If you’ve never heard of the Aerie offline real me high waisted leggings before, you’re in for a treat today. In this post I’m going to be giving a thorough review of the Aerie Offline leggings from the perspective of a curvy woman with thick thighs and a smaller waist.
It seems I was one of the last people in the world to find out about these leggings but better late than never, right? I stumbled across them when I was on the hunt for a better pair of leggings than my H&M cotton blend ones. I was tired of replacing my H&M leggings every 3-4 months due to numerous holes and tearing in the inner thigh area and decided it was time to step my leggings game up a notch.
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I was browsing Aerie’s website because I had heard some great things about their athleisure section and was pleasantly surprised to see their Offline leggings had over 2,500 5-star reviews from their beloved customers. I wanted to make sure this was accurate and so I headed to Google to find more reviews. There they were: more reviews (and tik tok videos) from women who had purchased the leggings with good things to say about them.
One thing which I did notice was missing was reviews from curvy women with thicker thighs, thicker calves and perhaps a more pronounced waist to hip ratio. All the reviews I was seeing were from smaller women and let’s face it, clothing items fit differently on them than us curvier women.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through the links, at no cost to you.
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I decided to take one for the curvy woman team and get myself a pair of their Offline real me high waist crossover leggings because I thought at worse, they’ll be a bad pair of leggings I could wear just to stay at home. At under $35 (on sale at the time), it was a pretty great deal for some potentially higher end leggings. At the time I was placing my order, Aerie’s offline real me high waisted crossover flare leggings were not available for purchase and generally I’m not too much of a fan of flare leggings on my frame as I’m shorter and more bottom-heavy.
My confirmation email stated it would take 3-7 business days to receive my order (including shipping time) and my leggings took exactly 5 business days to get to me and I immediately had to try them on and put them to the test.
First impression:
– The crossover leggings were much lighter than I though they would be. I was so used to my thicker and heavier H&M leggings I would fork out $15 for every few months. They also looked like they would fit small, although I had ordered a large.
For reference, my waist is 31 inches while my hips are 45 inches.
https://theankaraqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/42f616_18e1201df00f4620a71436c2309809c9mv2.jpeg-They felt very smooth with a buttery soft material. They’re made from 87% nylon (which is in the top 5 for best moisture-wicking fabric) and 13% elastene. It made me wonder if the leggings would feel good but easily slip off my waist.
-The crossover waistband appeared to be less visible so I decided to try them on.
Final impression:
The leggings were very easy to slide on despite my thicker thighs and wider hips. They were actually easier to put on than my old H&M leggings.
Once I had them on, I had to put them to the squat test and I’m glad to say they passed with flying colors. I did a few squats in my living room (hey, I’m still recovering from my open surgery) and then I laid around in them for the rest of day. I’m happy to report there was no rolling of the leggings down to my bum. They stayed put! I was shocked.
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After a while, I even forgot I was wearing the leggings because they felt so much like second skin.
I find the crossover waistband very flattering and it makes my waist appear even smaller than it is. I love that I can play around with the complementary crossover waist and can bring it up higher if I don’t wish to show my belly button.
As you can see from the photos, there was no weird camel toe situation going on here, which I really appreciate because we know some leggings and yoga pants can just make your crotch look super weird.
Verdict
These leggings are definitely a step up from my $14.95 H&M leggings and would better serve me from now on as my everyday leggings. I am yet to see how they’ll fare out in the winter and colder months so wish me luck! I tend to wear leggings underneath a lot of my winter skirts and dresses and they’ve always been made from a thick fabric.
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They have become my favorite leggings and I cannot wait to style a casual outfit such as a sweater + leggings + boots look. I could also wear them to chill at home with a long sleeve t-shirt. They are curvy woman friendly, especially for those of us with a smaller waist and wider hips. The black color these Aerie’s leggings come in would be easy to pair with my sports bras when I resume my workouts.
I know a lot of women compare them to the lululemon align leggings and apparently they measure up to them which is great because lululemon leggings are typically more expensive. The align leggings for instance go for $98 CAD.
Pros
-The Aerie crossover leggings are in the lower price range for higher-end leggings ad so more affordable. They’re more expensive than H&M and Target leggings but also fit better. For comparison, Spanx leggings for example typically start at $68.
-The material is very light and smooth and also very breathable.
-Shipping and handling takes only about week.
-They are flattering on a range of body types, including women with smaller waists and wide hips.
-Every time I have gone to Aerie’s website, the leggings have been on sale so the good news is: you probably won’t have to pay full price if you purchase them.
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-They only come in black. Hopefully Aerie decides to release them in different colors.
-Some other ladies have said that the leggings tend to attract lint and fur. This has not been my case so far but I also do not own any pets and have not yet washed my leggings so we’ll see.
And there have it: my full Aerie leggings review. I really hope you find this helpful, especially if you’re a curvy woman. If you cannot afford a pair of Lulus or Spanx but hate the quality of Walmart or target leggings, the Offline leggings are your best bet in terms or price point.
Order your usual size bottoms (from the S-M-L chart) and you shouldn’t have a problem with size. They feel like high quality leggings at a fraction of the price!
If you liked this review, check out my honest Shein Review on a curvier woman.
Let me know how you like your leggings if you purchase them.
Until the next post,
XOXO
Theankaraqueen