Read my reviews on the best fleece lined leggings for winter at various price points! I’ve tried Target, Old Navy, Lululemon, Vuori, and Alo Yoga, with special mention for Athleta as well. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
Sometimes I think I have acclimated to Seattle, coming from Southern California. And then winter comes.
And while I have not yet mastered the ever fashionable PNW uniform of flannel, Patagonia jacket, and hiking pants, I HAVE successfully mastered my “suburban mom running errands” fits of 24/7 athleisurewear.
Which means when November comes rolling around, I start reaching for my warm winter leggings, as opposed to my rest of the year leggings. But alas, not all leggings are made the same. So after 7 years of legging research, I present to you my review of the best lined leggings for winter at any price point!
Best Cheap Winter Leggings – Target vs. Old Navy
As I usually do when venturing into new shopping territory, I attempt to find the most cost effective item first. The past couple years I’ve had both Target fleece lined leggings from their A New Day line and Old Navy. Both were obviously not super high quality. After only one winter season, the Old Navy pair had a hole in the crotch. Both leggings had fabric pilling rather quickly. The Old Navy pair was advertised as “high waisted” but it really hit below the belly button, whereas the Target pair truly lived up to its high waisted name. Both leggings had a more natural cotton-y look (vs. a smooth, sportswear finish) and low support, which was absolutely fine for me as I did not actually intend to exercise in them. Overall, I would not purchase Old Navy again, but the Target ones were adequate for the price. One drawback to the Target leggings, however, was that they did not come in petite sizes, so the length was rather long on my 5’2″ frame.
Best Quality Winter Leggings – Lululemon Fast and Free Fleece Tights Review
After my Old Navy legging fail, I decided I needed to fork out the cash to try a better quality legging. First up: The Lululemon Fast and Free High-Rise Fleece Tights with Pockets 28″. At $148, this was pricy, but I think I got a slight discount for Black Friday.
The first thing I noticed was that the leggings had exposed seams. Not really my thing for just casual wear. The inner fleece fabric was soft and indeed warm. However, with 87% polyester, the outer fabric was definitely designed more for actual exercise. It has that smooth, quick-dry feel. In contrast, I was looking more for that natural fiber feel, similar to the Target leggings. On the plus side, out of all the fleece lined leggings I tried, Lululemon had the only ones with pockets. In the end, the fabrication and exposed seams was a no for me, so I returned them.
Vuori Chilled Out Legging Review
Next on my hunt for quality winter leggings was Vuori. I actually ordered these through REI using a coupon, so I got a nice discount. In the end, it was $102, I believe. Right off the bat, I noticed that it did not have exposed seams, so that was a one up from Lululemon already. With 75% recycled polyester, the outer fabric still felt very much more athletic performance vs. athleisure loungewear (my preference). But overall, it was not bad. Plain, black, smooth, with a warm brushed interior… the length, even though it was described as “full length” on the website, seemed to suit me just fine.
There was just one drawback: I couldn’t stand the Vuori logo on the back of the waistband. It feels like an iron-on girl scout badge. If it was screen printed, I really wouldn’t mind, but the texture… Why? If you’re going to wear these leggings with long sweaters, it won’t be seen anyway, but I just found it annoying compared to the feel of the rest of the legging.
In general, I still recommend the Vuori leggings over the Lululemon, but there’s on legging that I like more…
Alo Yoga Airbrush Winter Warm High-Waist Nocturne Legging Review
I was so excited to try these Alo Yoga Airbrush Winter leggings! Alo Yoga has two different fabrics for leggings: Airlift and Airbrush. Airlift has more compression and is built for more intense exercise, similar to the Lululemon and Vuori leggings. Airbrush is made from Nylon and Elastane. It’s mean to have a more natural, cottony feel, which is what I’ve been searching for! It has medium compression and is great for everyday wear.
The fit on the Airbrush winter leggings is truly high waisted, covering my belly button. The inseam length is 28″ for XXS-S, which normally is fine on me in other brands, but for whatever reason, it seemed a little longer on me in this one. Overall, I found the Alo Yoga leggings the MOST comfortable out of the three higher end brands I tried. I’m thinking this is due to the Airbrush fabric, whereas the other two brands had more sports performance fabric.
The best part was that I was able to snag a pair on Black Friday for $75, making Alo Yoga the most affordable of the three brands!
The only thing I didn’t like about Alo Yoga (besides the length being a little off) was the logo placement behind the knee. My husband likes for his logos to be there, but I prefer it on the back of the waistband. In the end, I think I found my winner!
Lined Leggings Review – Target vs. Old Navy vs. Lululemon vs. Vuori vs. Alo Yoga
Overall, the winner for me was Alo Yoga. Their airbrush fabric just hit all the points I needed – a soft, warm fabric for everyday wear. It felt like a sturdier, higher quality version of my Target leggings, which I had been wearing daily in winters past. And they were the cheapest of the three higher quality brands I tried.
The Vuori leggings came in second. The length and design was right, but I wanted a more natural fabric feel and didn’t love the weird logo patch on the back. However, I would definitely still reach for these in my closet if my other leggings were in the laundry, so not a bad buy.
The Lululemon ones were a no for me – I just couldn’t handle the weird design of the exposed seams. But I did appreciate that they had pockets!
Special Mention – Athleta Altitude Stash High Rise Polartec Power Stretch Tight
I did want to mention that I had looked into trying the Athleta lined leggings as well, but in the end, I opted not to purchase for several reasons. One is that from just looking at the pictures online, it looked like they had the exposed side seams, similar to the Lululemon. Another was that unlike the Lululemon and Vuori leggings, which were made with recycled polyester, Athleta lists the fabric blend as just standard polyester and spandex, which I prefer to avoid. If those things don’t bother you, however, the Athleta leggings do look like they have some benefits that other brands don’t. Like Lululemon, the Athleta leggings have pockets! And a plus that I didn’t see with any of the other brands, Athleta has both Tall and Petite sizing.
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