One day during my first few weeks of closure, I had a revelation: at age 24, it was finally time to find a comfortable jogger for my age.

I learned early on that working remotely, despite being a tremendous privilege, wearing pajamas all day long started to feel sweaty and wrong by 11 am. I felt guilty about wearing leggings when I wasn't even in the mood to work out, let alone leave the house. After all, I needed to fill the void created when wide-leg gauchos disappeared from style in 2005.

So I decided to seek out the perfect pair of jogger pants. To me, jogger pants should be breathable and free of binding and trifling cuffs. My non-negotiables also included that they be comfortable enough to wear all day, sleek enough not to feel sloppy, and under $50.

Enter Ajisai: an activewear brand available on Amazon (opens in new tab). When I spotted a pair of 7/8 jogger travel pants with pockets for $31 (opens in new tab) in the "Customers Also Bought" section of another pair of pants, it was like seeing a mirage. Fast forward nine months later, and I now own four pairs of pants. I don't. Stop. Wear them.

What moved the needle for me was when several reviewers compared the cropped travel pants to Lululemon's On the Fly (opens in new tab) jogger pants. I decided to try something affordable first before spending money on shoes, and after trying on the Ajisai travel pants (available at Prime and delivered two days later), I fell in love. [Not only do they feel like silk, but they have just the right amount of stretch for a flattering silhouette. And because there is no binding at the hem, I was able to wear them to the art gallery and out for drinks. We recently got a puppy, who loves to play tug of war with the leg openings, and there is no sign of fraying or pulling yet.

If you're thinking of buying a pair for yourself, Ajisai's travel joggers are available in black (open in new tab), navy (open in new tab), tan (open in new tab), and dark gray (open in new tab). Because not many people are aware of how affordable this luxe feel-good beauty is (until now!). ), most sizes are still available at the moment. I say, "......." I'm going to be wearing four pairs of shoes for the foreseeable future.