Very very high-waisted leggings?

May 31, 2020 9:29 AM

Can you please recommend me some women's leggings that are very high-waisted? Like, up to my ribcage high. Preferably cotton. Must not roll down. For wearing under dresses or long shirts.

I ask because any sort of waistband constriction on my stomach around my belly button makes me vomit. (Yes, I am seeing a doctor about that, including getting scoped from both ends in June.)

I already tried going low but then the waistband ends up pulling halfway down my ass when I sit.

I am not interested in a bodysuit or any other option that would require that much undressing to pee.

I am not interested in any sort of tummy-shaping functionality. I want as little pressure on my stomach as possible while still covering my legs and crotch.

I've gained a lot of weight recently so I don't know what my current dress size is, but I measured a 44" inch waist at belly button level while totally relaxed.

Thanks!

posted by Jacqueline to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (17 answers total)

Consider maternity leggings. I have a pair of Zella Mamasana leggings that I'm still wearing postpartum and sans baby bump they come up to just under my breasts. The belly panel is very stretchy and non-restrictive. Not sure this exact pair would work for you sizing-wise but I imagine anything similar would do the trick.
posted by baby beluga at 9:45 AM on May 31, 2020 [13 favorites]

I was also going to suggest maternity leggings. I have a pair that would probably fit the brief perfectly but they're from a Canadian store.
posted by quaking fajita at 9:56 AM on May 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have had great experiences with Amazon's 10 leggings, including the "build your own" styles. There are various compression levels but if you choose "high waist" it's a really high waist -- I'm 5'3" and it easily comes to the bottom of my rib cage. And they're easily returnable if they don't work for you.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:20 AM on May 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

You definitely want maternity leggings, they’re made with a sticky elastic thing up top so they don’t slide down. And the tummy panel is comfortable not constricting/shaping. They’ll come up right below your boobs.
posted by katypickle at 10:29 AM on May 31, 2020

Roaman's has cotton/spandex leggings that run pretty high waisted, price is generally under $20.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:52 AM on May 31, 2020

Maternity leggings is a good suggestion. You could also look at adding a BellaBand to wear with the low-waist leggings. It’s basically a stretchy tube which is meant to cover the top of non-maternity bottoms and cover the belly or the gap with your top. It could help keep the low waisted from rolling down.
posted by amanda at 2:43 PM on May 31, 2020

If they aren't staying up, they may be too small; that's what happens to me. Try sizing up.
posted by theora55 at 3:29 PM on May 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

Universal Standard has leggings that are explicitly labeled as high-waisted.
posted by carrienation at 4:11 PM on May 31, 2020

I would also say that old navy has leggings with a think (maybe 3 or 4 inches wide waist band) that ride up very high. They come up over my belly button and I am tall (I would also recommend buying tall because you’ll likely get a longer inseam and can just hem the bottom if that’s a problem
posted by raccoon409 at 4:36 PM on May 31, 2020

Lululemon Align leggings are not technically maternity leggings, but they are sufficiently soft & stretchy that many people wear them while pregnant. (Myself included.)
posted by samthemander at 4:51 PM on May 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

Shapermint leggings.
posted by tristeza at 5:58 PM on May 31, 2020

Seconding the Lululemon align suggestion. The regular align's are high waisted, but they also have a super high waisted version. I just got a pair of the super high waisted ones and I could probably tuck in the top of the leggings under the band of my bra. I also get gastrointestinal issues when wearing clothes that put any kind of pressure on my stomach, and I have no issues with the aligns. They're extremely soft and comfortable, too, and come in attractive colours.
posted by ohmy at 8:08 PM on May 31, 2020

You can often find high-waisted leggings in dancewear catalogs like Discount Dance.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:25 PM on May 31, 2020

Are you interested in tights as well as leggings?

I’ve not tried them but have heard very good things about Snag tights which is an UK company but ships worldwide.

They have a diverse size range with high waists.
https://us.snagtights.com/ is their US site.
posted by sconbie at 6:28 AM on June 1, 2020

Perhaps I'm missing something, but OP mentioned having a 44" waist, and some of the recommendations being made are for companies/lines that don't go up to that size. For example the Lululemon Aligns mentioned by several appear to only go up to a 35" waist.

(Holy heck I just googled Lululemon plus sizes and no thank you).
posted by Preserver at 8:35 AM on June 1, 2020 [3 favorites]

Here are two options that seem to hit your requirements in terms of material and waist size.

I don't know how high up either of these goes. Some of that is definitely YMMV. My ribcage is practically on top of my hips, so a pair of leggings that is high-waisted on me would not necessarily fit the same on someone else.

1. Hue Travel Wide Waistband Cotton High Waist Leggings are 92% cotton/8% Spandex and are available in sizes up to 3X (a waistband of 47.75-50 inches).

For what it's worth, I discovered these on a Refinery29 list of Super Soft Leggings That Are Insanely Comfortable. There were no reviews of this specific product, but when I Googled "Hue cotton leggings roll down," I saw things like "I like that the waistband actually stays on your waist" and "never rolls down from the top."

2. Eloquii Essential Leggings are 95% cotton and 5% Spandex; currently available only in split sizes 14/16 (waistband of 37-41 inches); waitlisted up to split sizes 26/28 (a waistband of 50-55 inches).

These turned up on a Rank & Style list of 10 Best Plus Size and Curve Leggings. Reviewers say things like "stay put all day long"; "truly high waisted (above belly button)"; "the perfect weight (not too thin or sheer)"; "they didn’t slide down and they aren’t see thru."
posted by virago at 11:23 AM on June 1, 2020 [1 favorite]

I just wanted to apologize for missing the sizing note above - my mistake.
posted by samthemander at 3:55 PM on June 23, 2020