complex relationship.
I like breathable, cooling clothes when I’m slogging through my daily miles, but shorts usually ride up in weird ways, or they’re so short that my booty hangs out; hence, my warm-weather preference for capri-length workout pants.
Zella’s $44 Live-In Capris are so comfy that I do, in fact, want to live in them. 🙂
And if I never, ever had to look responsible, I probably would (they’re the Pajama Jeans of my workout world). You’d need the Jaws of Life to peel them off of me.
I got my first pair about a year ago and promptly picked up two more.
The deets from Nordstrom’s site…
- These lean capri leggings, ideal for working out or wearing out, are cut from a stretchy moisture-wicking knit and sewn with flatlock seaming for a comfortable, chafe-free fit
- 17″ inseam; 10″ front rise; 13″ back rise (size Medium)
- Hidden waistband pocket stashes cash or a key
- Reflective trim enhances visibility in low light
- Zeltek Ultimate Stretch offers four-way stretch with compression, wicks moisture, and it’s brushed on one side, smooth on the other
- Intended for gym, yoga, running
- Polyester/spandex; machine wash
You know how some workout pants will stretch out and lose elasticity after a few wears, and then when you’re jogging/downward dogging/eating Cheetos on the couch/whatever, you have to stop every few feet to hike them up because they’ve lost their shape and keep scooting down your bum?
Yeah, these don’t do that.
I’ve had mine for more than a year, wash and tumble dry them on low all the time, and they’ve held up nicely. The elastic’s just as springy and snug as ever (so there’s no chance of accidental butt crack flashing).
Oh, and the fabric is thick enough to leave some things to imagination (read: conceal whatever you’ve got going on under your pants).
You’d think that all workout pants would take this into consideration, but they don’t. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve gone to a yoga class and wanted to tell the gal swan diving into a forward fold in front of me to put a sweatshirt around her bum because EVERYTHING IS ON DISPLAY.
The stretchy fabric’s like a miracle sausage casing, sucking everything in without feeling binding or painful, and the waist sits up high enough to disguise the cupcakes I’m trying to burn.
Love these pants! — and I think they’re pretty stylish, too. Good for hiking, errands, general shenanigans. Just add a bright top and cute kicks, and you’re good to go. 🙂
PRICE: $44 (also available in Grey Slate) in X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, Plus 1X (14-16), Plus 2X (18-20) and Plux 3X (22-24)
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Nordstrom stores and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+
Hey, hey Wednesday
How did that happen? Oh, and how did MAY happen?
I’m just about to settle into my second cup of coffee and the May Astrology Zone forecast (LOVE Susan Miller). I’m a Gemini, by the way. At the risk of sounding like a cheesy pickup line, what’s your sign?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I love Zella 😀 I literally live in the live-in leggings! I’ll have to try on the cropped ones.
Hi Janet,
The cropped ones are the best! They keep you cool and cover everything up. What else have you tried from Zella? I love their zip-up hoodies and tanks. 🙂
Looking very fit!
It’s the pants, girlfriend!
I’m so glad you posted this because as I was walking yesterday, and my shorts were constantly riding up my thighs I was thinking, I need some capris! I might have to get a pair (or 2)!
Hi Kelly,
Ugh, I hate that! I’m not into having to constantly stop and pull down my shorts. NOT FUN. Hope you love these, they’re really great.
Enjoy this lovely weather we are having! It’s hot up here in the North Bay!
i need to try these as lulus are getting too expensive. and to think…they closed the vancouver outlet when the company started here!
NO WAY! I was kindasorta hoping to make it back up there for a trip and I had the outlet on my list of things to do. BOOOOO!
I’ve fallen off the workout wagon these past couple of weeks, so maybe some cute clothes will help me get motivated!
I have a late August birthday, so I’m a Leo. 🙂
Definitely. I find that wearing cute pants and tops makes it a little easier. What types of exercising do you like to do? I’ve been running pretty hard core, but I need to start mixing it up with DVDs and whatnot.
Did I ever tell you that I’m married to a Leo? Geminis and Leos are supposed to get along very well.
I’ve been doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. I did Level 1 for a few weeks and started on Level 2 and just haven’t stuck with it. I try to exercise after work, but sometimes it’s hard to squeeze it in among other chores.
We also have an elliptical, so sometimes I’ll hop on there for 20 minutes. I feel like something is better than nothing!
That’s cool that El Hub is also a Leo. I wonder what sign Tabs would be? 🙂
I fall off the wagon all the time. The last couple of weeks, as a matter of fact. But the great thing about fitness is that it’s always there for you, you know? You can pick it back up and start again. I find that a big thing that helps is tracking everything I do. When I use My Fitness Pal, it makes a huge difference and keeps me motivated. Another thing that might help is a good ol’ fashioned calendar and stickers.
Are you very much like your sign? El Hub sure is. I feel like I’m a Gemini through and through.
As for Tabs, I’ve often wondered about that. I really wish that I knew him during his kittenhood so that I could celebrate his birthday properly (I know, so crazy cat lady). I’ve informally given him my birthday, so we’re both Geminis. 😉
I’ve used My Fitness Pal in the past, but it would be good to use it again. I think you also track your calories with it, which is helpful.
I’m sort of like my sign, but I’m also close to Virgo and probably have more of those characteristics.
I use the dates that I got my kitties as their “birthdays”. I know the month that Mingy started to come around and I know the exact dates that Ella and Nina came to us. So those are the dates I use.
In fact, Nina’s is coming up on Cinco de Mayo. I’ll have to break out the party hats and catnip! 🙂
My Fitness Pal is great, but man… those numbers don’t lie. They tell you the cold, hard truth, LOL! It’s helpful but brutal at the same time.
That’s so cute that you have celebration dates for the cats. How about getting Nina Kitty an echinacea plant? Tabs LOVES his and noms on it all the time.
Thanks for the reccomendation about the plant. That’s a great idea! I’ve been careful about bringing plants into to the house b/c I never know which ones are safe for animals. I recently found out that lilies are dangerous – even if their pollen gets on cat’s fur and they lick it off, it can cause problems. I’ll let you know how she likes it.!
You’re welcome. When we fixed up the back deck we wanted all the plants to be cat friendly so Tabs could enjoy them. He loves the fresh catnip, but he’s also a fan of the echinacea and the zinnias too. I’m actually thinking of getting him a new batch of zinnias just so he can eat them and leave the ones in the flower bed alone, LOL!
Yup, I knew about the lilies. I had a couple plants and had to re-home them with my parents — some lilies and an elephant ear, which I loved. But alas, they’re not good for the kittehs.
Zella is a fabulous fitness clothing line. I have one of their jackets and I love it.
Monica
Hi Monica,
Sweet! I have a few of their jackets too and love them. Which one do you have?
Your Zella posts have me thinking about going on a Zella shopping spree when I have the means to…these look wonderful! And they aren’t see-through!
Hi Christine,
I really like their stuff. It’s relatively reasonable (compared to Lulu) and it wears well! 🙂
Definitely give these pants and maybe one of their jackets/hoodies a go.
Happy Wednesday, btw. Anything new to report?
The jacket you posted about awhile back has stayed on my wishlist!
And happy Wednesday (now Thursday, I suppose!)! New things to report are the new kitty we’ve added to our family is warming up nicely…just waiting a few more days for his cold to clear up before introducing him to our first cat. 🙂
And it’s almost the weekend! Yayyyyyyyy!
Hey Karen,
Those capris look exactly like something I’ve been searching for as the heat here in Florida has been really making me p*ssed (and it’s not even summer yet!).
I am also a Gemini, and I checked out the Susan Miller link you posted for May’s ‘scope. I about fell off my chair since she was/is right on the money on a bunch of issues for me. Could you forward me her direct website so I read and research some more on my own, please? I’d appreciate it, as one Gemini and CCL to another, you know =)
Thanks!!
Hi Sandy,
You will LOVE these capris. Another good thing about them is they dry really fast, so if you take them on a trip, all you have to do is hand wash them in a sink and then leave them out to dry. They’re very travel-friendly.
Yay for Geminis! So, I think Susan’s main site is astrologyzone.com. 🙂 Her stuff is CRAZY accurate. It’s almost freaky!
Look how cute you look!
Pisces, here, and I’m totally trying to figure out how it got to be May 1st! Where did April go? It feels like it was just my birthday week, which was the first week of March.
I’m already mourning the loss of summer, LOL, and it hasn’t even started! I know, so crazy.
Do you find that you’re like your sign? I’m very much a Gemini, through and through.
Oh, I am definitely the ultimate Pisces. Very emotional, very sensitive, and a vivid imagination.
Sometimes the stars just get it right! Do you know Missy’s sign? Tabs is a Gemini by default.
Not really sure…. she came to us in the summer, not quite a full grown cat, so I’m going to guess she was maybe a fall baby? What’s a fall sign that has the characteristics of affectionate, demanding, hilarious, and batsh*t cray-cray? ; )
I love these, too! I also like Zella’s live in leggings and boot cut yoga pants, but the crops are my favorite!
Hi April,
Oooh, so I’ve never tried their boot cut yoga pants! I have a couple pairs of Lulu ones that I’m waiting to wear through before I go there.
Have you seen the new Zella capris with patterns and reversible colors? I’ve yet to see them in person, but online they look pretty cool.
Zelllllllllllllllllllllllllllla! I heart these. I might need a few pairs cuz I would WEAR THOSE OUT!
Hi Trinidad,
Haha! Yeah, they’re really great. I hope that you give them ago because they’re my fave workout pants!
You look great!!!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks! It’s the pants. They’re miracle workers. 🙂
How’s your day going so far?
LOVE the Zella live-in capris!! They’re one of my faves, evah–along with Athleta’s Ananda capris, which have the cutest little diagonal slit at the back of the leg for some cool movement. (And, until Zella acknowledges that not all of us are blessed with Supermodel-length gams, they’re the only length I can wear. Call me lazy, but I refuse to hem my workout pants, lol.) This Pisces mixes it up daily with cardio DVD’s (kickbox, HIIT, BOSU, weights, etc.) and runs on the treadmill (or fast walks, if I’m reading 😉 ).
Hi Gkitty,
Oooh, there’s an Athleta store in Southern Marin that I haven’t visited yet! Must put those pants on my list. Do they hold up nicely? I’m short so I’m always looking for stuff that I don’t have to hem.
They’ve held up really well for me, Karen, and the quality is on par with the Live-ins! (I’m only 5’4″, and the Anandas hit slightly longer, but not *too* long. 🙂 )
You got me beat, I’m 5’1″! 😀 Yay, I can’t wait to check them out. I drive by the Athleta store all the time, so now I have an excuse to go in.
I’m a Pisces/Aries cusp (which pretty much says it all). And, if I looked like you in those Zella pants, I’d own a dozen! Sadly, I’m going to have to lose some winter weight first.
And I can’t help but read the comment above me and note that GKitty and this Kitty have a lot in common! 🙂
I vote that you get a pair NOW to help motivate you. 😉 Seriously, cute workout gear makes everything easier!
HAHA! Stop! You’ll have me buying everything. Then again, that might leave me less money for food so the new workout gear will fit better. Hmmmm. 😉
Those look great, I am a few weeks post baby and need some workout motivation! Now is your top Zella too? I like that its not so fitted. Thanks for the motivation!
Hi Katherine,
The top is by Avia; I picked it up about a year ago at Marshall’s.
Congrats on your new little one. 🙂 Did you have a boy or a girl?
Amen to the “EVERYTHING IS ON DISPLAY”. Sometimes when I’m at the gym, I can’t stop seeing lady cheeks everywhere I turn… I end up looking a lot at the ceiling and purposefully staring at the walls.
I’m glad you’re excited about your workout! I wear rags to workout, though. My gym can be a little sexualized, and it’s better to ward off the attention — haha! 🙂
Those look great. I’ve been looking for some high quality w/o pants! I’m willing to pay $44…it’s better than Lululemon!
I saw these at Nordies the last time I bought all of your Zella recommendations (2 pairs of live in leggings, the bag, and the jacket) and figured they would probably be too long on me. But, they hit you at a fabulous spot and I know you’re on the shorter end, so maybe they will be good for me too! I know this has been asked before but I can’t find the answer. What size do you wear in Zella bottoms? I’m a large, and worried that they will be too long for my 5’2. Thanks!!
I just got these on Tuesday. I love them. They are super comfortable and keep me dry. Thanks for the recommendation!
The black ones are on sale right now on the Nordstrom Anniversary sale for $28.90. http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/zella-live-in-capri-leggings-black/3541564?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=6352&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-browseresults-_-1_16_D