#NothingUnder My Dear Kate Yoga Pants

That's right, these Dear Kate yoga pants do not need any help, and they are everything you need to wear to a yoga class, for a stroll in the park and wherever you feel like. Reeeeally?

When I first saw the Founder and CEO of Dear Kate lingerie company Julie Sygiel talking on Business Insider about a new approach to what type of support women need when it comes to intimate apparel and yoga pants that are wicking, stain releasing, and leak resistant, I was shocked, confused and excited at the same time! :) I could imagine how this approach can be liberating but my biggest question was - is it hygienic and how would yoga pants perform the role that traditionally was nailed by underwear? Turns out, the secret is in Underlux, a technically advanced fabric developed by Dear Kate's team.

Underlux is a patent-pending blend of fabrics that Dear Kate use in every pair of underwear and yoga pants. The inner layers are moisture-wicking and stain-releasing so that one would never need to soak or scrub garments at the end of the day. The outer later provides an extra layer of leak-resistant protection for everything. In addition to that, the lining is breathable and all pairs are machine-washable.

This Dear Kate Yoga Pants padding absorbs stuff and doesn't let it leak through to the outside of the yoga pants meaning that you are safe from the possible awkward situations. I have put this statement to test both through pouring water on it and wearing my Dear Kate yoga pants to yoga, gym, and for a walk in the park and here's what I found out:

I personally found Dear Kate yoga pants (from $128) fit excellent - they stay in place and there is no riding down no matter how active you are. The fit around my calves and below was quite loose though and not long enough for me - might be cause I have long legs though so you might need to order and put them on to see if the design works for you. My Dear Kate's Sporty Bralet ($64) arrived in a smaller size unfortunately and was very tight on me :)

Having studied chemical engineering at Brown University, Julie gained confidence to dive in and start learning about technical fabrics. She collaborated with textile development teams at fabric manufacturers to create Underlux. Instead of having to totally outsource product development, she guided everything from the fabric to the designs to the construction and fit of the product, which is something she continues to be very involved in today as Dear Kate develop new products.  

Speaking about the idea behind creating underwear and yoga pants that are on the mission to become women's new 'best friends' Julie says: 'Every woman has a horror story from "that time of the month," not to mention the monthly stress our period adds to daily life while we're busy working, studying, exercising and doing all the intense activities that ambitious women pursue. We first launched the underwear line so women are prepared for anything, any day of the month. That includes all of the crazy things that happen to a woman's body when she gives birth (I haven't personally experienced them yet, but likely will one day!)'.

When designing the yoga pants, Dear Kate's team surveyed 920 women on what they love, hate, and dream for in a pair of yoga pants. Julie herself personally tried on over 70 pairs of pants to example different fits, fabrics and construction techniques. Dear Kate then partnered with a sewing factory in NYC to special order flatlock sewing machines and bring the pants to life after countless prototypes and fittings. The pants were also tested in a range of activities including running, biking, yoga and dancing to see how they performed and then refined the fit.

Last but not least, Dear Kate generated lots of press when they launched its ad campaign featuring female tech executives in their underwear. You can read more about this here. Some haters labeled it 'sexist' and 'bizarre' while, in my opinion, it's an excellent way to celebrate women who are brilliant because of who they are and their achievements and not what clothes they wear. Posing in Dear Kates underwear they showed how beautiful real women are in their own skin and the 'techy' underwear.

Dear Kate, thank you for this! :)