WELP friends, I’ve finally done it. I’ve totally lost my mind. I broke down and ordered a pair of Lucas Hugh tights!!
Some of you readers may remember me mentioning how much I wanted to try out Lucas Hugh’s white pinstripe nordica leggings. I’ve been working crazy-hard lately and have reached a few milestones, so I decided to reward myself and give these ultra-luxury tights a shot. Priced at $420, this was definitely not a casual purchase. (It’s worth noting that I did not quite pay full price since I had a coupon code, but they were still a big hit to the wallet.) Despite their hefty price tag, you might be surprised to hear that Carbon38 has had a remarkably hard time keeping them in stock–their first delivery sold out completely and had to be restocked a few weeks ago. Carbon38 is the only stockist in the US where I’ve been able to find these particular leggings and I snagged their last pair (for the moment) in my size!
Update: these leggings are currently significantly marked down at The Outnet!
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been extremely curious to know whether Lucas Hugh’s prices are worth it. Admittedly, that sheer curiosity was definitely a part of why I wanted to try these. I hope this review helps to shed some light on that question.
The design of these pants is awesome, I totally love it. It melds avant-garde style with function and femininity. The navy on white pinstripe is a little reminiscent of lululemon’s infamous quiet stripe, though in practice the two styles are actually very different.
I ordered these in an XS. I typically wear an XS or XXS depending on the brand and availability. These fit on the small side, so if you’re between sizes or you just don’t want as much compression, I would size up. I’m happy with how the XS fit me.
One important sizing note is that the waistband has almost no give. If you pull quite firmly on it, it will stretch a bit, but it’s not easily stretchy like your usual activewear fabric. At first I thought I was going to have to pull some Cirque Du Soleil stunts to get these over my hips, but a little shimmying was all I needed. Once they were on, the waistband sits high, just below the belly button. The fabric holds everything in–the waistband panel appears to be double-layered and feels decidedly thicker than the rest of the pants. There is no seam at the top of the waistband, it’s fused with a raw edge.
One of the first things I noticed that sets these leggings apart is that most of the seams are actually fused, not sewn. I’m guessing this is one contributor to the premium price tag, since I believe seam sealing technology can be quite expensive and more challenging to manufacture than the more common flatlocked seaming you see in activewear.
Many of the extra design elements use fused seams, including these side leg accents, the back-of-the-knee mesh inserts, as well as the hem (you’d lose this element if you chose to get these hemmed). The gold accents are one of my favorite features; they add a luxe touch.
The mesh inserts are slightly perforated at the inner thigh and behind the knee, but there’s an extra layer of fabric at the crotch area so that there’s no see-through issues there. The main seam all down the inner leg is flatlock seamed.
The back of the waistband has a medium-sized zip pocket, large enough for your keys or a card, but I couldn’t quite fit my phone (iPhone 6) inside. This is the only pocket.
Given that these pants are white, Lucas Hugh incorporated this little trick: sewing a seamless nude liner into the pants. In a deep squat or bend, you can see dark underwear through the fabric, but if you wear a lighter pair it’s fine. The nude liner itself was not visible. Going commando would also probably be a good solution, but needless to say, I didn’t try! Given the price tag, I do wish the opacity was a bit better, but again, they are white. I’d like to think opacity would be a total non-issue on Lucas Hugh’s darker colors. I’m not sure if the underwear is sewn in on all LH bottoms or not.
I was very impressed with the fit and feel of the fabric that Lucas Hugh uses. It’s a polyamide and elastane blend that feels different from my other active bottoms. The fabric is a very tight weave with a smooth, matte finish, though I wouldn’t call it soft. I don’t mean “not soft” in an uncomfortable way, I mean that it’s not really cushy or cottony. The fit is very firm and compressive, not to mention does a booty good.
Since I was just trying these on for this post, I of course did not do a full workout in them, but they felt like they would perform exceptionally well. Everything felt very streamlined and held in its place, exactly like you want it to be for high-intensity workouts. I would love working out in these, and they made me feel pretty awesome.
Now for the bad news. The design element on the side of the leg is bonded, but because of my petite stature, it hits lower on my leg than it’s intended to. This means there was some significant digging in of the seam at the knee joint. This picture shows what I mean. This falls at a crucial spot on my leg that made bending my knees uncomfortable. Since I obviously bend my knees when I work out, this a pretty big issue for me. (The mesh at the back of the knee also hit a little bit lower than it was supposed to, but didn’t feel uncomfortable.) I am 5’3″ and wear just shy of a 29″ inseam, so if your legs are short like mine, you may have the same issue. If Lucas Hugh ever offered a petite length, it would be a dream come true.
Ultimately, I had to return these. I was so disappointed since I wanted to love these tights (and I still think they look rad), but the positive qualities are negated by the unfortunate knee pinching issue.
Now I know that Lucas Hugh’s designs that incorporate these side accents don’t work for me personally, but the same performance fabric and fit is available in other similar styles, too. The plus side here is that the more simple designs are actually quite a bit less expensive. Although these didn’t work out, I’d definitely like to give another style a try, since the technical aspects of these pants are something I’d like to have in my activewear arsenal.
Shop this post
Nordica leggings – white pinstripe
Update: on sale here via The Outnet!
More styles:
Core performance leggings – claret
Core performance leggings – navy
these are gorgeous. you look amazing! but i agree – for that price they better be perfecto! thanks for ordering and reviewing them!
p.s. what carbon38 coupon code did i miss?! :)
Thanks/you’re welcome! And not to worry, you didn’t miss a coupon, C38 gave me a blogger friends/family code that I used for this purchase.
I’ll admit, the look of these leggings does not appeal to me at first blush BUT – the way they used the strip pattern is muy muy flattering, especially in the bum area! I can’t imagine any lady not looking good in those. Sorry they didn’t work out (or should I be relieved for you, given the price :)
Yes I thought they were very flattering! I’m both relieved and disappointed, lol.
Even though these didn’t work out, I’m so glad you took the plunge and tried them. I know you’ve been lusting after them for a while. They are really gorgeous and look great on you. It’s too bad they didn’t work out, but at least you know what to look for in other pieces.
Yes definitely! They were one of those pieces where I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t at least try.
They look nice but I would be too afraid to ruin them by actually working out in them!
Haha yes that’s true! I’m slowly accepting that even my nice activewear is still activewear, so it’s meant to be worn! But yeah, I’d basically have to buy them their own box of oxiclean, lol.
So true
I think I just went on an emotional rollercoaster with you while reading this… the top part of these tights look PHENOMENAL on you! Then, I totally noticed what you were talking about the knee accents falling too low. What a shame :'(
Haha emotional roller coaster is right. Another reason I should be taller. :)
The fit is definitely flattering on you, but I’m not a fan of the patterning. I don’t like the fusing of the striped area either; that overlay of striped fabric going in the different direction would make me crazy.
Maybe I’m just showing my age because I’m certainly not the target market for these, but sheerish white tights that clearly show the layer of fabric under them don’t give me a luxe vibe. It reminds me of my teen daughter’s first Frankentees where a glue gun was called into service. ;)
I like the flat locked seams better since it avoids the overlap, but I’m still not a fan. I also can’t imagine how filthy they’d get, but that’s true of all white leggings.
I like some of your Splits 59 tights way better!
Yeah, I wasn’t crazy about the overlapping stripes, but it wasn’t a big deal to me. I’m curious what LH sees as the big benefit of using bonded versus flatlocked seams. I know brands like Arc’teryx use it for superior waterproofing, but obviously that’s not the goal here.
I’m glad you returned these… they looked quite luxe and like they held you in, but for the price you must get something that fits you to a T. Glad you didn’t compromise or find excuses to keep them!
On another note, I love that I can always count on you for a thoughtful and objective review of even the most fabulously-priced items! Sometimes I feel like many people suffer cognitive dissonance in paying crazy prices for things and justify their purchases in glowing reviews… you on the other hand, maintain quite a level head. Good on you!
Thanks Crystal! It’s definitely easy to see a style through rose-colored glasses, especially if it’s something that you had really high expectations/hopes for. I’ve certainly been guilty of that! It’s been helpful that I’ve been trying a wider variety of both styles and brands lately, since I have lots of comparison points building up in my head.
I could see those issues with the knee in all the pictures, so I was thinking to myself “I really hope she didn’t keep these…” they do look really great and cool, but for that much they have to be pretty much perfect! Thanks for the thorough review, and I love the idea of treating yourself for reaching milestones at work! I do the same thing!
Yes, and especially with an issue that affects their actual function, it pretty much defeats the purpose! But now I can go back and get something else (or two somethings!) I want. :)
Yess!! So excited you reviewed these. I saw these on Carbon when they first came out and they have been on my “dreamlist” ever since. Too bad about the knee issue, they look amazing on you!
My take on those fused seams is that they are purely for design (and for upcharging). They make the tights look “futuristic” and are a unique detail that nobody else is really using so it makes them stand out. Especially since they chose to use a shiny gold contrast color (instead of a navy or white to blend the seam), I think they are meant to stand out and thus be a large part of what justifies the price tag.
Also thank you soo much for the honest review, I really enjoy your blog because of that!
That’s a good point, it may be just an aesthetic and branding thing moreso than for a functional purpose. Glad you enjoyed the review/blog!! :)
So glad to see you ordered this! And look? It is a return!!! Kinda what we were really hoping for, right? So this is great! I’m 5’2″ which means these won’t work for me either. Im glad you tried them and made a great post about these… If I can sum it up, the $400 leggings aren’t better than leggings below $100. Price does matter when it’s based on true quality and not on the name… But you can definitely find better functioning leggings under $400. Don’t you feel like a weight just lifted off your shoulders? ;)
Yes, I’m actually kind of excited for my return to be processed so I can order some more things! With that money, I can try 2 or 3 more new tights, hehe. :)
As cool as these are, one of the things I didn’t like is the logo on the front left thigh. Seems like an odd placement to me – a little too much “in your face” if you know what I mean. Is the logo there on all of their bottoms?
From what I’ve seen, yeah, it does look like the logo is on the leg on all of them. I don’t mind it because I think they’re logo looks pretty cool, and no one around where I live would know what it is anyway, haha. ;)
Thanks for your feedback on these! Although it looks cool, it looks the stretch of the fabric isn’t truly intended to be on the bias which causes the pinching you’ve eluded to.. I can see the panels puckering at the bias piecing- not terrible, but enough noticeable (especially in white). Bummer, because they are really rad…
Yes such a bummer! I’m curious, do you have a background in fashion? Several of your comments have sounded particularly educated on the topic. :)
UGH i’ve also wanted these forever! Lulu has been so boring lately I might be able to justify it! Glad I found your review and you love them! We have very similar taste