****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I love these so much, I bought three pairs, and if this heat continues, I'll probably go back for a fourth.I'm 50yo, 5'7", hovering between 140-145 lbs. I've got a bit of a "mom" stomach and some slight love handles, but I'm naturally more straight-up-and-down than apple-shaped or hourglass.I typically wear a medium or large in Athleta workout bottoms, depending on the cut, and went with the large on these. The medium just fit in the waist, but the fabric pulled quite a bit across the upper hips/lower stomach, so I went with the larges and tightened up the waist with the endless drawstring. The larges flow nicely across my stomach, sit flat on my rear end, and don't ride up in the legs or crotch when I run.The legs are cut straight enough to be flattering, not too tight but they also don't flap around or stick out at the sides. They might not work for someone with super muscular or curvy thighs, but mine aren't exactly twigs, and these fit with room to spare. I tried a similar style from a more expensive athletic-wear brand, and they had super-wide legs with unfinished laser-cut edges that floated out and didn't drape nicely because they weren't hemmed like these are. I looked ridiculous. These are nice enough that I can run errands in them and not feel totally exposed.There's a great zipper pocket at the back of the wide, stretchy fabric waistband that fits my iPhone 11 (without a case) after some maneuvering past the zipper, which is considerably smaller than the pocket itself. It seemed a little awkward at first, but I never notice it at all once it's settled in place. My melanite and arctic plum pairs also have two small key pockets in the front of the waistband (set into the top edge of waistband itself, no zipper), but my navy ones don't have those for some reason. Again, the stretchy pockets are much larger than the openings (which are 2 1/2 inches wide, with no stretch), so you could easily slide a chunky car fob or a chapstick in them, but probably not an energy gel.The mid-rise waist and lack of thick, bunchy elastic keeps them cool even in the DC-area heat and humidity, the fabric breathes well and—most importantly!—doesn't show sweat marks, at least not in the darker colors I bought (melanite, navy, and arctic plum). I don't feel swampy or or chafed in these, no matter how sweaty I get.The quality is excellent, with well-turned reinforced seams and no loose threads or crooked construction. I've washed them in cold on gentle and dried on low dozens of times, with no discernible difference. I'll also note that aside from the missing key pockets on the navy pair, otherwise all three pair were identical. No differences in sizing between the various colors.My only complaint, and I suspect it's more due to my own body shape than any real design flaw, is that the mesh inner lining sometimes feels a little diaper-like and bunchy because my butt isn't curvy enough to fill it out completely. If you've got a bit more junk in your trunk than I do, they'll probably feel fine for you. It's not bad enough that I'm constantly picking at them or trying to straighten them while I run, though, and it certainly wasn't a big enough problem to keep me from going back for two more pair.
