While I have forever identified as a creature of comfort, my tolerance for anything too tight, restrictive, or itchy has majorly declined during the pandemic. While jeans (albeit, the stretchy type) regularly rotated in my wardrobe during the pre-Covid years, ever since athleisure-slash-loungewear became a thing, the majority of jeans I own have been moved up to the top shelf of my closet, where they have been collecting dust for a few years.

Recently while skimming down Athleta’s website — on the hunt for yet another pair of their ultra-soft leggings — I noticed that the athletic apparel brand also had some jeans in its product lineup. Not just any old jeans, either: Stretchy, sculpting skinny jeans. Athleta has never let me down, (some of its styles, including the incredibly popular Elation collection, are in my top five favorite leggings) so I decided to try a pair of Sculptek Ultra Skinny Jeans out. 

 Shop now: $118; athleta.gap.com

The jeans are available in a dark indigo wash or a true denim blue in sizes 0 to 16. The first thing I noticed when I tried them on is that while they provide that body-hugging fit that most skinny jeans do, they also offer a little give. They are tight and keep your tummy tucked, but  still manage to offer enough stretch to make them just as comfortable as a pair of leggings. Another thing I loved about them instantly is the inseam. Since I’m 5-foot-10, finding jeans long enough to cover my ankles is regularly an issue. One of the reasons I am a repeat Athleta customer is because most of its pants, this style included, are available in regular, tall, and petite sizes, to ensure the right length for everyone.  

Shop now: $118; athleta.gap.com

 I can also endorse the brand’s claim on their website that the jeans can be worn “hiking, climbing, and exploring,” which is all thanks to Athleta’s Sculptek fabric, a trademark blend of cotton, polyester, and spandex, that “stretches every way you do then snaps back into place.” After an entire day of wearing them, walking several miles and bending over endless times, they still fit exactly the same as when I first put them on. 

The jeans have also won over Athleta shoppers of all shapes and sizes. “These are the best-fitting jeans I have ever had. I have short, muscular legs, full rear, and a long torso with a relatively narrow waist,” one customer wrote. “No gaps, no uncomfortable tight spots, [and a] nice amount of stretch.” Another person wrote that they love that the Sculptek jeans are “stretchy but not thin,” while a third shopper raved that they “hold their shape without growing two sizes by the end of the day like a lot of jeans.” 

If you’re in the market for jeans that don’t feel like jeans, I highly recommend grabbing a pair of Athleta’s Sculptek Ultra Skinny Jeans.

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