Nesh NYC Pin-Up Legging Fit Review

I recently got a pair of Nesh NYC‘s pin-up leggings to review for you folks.  Nesh was kind enough to send me a pair as thanks for calling out the suspiciously similar lululemon lab night tight as a potential copycat (I’d like to give lulu the benefit of the doubt that it’s a coincidence, but…we’ll never know I guess).

Nesh is a smaller brand that makes fashion-forward luxury yogawear.  They’ve been around for a couple years and everything is designed and produced in New York City.  Their style is very modern, incorporating plenty of mesh and creative geometry.  Their goal is to create items that transition well for the style-conscious woman to wear in the studio and out and about.

The pin-up legging is a basic black legging with a sexy twist: there’s a swath of mesh running down the back of a leg with a seamed middle, in the spirit of pin-up style hosiery.

I love the little elephant logo at the ankle.  So cute.

The nylon/spandex fabric on these leggings is great quality.  It’s thick, holds everything in, and not sheer.  I’ll note that it didn’t feel as endlessly stretchy as some other fabrics (e.g., lulu’s parallel stripe WUC), which is maybe the flipside to them feeling sturdy.

These photos are compared to lulu’s size 2 wunder unders.  In terms of sizing, I was really surprised how small these ran.  This pair is an XS, but to me they fit more like an XXS.  I actually wrung my hands for a long while over whether these were too small, but after trying them on about a billion times, I think they’re the right size for me.  Despite the difference in the photos, I’ll note that the stretch characteristics of these leggings definitely did not make these feel bigger at all.  Unless you are on the small end of your size, I would suggest sizing up.

One important specific sizing note is that they run veeery small through the legs–at least a full size small, as they’re even narrower than a lulu 2.  If you have especially muscular legs, you will definitely need to size up at least once to not feel like you’re putting on sausage casing.  The inseam is a bit shorter on these, but I count this as a good thing since ankle bunching on this particular style looks a bit sloppy IMO.

Compared with lululemon’s lab night tight, I definitely prefer Nesh’s execution.  You’ll notice in this comparison photo that the mesh comes up much higher in lulu’s version, and it ends with a flat seam.  Whenever I see a pic of the lab night tights, it always looks like you’re wearing boyshorts with mesh randomly sewn onto it.  Nesh’s leggings, however, have a gentle angle at the top and don’t come up so high, which I think produces a much more elegant result without the boyshort look.  The cuff at the bottom of Nesh’s is also a bit wider.  The one place where lulu has the edge is price: the lab night tight is $98, while the pin-up legging is $120.  But as I mentioned before, the pin-up legging is made in NYC instead of Asia, so this justifies at least some of the price difference.

Although these are designed to be yoga leggings, I was surprised to find there is no gusset, just a regular “+” crotch seam.  That’s not a big deal for me, but it’s definitely something to note.  There also is not a waistband pocket–again, something I don’t personally use, but something to note.

I wouldn’t wear these to crossfit or running, but definitely would for lower-impact endeavors like yoga, barre, or aerial arts where I don’t have to worry about ripping them apart on a barbell or a box jump. (Also: I think the styling looks better with bare feet than running shoes, ya know?)

That said, they transition amazingly well as streetwear.  I styled them here with a lululemon chai time sweater, pique vinyasa scarf, and Vince Camuto high-heel booties.  I really like the way this look turned out and would be the perfect sassy outfit for a dinner out.

Overall, besides the sizing angst, I’m really happy with these leggings.  The quality is there and the styling is very well-done.  If you want a pair for yourself, you can find them via Anthropologie.  You can see the rest of Nesh’s collection on their website, although the pin-up leggings aren’t on there at the moment.