In 2007, two childhood friends from Los Angeles, Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge, launched a yoga brand called Alo, short for Air Land Ocean. Business of Fashion notes that both men had found solace in yoga while coping with different ailments: DeGeorge was recovering from a back injury, Harris was dealing with anxiety. Harris has said the aim was to design what he believed to be the most exceptional product to practice in.

Nearly two decades on, the look is easy to name. Vogue calls the sheen of the Airlift fabric highly recognizable, and says the no-frills, high-waisted shape styles with anything from athleisure to brunch. The Airbrush is the matte, cotton-like sibling with four-way stretch. So the brand's signature is a handful of clear details: a tall waist, smoothing compression, and a finish that is either glossy or soft. These Alo Yoga dupes are alternatives from other labels that share those details, from leggings and pleated tennis skirts to cropped hoodies, seamless bras and shiny leggings, with no logos borrowed.

Start where the whole outfit starts, with the legging. The Splits59 Emerson has a high waist and a pale side stripe down a black leg, so it reads as the sporty one. The Vuori AllTheForm in Bloom leans on a compressive, buttery fabric. The SPANX Booty Boost 7/8 adds a double-layer waistband made not to dig, and the YPB 7/8 has a v-shaped back seam and a waistband with no top seam. I would reach for the Beyond Yoga midi-length pair in Iced Mocha Heather with a long cardigan and clogs.

A fitting-room test: squat all the way down and look at the waistband and the fabric over your seat. Harper's Bazaar points to a high, wide waistband that stays in place and flatlock seams as the details that make a legging look refined. If the band rolls, put it back.

A tennis skirt only works when the pleats hold, so I would look at the pleats before anything else. The Splits59 Shira woven skirt and the Nike mid-rise pleated skirt are the sharp ones, both in dark tones with crisp pleats, and the Nike adds a drawstring waist. Pleats that are pressed in and stay crisp after a stretch are what give the skirt its clean court outline.

For something with more movement, the Zella Super Set pleated skort in black has a pleated back and a mesh panel under the pleats, while the Zella drawstring skirt in Purple Hush has fine allover pleats at a leggy length. The Vuori AllTheForm tennis skirt in black is a smooth, high-waisted cut that stays clean under a cropped top. The Lucky in Love in white with navy trim stripes is the bold choice, and the Honors skort in black is the plain, classic court cut.

In October I would wear any of these over black tights with a cropped fleece and white sneakers, the way a morning walk looks when you meant it to look put together. Check the hem against your hand: it should hit mid-thigh or a little above without riding up when you sit. Turn the skirt inside out and make sure the shorts liner is stitched flat and does not twist.

What I would skip: a pleated skirt in a thin, clingy knit. The pleats flatten out after one sit and you lose the whole point.

The cropped hoodie is a proportion trick: a boxy top ends at the waist so a high-rise legging or pleated skirt still shows. Look at where the hem sits against the waistband. If the hem lands just above it, you get the clean line; if it floats a hand higher, the whole outfit looks off.

The Nike oversized cropped fleece hoodie in sail and pink is midweight fleece, smooth outside and brushed inside. The Vuori Halo Mini full zip in Java Heather is a cropped zip in soft DreamKnit, which I would zip halfway over a ribbed bra. The SPLITS59 Noah in black has dropped shoulders and a cropped fit, and the Barefoot Dreams Butterchic in Teaberry is the slouchy, buttery one for a couch day. Under Armour's Icon Sama in black is midweight cotton-blend fleece with the same dropped shoulders.

For a cleaner, less sporty read, the SKIMS cropped logo hoodie in brown and the AQUA crop zip hoodie in black are boxy cropped layers that sit well over a tennis skirt. The MPG Dreamweave in black adds a modal-enriched feel that is a little drapier.

Test the fabric by pinching the hem: it should spring back, and the rib at the cuff and waist should hold its shape. What I would skip: a crop with a very short body and a very wide neck, which slides off one shoulder all day.

A seamless bra earns its place by what you do not see. Run a finger along the side seam: it should be flat or absent, and the band should be wide enough not to roll. The FP Movement Win Win has a square neckline and a wide band, and the Nike Pro Dri-FIT in Steam is a low-impact bra with a wide elastic underbust band.

The Vuori Elevation racerback in black has a textured knit look and a classic racerback, while the Splits59 Scottie Airweight has a taupe body with black and white trim at the neckline, which I would wear with high-waist leggings in the same family of tones. The Beyond Yoga layered bra in white has a perforated racerback, and the On Studio racerback in black is a plain racerback with a deep, smooth hem band.

The Negative Sieve bra top in a soft sand tone has a scooped neckline and a snug underband, and the Vuori Elevation Rhythm in black has a deep V neckline and a close fit, a good one when you want a low-key base layer.

Stretch the band between your hands: it should widen and return. Check the white ones against a light window for show-through. What I would skip: a bra with thick, stitched-in pads if you plan to layer it under a fitted crop top, since the pad edges tend to show through.

The glossy finish is the one detail that makes an Airlift-style legging stand out, so for these I would judge the sheen first. Hold the fabric under a window: it should look smooth and softly lit, not crinkled or plasticky. The NikeSKIMS Shine leggings in Obsidian have a satin shine fabric with a soft sheen and firm compression, and the Shine drawcord capri in the same tone is a lighter, subtly shiny stretch.

The SPANX Satin-X capri and mid-thigh short in Cafe Au Lait have a glossy satin finish. The short has a bonded core panel and a stay-put silicone waistband, a useful detail for bike-short season spilling into October. The Commando Classic Control leggings have a high waist and a glossy, smooth finish.

For a leather-adjacent look, the Commando faux leather 7/8 in black has raw hems, the GUESS Prescilla in dark has second-skin stretch, and the Belle & Bloom City Slicker is a black coated legging with a wet-look sheen. I would wear any of them with an oversized sweater and boots, a shine that reads in the evening.

What I would skip: a shine that looks metallic under store lights but flat outdoors. Walk to a window before deciding.

I would begin with the legging, because the high waist sets everything else. Then add the layer that fits your week: a pleated skort for a morning walk, a cropped zip when the weather turns, or a smooth bra under a loose tank.

Pick one shiny piece and keep the rest matte so the sheen has room. These pieces share a few details with the Alo look, not the label, and that is enough. Two friends in Los Angeles started with an idea of what to wear to practice, and you can start with the same one. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Cropped Cardigan and How Denim Should Fit At The Waist.