We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping Style Clothing Reviews The 8 Best Black Leggings of 2024, Tested and Reviewed Enhance your lounging time or yoga routine with these comfort-forward picks. By Stefanie Waldek Stefanie Waldek Stefanie Waldek is a writer with 10+ years of experience in the home and travel industry. She has written for Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and The Washington Post, among other publications. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 03, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Our Testing Process How to Shop FAQs Take Our Word for It Photo: Real Simple / Quinn Gawronski Black leggings are an absolute wardrobe staple. Thanks to their comfortable and form fitting nature, we wear them for exercising, lounging, traveling, or running errands. For this article, we put the best black leggings to the test, wearing each pair for a month to evaluate their quality, opacity, fit, performance, and value. To also get better insight on how to shop for the best pair of black leggings, we also tapped Chellie Carlson, a wardrobe stylist, for specific factors to keep in mind when browsing options. Whether you're looking for the perfect pair of black leggings for ultra comfort, or need of an option that's more size inclusive, the vetted picks ahead are sure to satisfy. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Vuori Daily Legging at Nordstrom $89 Jump to Review Best for Working Out: Athleta Interval High Rise Tight at Gap.com Jump to Review Best for Yoga: Gymshark Everyday Waistband Leggings at Gymshark.com $38 Jump to Review Best for Lounging: Vuori Elevation Ruched Legging at Vuoriclothing.com Jump to Review Best Compressive: On Running Movement Tights Long at On.com Jump to Review Best Sculpting: Spanx Booty Boost Active 7/8 Leggings at Nordstrom $98 Jump to Review Best Plus Size: Spanx Soft & Smooth Active 7/8 Leggings at Spanx $98 Jump to Review Best with Pockets: Vuori Stride Legging at Nordstrom Jump to Review Best Overall Vuori Daily Legging PHOTO: Vuori $89 at Nordstrom View on Vuoriclothing.com $89 at Evo.com What Stands Out The fabric feels buttery soft against the skin and hides underwear lines. What Could Be Improved The drawstring breaks up the streamlined look of leggings. These are the "it" leggings for us. For starters, they're the perfect blend of soft yet lightly compressive—we felt as if we weren't even wearing leggings when we had this pair on. Then there's the fact that they're completely opaque and they hide panty lines (in case you were wondering, we even tried them on with patterned underwear). Upon first glance, you'll notice the leggings have a drawstring. While this feature may be a touch visually distracting, we found it to be incredibly useful for customizing the fit of the leggings around our waist. In fact, the waistband never rolled down. And on a similar note, the ankles have cuffs, which prevents them from rolling up. All that to say—these leggings stay in place beautifully, whether you're taking a yoga class or running errands. Fabric: 72% polyester, 28% elastane | Size Range: XXS–XXL Best for Working Out Athleta Interval High Rise Tight PHOTO: Athleta View on Gap.com What Stands Out The drawstring is hidden inside the waistband for that perfect streamlined look. What Could Be Improved They're on the thicker side, so they're best for colder weather. Compression and durability are two key components to a good pair of workout leggings, and this pair by Athleta has both. They have medium-strength compression, but they're still comfortable to wear and easy to move in, and they didn't sag over the course of wear or stretch out after repeated washings. We think their highlight is the internal drawstring, which helps keep the leggings up in the right spot on your waist—and the fact that it's hidden and doesn't break up the streamlined look of the pants makes this feature all the better. Plus, we found these leggings to be perfectly opaque, so there's no worry that your underwear will show through. Fabric: 77% recycled polyester, 23% elastane | Size Range: XXS–XL Real Simple / Donna Freydkin Real Simple / Donna Freydkin Best for Yoga Gymshark Everyday Waistband Leggings PHOTO: Gymshark $38 at Gymshark.com What Stands Out They're super opaque, so you can be at peace in downward dog. What Could Be Improved The front seam may feel uncomfortable to some. When shopping for a pair of yoga leggings, it's best to opt for a pair with a waistband that will stay in place as you change your poses—and a pair that's opaque so nothing can be seen through them. Fortunately, this pair of leggings checks both of those boxes. We didn't notice any bunching, rolling, or pinching as we wore these leggings at all, though we did feel that the seams shifted slightly throughout the day. Something to consider is the fact that there's a front seam on these leggings, which we found to be a tad uncomfortable for all-day wear. But for the short duration of a yoga class, it's fairly easy to ignore. Fabric: 78% recycled polyester, 22% elastane | Size Range: XXS–XXL Real Simple / Quinn Gawronski Real Simple / Quinn Gawronski Best for Lounging Vuori Elevation Ruched Legging PHOTO: Vuori View on Vuoriclothing.com What Stands Out The ruching detail is an elegant touch. What Could Be Improved They roll down so they're not ideal as activewear. Skip the compression and go for a soft, flexible material if you're looking to lounge in leggings. We found this pair by Vuori to be exceptionally soft, made of a thick fabric that almost feels like brushed jersey. And we absolutely love the ruching detail on the waistband. But you'll want to keep these leggings for as loungewear only—we did find that they rolled down in just a few minutes during a workout. They did roll down while lounging, too, but it took more than an hour. Still, because these leggings are so incredibly comfortable, we'd recommend them for lounging about. Fabric: 87% recycled polyester, 13% elastane | Size Range: XXS–XXL Real Simple / Nicole Lund Real Simple / Nicole Lund Real Simple / Nicole Lund Best Compressive On Running Movement Tights Long PHOTO: Dick's Sporting Goods View on On.com $130 at Dick's View on Publiclands.com What Stands Out They don't budge during exercise. What Could Be Improved The waistband can be restrictive. These tights certainly live up to the definition of tight. If you want a pair of super-compressive leggings, you'd do well with this one. They did not budge an inch during a spin class, so you can be sure they won't roll down or shift at all during a high-intensity workout. We did find that they stretched well with our body, so it was fairly easy to move (except when pulling them on—that took work!). And we do have to dock a few points for the waistband, as it dug into our stomach uncomfortably. Overall, we'd prefer to wear these leggings for shorter periods of activity—that's typically when you need the intense compression anyway. Fabric: 80% recycled polyamide, 20% elastane | Size Range: XS–XXL Real Simple / Taylor Rock Real Simple / Taylor Rock Real Simple / Taylor Rock Real Simple / Taylor Rock Real Simple / Taylor Rock Best Sculpting Spanx Booty Boost Active 7/8 Leggings PHOTO: Spanx $98 at Nordstrom $49 at Spanx $98 at Revolve What Stands Out They're cut to perfectly sculpt and flatter your figure. What Could Be Improved The high compression makes them a touch uncomfortable for lounging. Can leggings be shapewear? You bet they can. These sculpting leggings are cut perfectly to flatter your assets. To achieve the ideal sculpt, they're very high-compression, so much so that we actually felt like the leggings were working against us as we walked. But to their credit, they hardly moved an inch as we wore them—we'd recommend these for everything from low-intensity walks to high-intensity workouts. We wouldn't necessarily recommend these leggings for lounging, as the waistband is a little too restricting when you're seated, and the fabric isn't particularly soft and cozy. We did find that we adjusted to the compression over time, though it's worth mentioning that the leggings continued to hold their shape—we just got used to it! Fabric: 68% nylon, 32% elastane | Size Range: XS–3X Real Simple / Jamie Fischer Real Simple / Jamie Fischer Real Simple / Jamie Fischer Real Simple / Jamie Fischer Best Plus Size Spanx Soft & Smooth Active 7/8 Leggings PHOTO: Spanx $98 at Spanx What Stands Out They provide the right combination of compression and comfort, and they’re available in eight different sizes. What Could Be Improved Some of the seams came loose after a few washes. If comfort is key, these leggings are for you. We wore these leggings on multiple flights and found them to be a balanced combo of soft, smooth, and flattering with just the right amount of compression and zero uncomfortable seams. Overall, we were perfectly happy wearing these leggings for lounging, for workouts, and for travel, which makes them a fairly versatile pair. But we did notice that some of the seams came loose after several washes, and the waistband rolled down during a yoga class. On the plus side, at least the waistband didn't cut into our stomach. Fabric: 69% polyester, 31% Lycra®elastane | Size Range: XS–3X Real Simple / Krisha Joshi Real Simple / Krisha Joshi Real Simple / Krisha Joshi Real Simple / Krisha Joshi Best with Pockets Vuori Stride Legging PHOTO: Vuori View on Nordstrom View on Vuoriclothing.com View on Fleetfeet.com What Stands Out They stay in place well. What Could Be Improved The material is not particularly soft. Finding leggings with pockets to hold your essentials is surprisingly challenging. Enter the Vuori Stride Leggings. They're made from a waterproof windbreaker-like material. The single most noticeable thing about these leggings is that their fabric is rather swishy. It's not uncomfortable—it's stretchy with solid compression—but it's not soft and smooth as most leggings are. But this material is non-slip, and we found that the leggings are excellent for staying put, even during workouts. Given that, we'd recommend wearing these leggings when you're active rather than when you're lounging. And pro tip: They run a little small, so size up! Fabric: 66% polyamide, 34% elastane | Size Range: XXS–XXL Real Simple / Nicole Lund Real Simple / Nicole Lund Real Simple / Nicole Lund Real Simple / Nicole Lund Our Testing Process We tested nine pairs of leggings for a period of one month, wearing each pair at least seven times and washing them at least three times throughout that period. We evaluated the leggings for their quality (the feel of the fabric, the compression levels, the stretchiness, and whether or not the leggings rolled down), their opacity, their overall fit, their performance across a variety of activities (lounging to working out), and their overall value compared to other leggings. Real Simple / Jamie Fischer How to Shop for Black Leggings Like a Pro Material and Opacity All leggings should be stretchy to some extent, but every material provides a different feel. "The best materials for black leggings are a combination of fibers. You want to look for a blend with a high percentage of nylon (around 75%) and lycra (around 25%). This combination creates that perfect amount of stretch and strength," says Carlson. But don't be afraid to try other materials that suit your particular use for leggings, such as cotton. As for opacity, leggings are notorious for being so thin, you can see right through them—particularly if you bend over. So before cutting the tags on your leggings, do an opacity check. "If you can, try to put your hand in the leggings, against the inside of the fabric, and stretch them out over your hand to see how opaque they are," advises Carlson. And always be sure to do so in bright light! Activity Sadly most leggings are not one-size-fits-all—not only in actual size, but also in which situations they work best. For example, a buttery soft pair of leggings that's great for lounging may not hold up in a spin class. On the flip side, a pair of high-compression leggings ideal for running may not be very comfortable to wear as you're flopped on the couch. Think about how you'll be wearing your leggings before making a purchase—and consider the fact you might have to buy different leggings for different purposes. Fit Fit applies to numerous elements in leggings. First, there's the waist—do you want a high-rise, mid-rise, or low-rise pair of leggings? Then there's the length, which is often full, 7/8, or cropped. And finally there's the fit through the leg. "Your black leggings should start out rather snug, as they will stretch out over time with wear and washing," says Carlson. Real Simple / Nicole Lund Questions You Might Ask What black leggings are most popular? Some popular legging brands include Lululemon, Alo Yoga, Vuori, Athleta, Outdoor Voices, Spanx, Beyond Yoga, Fabletics, and Old Navy. What are the best brands for black leggings? Based on our testing, the best legging brands are Vuori, Spanx, Athleta, Gymshark, and On Movement. How do you make sure black leggings are not see-through? "In order to ensure your black leggings are not see-through, you want to try them on in good light and stand in front of a mirror," says Carlson. "Bend over and do some stretches—think about what activities or body moments you would typically do while wearing these, and that will help you to see if you are good to go." Take Our Word for It This article was written by Stefanie Waldek, a freelance writer with a decade of experience writing home, travel, and lifestyle content. To find the best black leggings, we tested nine different pairs over a month and evaluated each for quality, performance, and value, among other criteria. Stefanie also spoke to Chellie Carlson, a wardrobe stylist for tips on picking the right pair of black leggings. The Best Tights for Practical and Fashionable Cold Weather Wear