Lorna Jane Try-On Reviews: Solstice Shorts and Bra + Mirror Excel Mesh Tank + More

Along with my recent trips to lululemon for try-ons, I also stopped in to a Lorna Jane store to see what they’re up to.  Here’s a recap of a few items I tried on.

Reviewed in this post:

Solstice tight shorts
Solstice sports bra
Mirror excel mesh tank
Cruz 7/8 tight
Bold blooms short
Acrobat sports bra

(FYI: if there’s ever something you want that’s out of stock online, LJ stores *should* do charge ships with free shipping if you can find the item you want in stock at a store location.)

First of all, each time I’ve been to Lorna Jane, I’ve been really impressed with the store layout.  At both locations I’ve been to, the colors are arranged beautifully into sections, and everything is beautifully in its place.  The staff have also been very helpful and kind.

Take a look at these displays:

Just gorgeous!

On the not-so-positive side, the dressing rooms are not my favorite.  As you can see in the pics below, the lighting is very harsh. (Compare this to the warmer lighting in lululemon’s dressing rooms.) It washes out my skin tone, not to mention highlights any blemishes.  At this critical point where a purchase decision is made, the dressing rooms don’t make me feel like I look particularly great in their clothes, honestly.  This definitely nudges me away from wanting to buy, and takes away from any luxe feel they might be trying to create.

Mirror excel mesh tank

I really liked this tank.  The color, neon citrus, reminded me a bit of lululemon’s ray.  It’s SUPER neon!  The cut is reminiscent of lululemon’s 105F singlet, but isn’t cut as large.  This was a size XS, which was loose but not too oversized (in contrast with a size 2 105F, which swallows me whole).  The neckline is slightly higher, enough coverage not to show the edge of a bra.  It’s a pretty long length, but even the short shorts still stuck out, and the curved split hem helped it not to look like a (very short) dress.

The fabric is lightweight (LJ calls it mesh, but it’s thick and obviously not see-through), and I love this geometric patterning!  I would’ve loved to try this in an XXS.  Sadly, LJ only sells their size XXS in their Australian market.  I think just a slightly smaller fit would’ve been ideal.

Solstice tight shorts

These shorts were a lot of fun.  I like the sporty geometric pattern and the shades of blue.  The length is definitely short, but seemed long enough to avoid any cheek showing.  I didn’t find these sheer.  I’m not sure if they would ride up since I didn’t really walk/run around in them.  These were a size XS, and I thought they felt pretty true to size.  They did not pinch my thighs at the leg opening and the elastic band did not cut in at all either.  This and the excel tank above were the most tempting pieces I tried on.

Solstice sports bra

Ok, I kind of loved the look of the whole solstice outfit.  The sports bra has just the right amount of coverage to be flattering yet still keep things covered (and no cutting in!).  This looked quite small on the rack so I was hoping it ran small, but the elastic band actually stretched out quite a lot.  I’d say it ran like a true XS.  I would’ve needed an XXS for the support to be sufficient.  Darn.

Cruz 7/8 tights

I thought these crops were quite nice.  LJ seems to have a different definition of 7/8 than lulu: these were actually 7/8 on me (i.e., hit just a couple inches above the ankle), while lulu’s 7/8 length actually bunches at the ankle on me.  The length is quite similar to Splits59’s nova capris.  The colorblocking on these was interesting.  I liked the fabric on these.  It’s not quite as slick as luxtreme but didn’t seem as cottony as luon either.  These weren’t sheer on me.  The XS fit me pretty well.  I’ve tried LJ’s XXS tights, and they generally seem too small for me, so in my (somewhat limited) experience, it seems they’re tights tend to run maybe half a size small.

Bold blooms short

Sweet lord, these shorts are H U G E.  If you look closely, you can see that there was actually some gaping at the waistband.  These aren’t made to be as tight as lululemon’s speed shorts, for example, but I still thought they ran quite large since the waist was so loose.  Although these are an XS, I thought they ran big and could probably fit up to a lulu shorts size 6, depending on how tight/loose you like your shorts.  The colorful pattern is fun, though.  Also, these do have the built-in liner.  Due to sizing, I guess it’s time I give up on LJ’s shorts, cute as they are in theory.

Acrobat sports bra

This bra design is just so cool.  LJ is really an innovator in the market for stylish, creative bra designs.  The coverage on this one is a bit low in the front with the V design.  Based on the dozen-ish I’ve tried on over time, most of LJ design’s seem to cater to B/C-cups (though not the solstice bra above).  Also, here is where I gripe again that XXS is not available in LJ’s USA market (except in the pammy bra, which gives me terrible quadraboob, plus all they stock is boring black and white anyway).  I have tried so many LJ bras, and none have ever worked because the band just isn’t tight enough, and most styles (including this one), don’t offer enough coverage either.  I can’t bring myself to spend $60+ on a sports bra that’s too big to be supportive, especially when I can get one from lulu that fits perfectly for $48.  I would probably have quite a few of LJ’s bras if I could get a decent fit from them, because they do make many designs I love.  Alas.