Lululemon Just Launched a Throwback Collection, Giving Us Nostalgic Y2K Vibes With Next-Gen Comfort
In high school, my biggest fashion dilemma centered around my pant legs: I always wanted them to be as long as possible (anything shorter than touching the floor was super unstylish, obvs), but I hated when they were so long that I'd step on the edges with the heel of my shoes, leaving them frayed after just a few wears. It didn't help that the only silhouette I wanted ranged from a slight flare to a major bell bottom, always with extra fabric to swish around my ankles. Sure, you could just roll up that extra fabric, but 1. it rarely stayed in place, and 2. didn't look nearly as cool that way.
Finding the exact right length became something of an obsession. This was especially true when it came to pants for my jazz dance classes—anything too long got in the way, so I usually ended up with dorky-looking high waters that were an inch or two too short, especially after they'd been washed.
Then, one day my mom and I wandered into a new store from Canada selling high-end exercise clothes. And they would hem your workout pants for free. Workout pants—hemmed! It seemed both ludicrous and exactly what I wanted. And the clerk promised the fabric was perfectly pre-shrunk so they wouldn't get shorter after going in the dryer.
The store was, of course, Lululemon, and the pants ended up becoming my go-to favorites because they were the exact right length, and they stayed that way for years.
Today, my inner teenager is in for a treat: The brand is bringing back a handful of its most iconic early styles with a new limited drop each month, offering updated takes on some of its best Y2K trends. (And yes, you can still get everything hemmed.)
First up is the Astro Pant, with its classic criss-crossed, color-blocked waistband, and an early-2000s–era flared pant leg. Putting on a pair brings back a flood of memories. Although this isn't the exact style I had in high school, they fit just like them, and as an elder millennial currently recovering from skinny jean co-dependency, feeling the swish of the bottoms of the pants as I walk gives me flashbacks to my teenage years. Somehow, even without hemming, they happen to be precisely floor-length on me.
But the material feels like nothing that was around at the turn of the millennium. The updated Nulu fabric has that buttery sensation that's soft enough to lounge around in all day long, whether you're working out or just working from home. And it's thick enough that it doesn't show any panty lines. There's added Lycra that the tag says is meant to ensure both four-way stretch and shape retention, though all I really notice is a super comfortable fit.
What makes these pants in particular stand out is the cute V-shape created by the criss-cross at the front of the waistband. It's not only stylish, but functional: The extra layer seems to help the top of the pants stay put without digging into my sides at all. It doesn't budge, whether I'm practicing Pilates or yoga, out on a walk, or simply lounging around having some laptop time on the couch.
One thing that hasn't changed: The length and fit have stayed consistent even after a trip through the washer and dryer.
These pants are just the first in a series. The Throwback Shape Jacket will follow at the end of this month, followed by the Throwback Inspire Crop at the end of July, and Throwback Still Pant at the end of August. More retro fashions may follow if there's popular demand. Each limited edition will only be available while products last, but anyone determined to get their hands on an old favorite can get early access via the app.
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