There’s very little activewear out there that’s marketed as “petite”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of good options.
If you ask me, 7/8 length bottoms are the BEST length. It’s usually a spot-on full length for shorties, and the long, slightly cropped look is great for taller women, too.
With my 5’3″ height, lululemon’s inspire tights are one of my favorite pairs. Since they’re already the right length, I don’t have to sacrifice any of the design details at the bottom to the hemming gods.
Besides being ideal for my height, here’s a couple more reasons the inspires earn a spot as one of my favorite up-for-almost-anything tights. The luxtreme fabric the tights are made of is my favorite lululemon fabric. It has just the right amount of compression while also offering plenty of stretch. The slick, cool finish is comfortable in high sweat, hot workouts since it isn’t too heavy. Not to mention, the slick finish repels lint and dog hair, and it’s highly resistant to pilling as well. Besides workouts, it’s also one of my favorite fabrics for hiking. The inspires aren’t fabulous for yoga due to the zippers, but if you’re looking for a high-performance tight, they’ve got you covered for just about everything else.
Besides the fabric, I love the look of the inspire tights. The seams are super flattering and feminine. They’re pretty much guaranteed to make the rear view look a little bit better whether your figure is straight or curvy. The zip pockets are handy for securing keys, cards, and phones (my iPhone is a tight fit but you can get the whole thing in there). And for little snacks on hikes! :)
This outfit is proof that monochrome isn’t just for black! I’m loving the sophisticated look of tone-on-tone looks right now, and all blue is at the top of my list. I’m kind of obsessed with this Zohra top by Sweaty Betty right now. It looks gorgeous with navy tones and the laser cut details are just to die for. The shorter length means this one is a petite-friendly option, too. I reviewed it here for more details.
Outfit details
Sweaty Betty zohra seamless long sleeve – get 10% off your first order with email signup
Lululemon inspire tights – hero blue
Nike metcon 2 – summit white – on sale!! also here and here
Lululemon race to win run hat – sketchy palms
Extra: Marble iPhone case
I love the inspires for my height as well and ended up buying 3 pairs last summer/autumn. I love the seams as well and it makes the flutes super flattering no matter what. Do you (or anyone else here) know if the rumour that the inspire tights are being phased out for the invigorate tights are true? I would not be pleased if that were were the case, I don’t think the invigorates have the same flattering seams :(
Glutes* not flutes!!
Oh noooo, I hadn’t heard about that. :( It’s such a great style, I’d hate to see it go. I haven’t tried the invigorate tights myself, but I agree that the seaming isn’t as nice. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Also heard they were getting rid of the Inspire Tights as well. Too bad. So many of the good core products that were still technical have been phased out and now almost all Lulu releases these days are more suited for Athleisure than for “sweaty pursuits”. Sad really. I haven’t bought anything new for over a year now!
They *did* just release that arrow jacquard print in inspires so I’m hoping it’s not true! There are still a few nice technical pieces out there, so hopefully they don’t all get pushed to the margins. :\
Yes! I love my Inspire tights for all the reasons you note. Unfortunately we don’t get the nice colours here that North America does – at the moment we only have black special edition Inspires available. Hopefully we get more as we are heading into winter.
We just got a nice grey print here recently (it sold out so fast!), so hopefully they made some extra for the rest of the world to enjoy. :)
I love the inspires too! I bought the embossed animal swirl that came out right when this version came out (3 years ago?). I absolutely love them. I also have the hero blue pair you have shown in this post. I would have more than two pairs, but I live in Florida where full length tights don’t get a lot of use!
PS your metcons still look soooo white! I have this pair too, and they’re starting to get kinda dirty, even though I try to use a magic eraser on them every couple wears, and throw them in the wash every now and then. The fabric part by the toes is the part I can’t get clean.
Heh, true! It’s so mild here that I could pretty much wear them year round. ;)
Also, the reason my metcons are so white is because I have barely worn them outdoors, and even then it’s mostly in parking lots! Their days of flawless, dirt-free existence are definitely numbered…
I just wanted to comment that I love this entire outfit and I actually went to check out the inspire tights for the first time since i’m usually more of an inspire crops or pace rival kinda person. But you actually look alot better than the lululemon model so I am now waiting for more interesting colours and designs to pop up.
Aw thanks Alicia! :) I hope they keep making some good colors and prints to choose from!
I’m a recently-obsessed Inspire Tight fan. I got the multicolored mermaid print a while back and fell in love with the fit, and since then I’ve bought 2 pairs on Poshmark for a steal! I love the pockets on the sides, and you’re right, the seaming on these is just so flattering for the backside! They’re my new go-to tights for pretty much any workout. :)
Nice, I’ve seen a bunch on Posh that have been tempting me too! I agree, they’re such an awesome all-purpose tight and sooo flattering.