I Tried the Legging Trend That's Always Terrified Me—Here's What Happened

Whether I'm heading off to a yoga class, hiking along one of L.A.'s many trails, or running errands in the weekends, you can always catch me in leggings. But unlike my willingness to try out loud prints and color in my everyday attire, my choice in leggings is unwavering in its theme: solid black.

For whatever reason, printed leggings have intimidated me so much that I've placed a ban on them in my own closet. At least, that is, until now. JoyLab, the line of activewear we design for Target, released a special capsule of leafy tropical prints in its most recent drop and I went way outside my comfort zone to test-drive the fun new pieces. Like I noted above, I usually sideline any leggings that don't fall in line with my strict edit of solid black, so the idea of wearing colorful printed leggings left me pretty much terrified.

Nonetheless, I decided to put the High-Rise 7/8 Reversible Legging from the collection to the test and see what happened. Would I end up loathing it or be inspired to add more colors and prints to my athleisure ensembles in the future?

En route to a workout class, I slipped on the printed pair and matched it with the coordinating Long Line Laser Cut Back Sports Bra from the collection. To my utter surprise and eventual delight, I was really into them. I tend to shy away from loud prints in my legging selection so as not to draw too much attention to my lower half, but I loved how this pair has dark panels on the sides that create a complimentary illusion. That, and the graphic print is just so fun. I obviously went out of my comfort zone here, but for a more toned-down approach, I plan on trying the leggings worn inside out (they're reversible!) as solid navy with the print on the sides.

The colorful leafy print that's splattered across JoyLab's leggings, sports bras, and jackets is part of a collaboration with Hawaii-based illustrator Kim Sielbeck, who says she wanted to "create something that was not super bright but more of a sophisticated tropical print."

Here's a closer look at the fun graphic print on the leggings. With the solid-colored tank, the leggings really pop.

Shop the new printed pieces from JoyLab:

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