Lucy Perfect Core Pant Review

Name: Lucy Perfect Core Pant
Brand: Lucy

Not the best pant for yoga but works well for all-around use

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review — Lucy Perfect Core Pant
Credit: Lucy

View at Lucy

Price: $108 List

Manufacturer: Lucy

By Cam McKenzie Ring ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Dec 15, 2016

OVERALL
SCORE

Breathability - 25% 5.0
Ease of Movement - 25% 5.0
Comfort and Fit - 20% 5.0
Durability - 20% 6.0
Style - 10% 9.0

RELATED: Best Yoga Pants of 2024

Our Verdict

The Lucy brand has been absorbed by The North Face and this product is no longer available.

REASONS TO BUY

Flattering design

Excellent tummy control

REASONS TO AVOID

Can feel restricting

Harder to do yoga in

Not breathable

The Lucy Perfect Core Pant is made with a highly compressible fabric to suck everything in and keep it there. That it does, but at the expensive of your comfort. They start to feel constricting after only a short time on, and they're not something that we'd like to actually do yoga in. Our main testers has had two children and appreciates some extra support and constriction in the tummy area, but this pair takes it too far, for her anyways. The fabric is also heavy and not very breathable, and this pair retails for $108! For that price, we want to be able to wear them with heels out on the town, not to a workout. Lucy just happens to also make our favorite pair to do yoga in, the Lucy Studio Hatha Capri Legging, so look to that pair instead of this one unless severe tummy support is what you are looking for.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Lucy Perfect Core Pant is made with Lucy's "Powermax" fabric, which is 89 % Supplex nylon and 11% Black Lycra spandex. These pants have a gusset insert, extensive seaming details, and flared legs. They are available in sizes XXS-XL and also short (30.5") regular (32.5") or tall (35.5") inseams. The only color option is Black. Note that we tested the regular inseam and they were quite long on our 5'6 tester. They fit well with shoes, but not barefoot.

Performance Comparison

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - the high-waist tummy-control panel on these pants help suck... — The high-waist tummy-control panel on these pants help suck everything in and give you a long and lean look, but that comes at the price of your comfort. They are also cut on the long side, but can be purchased in a shorter inseam length.
Credit: Martina Zandonella

Breathability

The pants received one of our lowest scores for breathability. The material is quite thick, and the extra compression fabric on the tummy panel impedes airflow in that area. The good news is that, in the Black color that we tested (the only color this pant is available in), you couldn't tell how much we'd sweat in these pants, but we could still feel the accumulation. If you tend to sweat a lot in class, check out the Onzie Capri Pant or the Teeki Hot Pant, which are made with a swimsuit-like material that is highly breathable.

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - there are extra panels on the stomach to help compress your trouble... — There are extra panels on the stomach to help compress your trouble zone, but it impedes airflow and breathability.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Ease of Movement

We also scored this pant on the lower end for ease of movement. The material in the legs is stretchy, but the flared legs get in the way of some poses and is slightly annoying. When doing a lot of Sun Salutations or a vigorous Vinyasa style class, we prefer to wear a legging style pant or one with a straighter cut, like the Prana Audrey. If you like the high-waist and tummy-control on this pant but prefer a legging, Lucy does makes a Perfect Core legging instead; however, the high-rise waist did not feel good in forward bends as the extra material bunched up and got in the way of our poses.

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - while the tummy-control panel works well at keeping everything... — While the tummy-control panel works well at keeping everything sucked in when standing, when bending over the extra fabric bunches up and is not comfortable.
Credit: Martina Zandonella

Comfort & Fit

We had to score these pants low in the category as well! The fit is so constricting and there's no way we could wear them all day long. They are also cut to be worn with a pair of shoes, so if you do want to do yoga in them (barefoot), then the regular inseam will be too long even for someone who is 5'5 or 5'6. If you live in yoga pants (like us!) and want something that you can wear lounging around the house in, check out the Beyond Yoga Spacedye Long Legging, our Top Pick for All-Day Comfort.

Durability

After only a handful of wears and washes we started to notice some pilling on the fabric. It's also a lint magnet, which stands out on the Black color these pants only come in. While most yoga pants will start to pill eventually, we 'd hope to get at least a year of use out of them first. We had much better long-term durability with the Prana Audrey.

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - five wears in and some pills were already starting to form. — Five wears in and some pills were already starting to form.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Style

Finally something we can get excited about! These pants do look great on. The seaming details add a nice touch and shape to the leg and behind, and the flared leg is attractive on a variety of body types. The high-waist eliminates any "muffin-top" issues, and the total look is long and lean.

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - we thought the look of these pants was very flattering. it elongated... — We thought the look of these pants was very flattering. It elongated our legs and sucked our tummies in tight.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Best Applications

These pants works well for a variety of activities, but not really yoga. These are great for walks or running errands, but not vigorous exercise due to the lack of breathability.

lucy perfect core pant yoga pants review - watching the sun rise over the canada/us border. these pants are... — Watching the sun rise over the Canada/US border. These pants are great for morning walks along the boardwalk, but not really suited for yoga.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Value

These pants cost $108! Considering they ended up at the bottom of the list when we tallied our scores, we don't think they are a very good value. That being said, there aren't a lot of tummy-control yoga pants out there, so if this is something you are specifically seeking out then perhaps this is the pant for you.

Conclusion

In our pursuit of the perfect pair of yoga pants, this pair came up fairly short. They just aren't that comfortable or easy to practice in, and seem styled more towards running errands than actually practicing yoga. They do offer a lot of tummy control though (too much for our liking), but if that is an important feature for you then the Lucy Perfect Core Pant might just be the ones for you.

— Cam McKenzie Ring