I’ve got one last recap of some try-ons for you all. A lot of these have been out for a little while, but I was curious about some of these styles so I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Reviewed in this post:
Hotty hot shorts – alarming
All sport crops – back spin stroke dashing purple
Wunder under crops – shady palms
Straight up bra – banana leaf
Pace rival crops – black
For reference, I am 5’3″ and typically wear a lululemon size 2 in both tops and bottoms.
Hotty hot shorts – alarming
I tried the hotty hots last summer when they first came out and didn’t like them at the time. They were pretty diaper butt-y for me. I wanted to give them another shot, though, and I finally found a pair in store in my size. Although they’re still pretty generous on me, I thought they fit better than last year’s, though I’m not sure if anything actually changed with the style–could’ve been my shape changing, difference in colors, or just inaccurate memory. :) The fit on these is really light and airy, even moreso than speeds. The fabric felt a little less buttery on these than (4-way) speeds. It held it’s shape a bit more, unlike 4-way speed shorts, though these weren’t as structured as 2-way speed shorts. Not sure how much that varies with different colors of the hotty hots. At any rate, I’m sure I would love these shorts if there was no such thing as speeds, but I do have a slight preference for speeds. That said, since speeds fit is so wonky these days, hotty hots are a great alternative. These particular alarming hotty hots look a ton like my love red speed shorts, so I definitely didn’t have any need for these right now.
All sport crops – back spin stroke dashing purple
I’ve been liking this length of luxtreme crops lately, so I was curious about the all sport crops. I tried on back spin stroke dashing purple, which is a pretty but subtle print. They were not sheer on me–I rarely have issues with sheerness on luxtreme for some reason, even though I very often have issues with luon.
The top of the side zip pocket created a weird crease/seam at the hip. You can see in this photo and in the one above from the front that there is some creasing on one side that isn’t on the other. That isn’t just because of how I’m standing, the pocket pulls on the fabric oddly and doesn’t sit very flush.
Also, I have gaping issues fairly frequently at the ankle (combo of being short + having small calves/lower legs), but these were really bad. In this photo, I’m not actually stretching the fabric, I’m just holding it out so you can see how much extra fabric there is. I didn’t like that at all, plus the pocket issue, so I’ll be skipping out on these.
Wunder under crops – shady palms
The shady palms print is pretty fun, and I’ve been wearing more printed bottoms lately, so I gave these a shot. I don’t really love the banana leaf contrast waistband, but it’s not too bad. Like most luon poly blends, these were definitely sheer on me in a squat. I noticed these were made in Canada, like the pretty plume WUC I had also tried on. These felt true to size on me. Kinda cute, but an easy pass overall.
Btw, Athleta still has full-length chaturanga tights in black/white floral flow on sale, which is a very similar print. If you check the petite and tall tabs, there are still quite a few sizes available for a mere $34. I haven’t tried these, but they’re worth a shot if you want a similar look while savings some $$.
Straight up bra – banana leaf
This bra was a hot mess. I had tried the straight up bra in a 4 (size up for me) a few weeks ago but finally found my usual size to try on. I could’ve sworn the straight up bra was originally billed as an option for C/D-cup ladies, but now it’s labeled for B/C cups. It was pretty unflattering in the boob area, just a total bread loaf situation. On top of that, it cut in a ton. The coverage was less than an energy bra, probably somewhere close to the flow y bra coverage. Also, the straps were quite uncomfortable. They didn’t cut in, but the detailing on the straps made them very scratchy.
I tried the size up again, just for comparison, but it didn’t help any of the issues I had. I thought I remembered the one I tried on a couple months ago being less awful (just too big in the band because of the size up), so I’m not sure if the straight up bra has changed or what. Either way, this is another style I’ll be steering clear of.
Pace rival crops – black
The pace rival crops are theoretically replacing the inspire crops, and I have some issues with inspires, so I thought I’d try pace rivals. Alas that all they had was boring black. Anyway, the fit on these felt pretty similar to inspires overall. On the pace rivals, you have the addition of the side pockets, which means extra seaming, but I didn’t find that to be uncomfortable at all. I had the same slight ankle gaping that I usually get on inspires. I would’ve liked to have tried on some other more interesting color, but the black at least was not sheer.
I thought I’d be upset at the possibility of Inspires being phased out for the pace rivals. I bought the pace rivals in WAFS/grapefruit and they are awesome.
Yeah the WAFS are cute. I wish I could’ve tried on something besides black. Oh well.
Thanks for posting regarding the straight up bra. Been so tempted to get it as I do need bras that I can hide under non racerback tanks. But since these ones already give you a breadloaf issue (and I m much bigger than you), my wallet is safe :)
Yeah probably a no go if you have a lot in the boobage department!
I’ve also been wondering about the straight up bra! Thank you! I wish they’d make that pretty butterfly print in a CRB, it’d be cute with that new vinyasa with the same colors.
Ohh yeah I didn’t make the connection that the vinyasa colors are the same as the butterfly, but you’re right. :)
Thanks for the reviews! I found the straight up bra straps itchy as well. The bra did fit well overall, however, I’m firmly in the A cup territory, so was pretty surprised to find it described as being suitable for C and above.
I had returned the last few SSs bought :( Loved the alarming red SSs, however, the fit was not flattering. The butterfly SSs were cute, but overall, they seemed dull and I didn’t think I’ll love them more as time goes by.
Nowadays, I’m reaching out more for S59 classic novas/ginger crops and sabrina tees for gym workouts, and LLM for everything else. Just received the navy/black stripe High Times and they are super comfy! Major love there. I’m also wearing the Bali Breeze CRB a lot! Wondering if I should get a back up just in case.
I’m wearing my bali CRB all the time too, and was a little tempted to get a backup, but figured it’ll probably last longer than I think. I can always peruse ebay if I must. I’ve been a bit disappointed in Splits59 lately–didn’t include their new stuff in my post earlier today because it basically would’ve been a stream of negativity. :
I know this is an old post, but I wanted to contribute as your reviews have helped a lot.
I just recently purchased the Pace Rival Crop in black and while the hugged-ness is amazing and the fabric is nice/soft, and smooth, these are disappointing. They are pretty sheer throughout except the pieces in the seat area. The fabrication in the seat is actually thicker. This is all nothing nude underwear can’t fix, but I’m disappointed to say the least. I also bought a pair of their high times in the full on luon and same thing – great hug, great fabric, but sheer non the less.
I have concluded that I may have jumped on the Lululemon bandwagon too late.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tiffany. Sorry you had such rotten luck at the store. :( My experience with sheerness has been super hit or miss. Lulu still seems to make good stuff here and there, but you have to be willing to wade through a whole bunch of not-so-great stuff to find the gems. It’s a shame!
I finally wore them for my work outs and I’ve concluded that I spoke too soon and may actually be a LLL convert. Go figure. :p
So while the high times and the pace rival crop are a little sheer like a lot of other brands, comparing them to all my other tights (Zella, Nike, UA, Athleta, Lorna Jane, Adidas, etc), they are LUXE. And the hugged sensation is also no joke – it’s like compression but without the suffocation, tugging, and flattening of the bum (like LJ – yuck).
Totally know what you mean! Lulu’s gear almost always feels great on. :)
Did the shorts have a built in underwear or spandex short type thing??
Yes, hotty hot shorts have a built-in brief liner.