Have you guys seen the Facebook ads for the Betabrand dress pant yoga pants? I feel like I’ve been seeing them nonstop for the past few months and they’ve finally worked their way into my subconscious of things I have to try.
I mean, pants that LOOK like dress pants but FEEL like yoga pants?!
It just sounds too good to be true!
I did my due diligence and read though most of the hundreds of comments and reviews on their website. Then, I did some googling to see what other bloggers thought of them. Finally, I just went for it and ordered my own pair. You know, for blogging purposes.
I decided to try the Straight Leg Black Dress Pant Yoga Pants. My goal was to have a pair of well-fitting work pants that didn’t look like a wrinkled mess at the end of the day. I was hoping that I could top them with a blouse and/or blazer and have them pass for “real” pants… with the comfort of stretch. Lofty goals, I know!
The pants don’t come in numeric sizes, but X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and 2X-Large. After reading a bunch of comments, I knew that I needed to measure myself and use their size chart to determine the proper size. Also it was recommended to size up if in between sizes.
According to their chart, I needed a 2X-Large. I’m typically a size 12 in pants and wear a large, so this was a little karate chop to the ego, to say the least. Also, if I’m a 2X-Large, how are ladies above a size 12 supposed to wear these? It’s a little disappointing to say the least.
When I got my pants in the mail a week or so later, the fabric was definitely really thick and stretchy. In fact, it was much, much thicker than any yoga pant I’ve worn. I chalked that up to the ‘business’ style of it… but they were actually quite hot and not in a ‘oooh girl, you’re looking hot kind of way.’
There was also a TON of fabric. Not only was the waist so large it bagged out, but the hemline was incredibly long. I’m 5’7” and had to wear 3 ½’ heels just to do these pictures.
As you can see, they are fitted through the thighs and then loose from the knee down. They actually don’t look too bad in the pictures, but in person they really do look worse. This size was too big on me everywhere except the upper legs, but when I would yank them up to where they belonged on my waist I’d get some major unattractive camel-toe action. Also, the ‘straight leg’ was much more like a floppy boot cut. Although the fabric was pretty darn thick, they somehow showed the outline of my panties (which typically don’t show at all).
Here is a close up of the front where you can totally see my panty-lines and my super white tummy:
And here is the back, where you can see how fitted the thigh-area is on me:
I didn’t want to give up on them though… I mean, the promise of comfortable business pants was just too attractive! So, I held onto them and placed a second order for an X-Large size.
I was hoping that most of my ‘too much fabric’ problems would disappear with the smaller size, but instead I just got more problems on top of the ones I already had.
Here’s the difference between the 2X-Large and the X-Large:
The waist certainly fit a lot better, but all the rest of the problems remained. They are too baggy everywhere… except the backs of my thighs and my crotch. Which is a good look for no one.
By fitting tighter, the pants showed off every single lump and bump on the back of my thighs and the camel-toe problem somehow got even worse. Not exactly the look I’m going for in the office. Or, really anywhere.
While the larger size could have possibly passed for business pants if you squinted and didn’t look at them straight on, there is NO WAY that the X-Large could pass for anything but ill-fitting yoga pants. Believe me, I LOVE me some yoga pants and often run – in public – in my capris. However, you’ll notice that I didn’t post a picture of me in the size that actually fit me… because they were HORRIBLE!
So, I’m confused. There are a ton of people that LOVE these pants. The reviews go on and on about how comfortable they are and how they totally pass for trousers in an office. And I’m just not seeing it. To me, they didn’t look professional at all and they certainly did not seem worth the price of $78.
Which brings me to my last picture… of me taking advantage of those free returns.
I’m not ashamed to say that these pants look pretty terrible on me, but I’m sure that they do look good on some people. If you are very fit and thin with little-to-no lumps or bumps, these may fit you great. Also, the regular length is quite long which can be a bonus for taller ladies. However, even then I’m not quite sure how they’d pass for anything other than stretchy yoga pants with a button and fake pockets.
They are very comfortable though and for a couple days I was thinking I’d keep the larger pair and just tailor them myself so that the waist fit. But then I remembered that they were $78 and even tailored they wouldn’t really meet my goal of looking business-like. Such a bummer.
Have you tried the Betabrand Dress Pants Yoga Pants? What did you think?
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. Duh.
I love your honesty! Definitely not going to try these now!
Thanks Esther. Glad I could help!
I’ve been wondering about those. Not that I was going to buy them, just curious. And kind of tired of seeing them in my timeline. Thanks for being the guinea pig for us!
I keep seeing ads for Tieks flats on Pinterest that I’ve been curious about too. But at that price I haven’t actually ordered them. And I can’t tell if any of the reviews I’ve found are from non-biased reviewers.
You’re welcome and I’m glad you enjoyed the post! I did a bunch of research on Tieks a while ago and was super frustrated that almost every blogger who talked about how much they loved them was a sponsored review. I never pulled the trigger to order a pair for myself because I honestly don’t think they are cute enough to justify the price!
I have a couple friends who have bought Tieks and LOVE them but no matter what I can’t imagine they’d be worth the price!!
I haven’t been keeping up with my Joules posts very well this summer, so sorry I’m late to this. I own two pairs of tieks – silver and a hot pink. I do like them, but I don’t think they’re quite worth the price. They are comfy and I can wear them all day without too much trouble usually, but I think the sizing could use more accuracy and my older silver ones are sort of wearing over the toe area, which, for the price and ‘italian leather’ quality I find surprising. So, I’ll continue to wear mine off and on, but I won’t be buying anymore. Hope that helps.
Late to the party is still totally welcome! Thanks for your info!!
A year or two ago, New York & Co had similar pants in store and they are AWESOME! Thick stretchy material with no buttons. Super comfortable. And no where near that $78 price tag. I think i got my first pair for $20 on super sale and the second pair for $30. They did pill after almost a year of constant wear, but I wasn’t too surprised since I wore them 3x a week for a year. Our local store closed, so I’m not sure if they still have them.
I tried them and had the same problem! They showed every bump and I was so self conscious that I was basically wearing a tunic to cover everything! Love your honest opinion!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
This review made me laugh. I love your honesty!!! I’ve actually never seen the ad, but now I’m sure I will see it everywhere 😉 I can’t believe they are $78!!! That seems crazy to me.
Great review! If you want pants that feel like yoga pants, *someone* (*cough* your fault) turned me onto Democracy jeans and their jeggings….
I do love my Democracy pants! But I need a fancier option too…
I am getting to the point where I can’t wear anything uncomfortable which is hard because I’m too young to retire.
Thank for showing what the pants look like on a real person. I hate anything that shows panty line or my lumps!
I’m super interested in trying these now! Sounds like every girl’s dream!
If a girls dream is for camel-toe and visible cellulite… Sure!
Love your honesty and you still look cute! Always a bummer when something doesn’t fit as intended, but there’s no shame in sending something back when it doesn’t work out. Trial and error! 🙂
I would like to share what has worked for me. I sit all day and need to look nice at work and really need pants that are comfy. For several years I have been wearing INC brand (Macy’s) dress pants for work. They have many styles (typically black) in a double knit type fabric that are classy, stylish, and very very comfortable. I even have one style that is a fitted pull on with no buttons/zipper. They wear incredibly well. They are a little warm for summer but I am in Louisiana so I think you could be ok year round or very close to that. They have such a vast supply that it is easy to get them on sale or clearance. Regular price is typically around $60. Macy’s has great online ordering and return policies so you can’t go wrong.
Thank you so much for your recommendation! I’ll have to check them out.
I live near SF and tried these pants on in their store- the fit is awful! I’m a small/med 6-8 and they looked bad and made me feel super self conscious and uncomfortable. Your post is unfortunately super accurate! Thanks for being so honest
I did buy a travel yoga skort from them that fits nice though, if you’re in the market for something like that. Way better than the yoga pants!
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Thanks for the thorough review! You definitely just saved me a lot of time and hassle…was just about to purchase, but I think I will pass now! 🙂
I just received the dress yoga straight leg denim. The camel toe is real in these jeans, for me at least. The medium fits and feels really good but the rise needs to be a tad longer to avoid the toe. I can wear a long sweater and be very comfy, no gap in the waist. I’m only 5’2″ so not surprised these are long and require a hem. Denim is very thick but has a good stretch and seem to wash well. I should have returned but didn’t. Won’t be ordering again.
I had the EXACT same problem — same pant, sizes, experience….everything! And no, not flattering at all. I ride horses and I have breeches that I’d wear in public before I wore these. I still have a denim jean order out there yet to be fulfilled so holding out hope that the material will be less revealing.