The first reason for the snark in the title of this post: I have said it before, commenters have said it before, and it’s generally nothing new, but I am really tired of &go. I’m tired of the endless march of baggy pants and weird “fashion” pieces that look like they were designed by drunk 16 yr olds. Can we get back to fixing the trainwrecks of sheerness, logistics, and customer service before trying to be all avant-garde? Sure, the occasional piece is nice. I like having lulu that’s interesting, versatile, and not necessarily gym clothes. But when it’s beginning to make up a significant portion of their line, it gets away from the core message of their brand and is generally a waste of time when there’s so much else they ought to be focusing their resources on. They need to fix their gaping holes before branching out.
And the second reason for the snarky title:
Ok, these speed shorts. Nice, right? They’re petal camo, but the back top panel is reflective.
And they’re freakin’ $68!!!
Apparently, the addition of a reflective panel is worth a 26% price hike (normal price is $54, for reference). WTF? Noooo thank you.
I understand that prices do need to be raised every once in a while because of inflation or whatever, but if that’s what they need to do, IMO there are better ways to go about it.
3 new colors of the swiftly tech tank, all tonka stripe, including bordeaux drama.
Rust berry 105F singlet.
Savasana softshell in camp check: it doesn’t say so, but the color looks like the bark chocolate from last week. This is only uploaded in sizes S and M right now. What? (US only)
Canada got these new speed tights–wow! I kind of like this print. It’s called jumbo inky floral inkwell, but it looks like the main color is rugged blue because it’s clearly lighter than inkwell. The US just got heathered deep coal.
Bumble berry/rust berry pique wunder under pants! OH MYYYYY. I had to resist HARDCORE not to buy these, they were the #1 thing I wanted tonight for sure, although I can’t help but wonder if they’re sheer. No size 12 in these. (US only)
Inkwell pique rolldown wunder under pants, also US only. I feel bad for Canada getting the shaft on pique.
Sattva pants in black swan/black grape. The color code on these is the same as black swan, but I think they had to change the official name of black swan because of problems with the movie. The black swan rebel runners were also uploaded. Both are Canada only.
Fuel green cotton rolldown wunder under crops.
Black petal camo run times shorts.
New black speed shorts with rocky road trim. I would’ve rather had rocky road with black trim. Meh. Flaming tomato/rust berry yama check (aka lumberjack) and biggy dot speeds were also uploaded and I still don’t know what to do about them. I think they’ll just be too hard to match to be worth getting. Canada only got the overpriced petal camo speeds, not lumberjack or rocky road.
Other things on upload:
– Here to there dress (Canada)
– Puffy blanket jackets
– More &go stuff IDGAF about
– Coco pique stride jacket (US)
– Triplet twin stripe flip your dog (US)
– Seek the heat tank (US), flowin’ with my omies tote (US), and citta singlet, as seen earlier today overseas
– Rebel runner vest and jacket (US)
– Bordeaux drama groove WUP (US)
– Black and petal camo city skirt (Canada)
– Evolution leg warmers
– Misc pace setters: US got petal camo, Canada got plush petal and lumberjack
– Rocky road rolldown luxtreme WUP (US)
– Real teal swiftly SS (US)
– Petal camo CRB
– Solid coco pique race your pace LS (Canada)
Lol my first thought when seeing the price of those speeds was “lay off the drugs lulu”. $70!? I have to talk myself into $54. I don’t understand &go. As a 20-something I’m assuming I’m the target market of this line but…don’t get it. And I agree about the rocky road speeds. Why is it just the trim??? Don’t hide your selling points.
Agree with everything here, of course. I’m also in my 20s but I guess I’m not hipster enough for their &go stuff. And by the way, since when is lulu’s target market big-city-dwelling hipsters…?
They had to change it to black grape because people kept complaining they weren’t getting black items or others thought it was navy colored. Black swan is a dark purple so renaming it black grape makes sense.
Ahhhh I see. I must be outta the loop with this one. :) It’s true though, black swan is a pretty confusing name. What kind of swans are purple? lol
Ummm thank you for stating exactly what I was thinking about the price of those speeds! And how all the pants have gone up in price :( ugh! Loved all the new pants but couldn’t bear the price tag for casual wear only.
Yeah, based on how slowly a lot of the fun WUs are selling out, I think a lot of people are hesitating over the price or choosing not to buy altogether. I guess that’s one way to fix the problem of instant sell-outs…
I go the Race your Pace LS in Coco Pique and Roll Down WUC in heathered fuel green. I really want those Bumbleberry Pique WUPs though!!! Hopefully Canada gets them next week!
Ohhhh man I didn’t even see the coco pique LS til you said this! It’s Canada only though apparently, so I guess that explains: I’m not as diligent about checking every color for Canada side. Nice selections! :)
LOL! you are effin’ hilarious!! meanwhile, i didn’t even see the inkwell pique so i have you to thank for me just buying them – but i’ll have to see make sure they feel like my old school awesome pique – such a shame i can’t just bank on it anymore…. not a real prob though.
I didn’t see it at first either! I remember black pique last year being thin and a bit sheer, so hopefully the inkwell and bumble berries this year aren’t! Like you said, it’s a shame you have to doubt…
I was thinking the same about the ridiculous price hike! And $102 for those rocky road roll downs which are luxtreme btw. I bought nothing. I had the petal camo CRB and heathered real teal swiftly in my cart and ready to check out. Then I realized I never wear my savasana camo CRB because it’s almost black and I already have the heathered surge swiftly. Everything I’ve bought the last 3 weeks I have returned. Almost paid off all my credit cards! Thanks lulu! lol
Heyyy at least there’s a bright side! I’m poor too so I guess I really can’t complain either. Sounds like you made a good choice to pass on those tanks since they’re so similar. Here’s your gold star for the week, heh.
did the rebel runner vest come in black? I saw the photos that Australia got it but we just got bordeaux and white, maybe later
I didn’t see it in black, but you’re right that it does exist in black. A lot of color runs have been broken up like that so I’m betting it will come along later.
It did in Canada at least – I ordered it a couple of weeks ago (and returned it, jut not for me).
I will just come out and say it–I hate the &go line. I want cute, functional gym, run, and yoga clothes from lululemon, not these whimsical casual pieces that would look totally out of place in the podunk town I live in. It really bugs me that lululemon continues releasing this “to-and-from” stuff that is destined for weeks-long stints in WMTM and outlet stores, all the while hiking up prices on staples like Wunder Unders, Inspires, and Speed Shorts. Nothing for me this week, but I spent a small fortune at the store over the weekend and need to back off for a bit.
Yes, that’s exactly the issue I see: they might not have to increase the price if they weren’t spending so many resources on capsule collections that are very hit-or-miss and not exactly flying off the shelves. Ya know?
I agree with you, I go to Lulu to buy functional fitness wear, that’s what I need, at the moment I’m looking at so many other options because Lulu really isn’t giving me what I need. I teach fitness and dance from 9.00 in the morning and many nights I’m still working until 9.00 at night, that means I need a lot of fitness gear that at least covers my butt.
I have a 5 hour round trip to get to a Lulu (I don’t get to do it very often because of the hours I work) store and I really don’t have time to hunt down choice pieces by going from store to store. I’m a damn good advert for the firm, most of what I wear is their stuff but getting hold of the pieces that work is getting to be such a nuisance because most of it what’s left by the time I get there isn’t functional.
Yeah, that. Seems to me that if your customer base is having trouble getting what they need when what they need is supposed to be your core product offering, then that’s definitely a sign that your priorities as a company are off-balance.
A little harsh? Some folks have the funds to spend. Plus some folks also like these items. We don’t all love yellow and green mashups. Be real. Be modern. Doesn’t your site focus on fit fashion? Posting repeats from lulumum or luluaddict does not make you original. Plus your own wardrobe of fit fashion is bland, out of style and not the latest in fit fashion.
I see no reason to defend myself, my opinions, or my blog in general since you already seem to have your mind made up. You do you, Guest. Cheers.
I love your blog, please keep it up! This one gave me a good giggle.
On another note did I miss the flip your dog LS… I am in Canada.
Don’t think you missed it, I’m 99.9% sure it hasn’t gotten to Canada yet!! The striped one sold out pretty fast in the US though so when it does come up you’ll probably have to be quick!
I also love your blog and you are adorable. Keep up the awesome work.
Thank you! :)
i think i have an idea who this troll is… LOL, but as we know haters gonna hate, esp if they feel threatened, your blog is so effin fab – and getting more and more popular by the second – please keeping doin’ you!! love it so so much!!
Thank you for the positive words! Haters gonna hate indeed, and the positive far outweighs the negative here. Can’t please everybody!
Just want to say I <3 this blog. It has a good, clean design, the Sunday "lulu problems" posts are hilarious, and it stays up to date on the latest. And your outfits are super cute. I guess I'm bland and out of style! Oh well!
Thanks much, Jen. There seem to be a lot of us who must be awfully bland indeed! ;)
What the hell is up your ass? It’s her blog and she can write up what she wants. If you’re happy paying increasing prices on fug items there is no one stopping you.
How is her own wardrobe out of style when many of the things she wears is what a lot of ladies wear and are a part of collections released (mainly) from the past year?!
Hi! I’m curious, what would you consider to be non-bland, stylish and the latest in fit fashion?
I’m curious what the latest in fit fashion is as well lol. I’ve always thought whatever their faults, LLL is still heads above many fitness brands.
Very true, if lulu were to disappear, I really don’t know who I would consider the industry leader in chic gym clothes. I guess the flipside to them being the primary leader/innovator means they’re also going to have a lot of experiments that just come out weird. At the end of the day, they still do a lot of things right/best, even though some other things have been rocky lately…
lulumum and luluaddict??? hahahaha.. Those two have no idea how to run a blog. Look AA, a hater!! You must be doing something right. :)
exactly!!
Yeah I feel like now that I’ve officially had a hater comment, it’s like me/my blog have come of age somehow, like some weird rite of passage. :P
Dang girl, this post went crazy with comments. I’d say that’s awesome and I’m glad your blog is taking off. :D
I know right? I woke up the morning after I posted this and checked my phone like “wtf is all this”. Hah! Can’t complain I guess! Maybe the trolls should visit more often, seems to stir things up a little. :)
If you question her style and don’t think she offers anything different to the table compared to the other two bloggers, why do you read her blog?
Her posts are not repeats from the other two bloggers. Feeds come from local Lululemon Facebook groups. Set up a dummy account and subscribe to all of the pages…voila…you have the same info as the other blogs.
What AA does have is unique content. Anyone can set up a Facebook account and repost store photos. AA provides fit reviews, articles, workouts, etc…all under a modern blog platform that has uniform creativity and design throughout the blog.
If you see this as a copycat, I’m not really convinced you regularly read the three blogs.
I’m all for fashionable fitness apparel, but I’m siding with AA…most of this crap simply doesn’t work. It’s the same reason runway trends have to be watered down for everyday wear…if fashionable fitness apparel isn’t functional, let alone fashionable, why bother wasting your money no matter how much you have or have not? I appreciate some of their strides….shine pants, tech mesh, peplum tops, here to there dress….while not all of them were for me, the designs were innovative and stylish for premium activewear. These recent designs, however, miss the mark.
Lulu should be focusing on high quality standards for their core pieces and simply highlight a few new fashionable pieces with each piece, in small quantities, be just as strong in design as the last. By focusing on high fashion pieces, they are cranking out too many that are of poor design and alienate loyal customers who were originally drawn to their core pieces. Spot on AA. I do like these fall colors, but they need to lay off the high volumes of fashion pieces.
Ditto!
They’re definitely under the influence because I’m not paying $102 for wunder under pants. I bought herringbone WU pants 3 weeks ago for $92 and I had to look away from the total $$ for that order as I checked out! And now they want me to purchase very similar pants that are ~10% MORE expensive! What happened in the last few weeks?! You already said it all: you’re drunk, Lulu. I’m heading over to Athleta!
Yeah, I think the $10 price hike is vaguely tolerable for certain items, but a $20 hike for printed rolldowns is just too much. There are plenty of other brands that charge that higher pricepoint, but psychologically there’s something that feels catty about lulu seemingly trying to sneakily jack the price up…
The jumbo inky floral speed tights are gorgeous! I have the wonder under version in black and they are perfect – not sheer, TTS and super comfy, so I’m very tempted to get this one too. Am going to try out the lumberjack ss and see if they are in a richer print irl. The berry yum yum itfs look like a good neutral to have. Have to hold myself back and buy just. one. item. and save up for more flaming tomato stuff for Oct : ) Ignoring the positive feedback on sashico ss too.
And I’ll like to say your posts are super entertaining and fun. I love your candid take on LLM and other brands. LOL I wish you’ll try Teekis because I really love them, but if you haven’t by now, it means you haven’t fallen in love obsessively with the prints, and so, maybe you shouldn’t then.
Yeah the more time goes on, the more I’m kind of wishing I could get some inky WUs. Maybe I can pick some up off the resale market in a couple months if I still want them. I think the berry ITFs will be worth having when they hit North America–assuming they aren’t sheer anyway! And don’t worry, I’ll try teeki before too long! I just have to keep my eye out for new prints. :) And of course, thanks for the kind words. :)
I want the speed tights too!
Btw, I love the look of the Teekis but even though it’s truly awesome what they’re doing recycling plastic bottles, wearing plastic on my legs sounds yucky to me. Do you think I should give it a try anyway?? Weird question I know but I’ve been curious!
Hi! Not a weird question at all. I think they went a teeny bit overboard emphasizing on the plastic bottles part; what made the Teekis so comfy is that the fabric is also 20% spandex, and the rest is then made of plastic yarn (made from plastic bottles).
But yes, definitely give them a try! They are still more green compared to the other workout labels. They kept me very cool on long summer cycling and hiking trips, and I wear them out to malls and movies too.
Some people complain that they are a tad sheer, but I find them ok with nude underwear. I’m a size 4 in LLM, and wear a S in Teeki. HTHs : )
Wow… this is so newsy! I’ve actually been forgetting about uploads lately which would’ve been unimaginable not long ago. The lulu email reminded me.
I like all the piques and black swan items and those speed tights!!! When will the US get those speed tights!? haha. But as you know I don’t want to support whatever it is that is fueling the price hikes. Sadly it’s going to be mighty hard to stick to my guns when it comes to that inkwell pique comfiness though… I mean I know I’m doomed when I’m picturing myself wearing them!
The nice thing is that nowadays you have more than 15 minutes to nab what you want since sellouts are slower, so forgetting about upload isn’t as big of a deal as it used to be! It sounds like you’re doomed indeed re: inkwell pique. Maybe if you boycott MOST of the price hikes, it still counts…? :)
So I bit on the rocky road’s and the seek the heat crop in inky floral like I need any more pants. I feel like an addict, “I swear this is the last time” *presses checkout button*… LOL.
Bahahaha, classic. “I can stop anytime I want!!” Riiiight. :)
I’ve been waiting to see if we will get a CRB or swiftly tank in rugged blue, unrealistic at this point?
Maybe. :( Rugged blue seems to be phasing out. It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful color and I don’t think they used it as much as they could’ve/should’ve.
LOL on the title, and I agree completely about the &go line. I justify Lulu’s high prices because there are some technical items that I can’t find anywhere else–like the speed tights with the side pockets (though Athleta just released a version of side-pocket tights, but all in prints I wouldn’t wear) and soft, warm, sweat-wicking Rulu tops for winter running. I shop for fashion items elsewhere from brands who make those products better–and cheaper. The big issue, as you said, is that Lulu should be fixing all their existing product issues before branching out into new markets.
I got the Heathered Coal speed tights, but now I worry about sweat showing. I will have to think about it when I get them. Also got the purple fog bangbuster. I am a disappointed that the new version of the speed tights doesn’t have the ruffle at the bottom, and the side pocket opening is a bit different too. Still, until someone else makes running tights with side pockets in nice colors, I’ll be buying the speed tights.
BTW, I forgot to mention that the Race Your Pace LS might be my favorite rulu top yet! I really like it.
I love my full tilt from last year most–do you think the race your pace is better than that? I kind of want another rulu LS this year because I like to wear them casually. Canada got a coco pique race your pace! A solid yum yum berry would be to die for, too. Also, I didn’t notice that the speed tights no longer have the ruffle–that’s a shame, because it was damn cute.
There are definitely good reasons to spend lots of $$ on lulu when it’s something you can’t get elsewhere. There are without a doubt a lot of things they do really well. I’ve yet to find a good substitute for rulu. But from a customer relationship standpoint, it seems inconsiderate to try to sneakily nickel and dime your loyal fanbase. The higher prices don’t bother me as much as the strategy they have employed in doing so. I spent $98 on the pink S59 crops I bought recently, and I’ve spent $95 on a pair of used speeds, so clearly I’m willing to shell out a lot of cash for what I want. Again, it’s the principle behind it.
I agree completely. I was reading a thread somewhere (I think it might have been on LLA) that presented a theory that Lulu is going 100% toward engaging a new market and is trying to get rid of its old fan base (us) by jacking up prices, not listening to our feedback, etc. I don’t know that I believe that because why would a company purposely push away paying customers, but that is what they seem to be doing with the price increases. The price increase on the speed shorts is ridiculous. And I agree with one of the other commenters that there’s no way I’m paying over $100 for wunder unders. $98 for speed tights is ridiculous (Athleta’s version is $74), but I think that’s always been the price. Maybe they haven’t increased because they’re not as popular as speed shorts or WUs.
I hadn’t heard that, but it’s quite a provocative theory. My knee-jerk reaction is “omg no way that’s so dumb”, but I can make some sense out of it. One way it makes sense: the more weathered lulu fans remember what quality used to be like, so they are going to continue to complain about the new stuff. If lulu establishes a new fan base, they don’t know what they’re missing, so they are less likely to think the quality issues are a problem and tada, lulu no longer has a problem to fix! I mean, lulu has been so douchy toward their customers in so many other ways, I almost wouldn’t put it past them.
Still, customer loyalty is basically the holy grail of CS/marketing, so it seems like, at best, a ballsy and very risky move to alienate your core customer base. Interesting to ponder, although I imagine there’s no way for us to know since it’s not like they’d come out and tell us.
I would disagree. I’ve seen price increases across the board from the brands I buy. For example, rag & bone harrow booties used to be $495, this fall they’re $525. My AG jeans were $158, this fall they’re $179. Ive pretty much started to expect price increases across the board. Lulu is no different. As for the cause? I think it has something to do with rising labor costs or materials. I’ll have to do some more research on it. AA care to chime in?
Interesting about price increases across the board. I don’t shop at high-end stores (sad that I spend tons more on activewear than I do on work clothes), so I haven’t noticed increases where I shop. Although, I rarely pay full price and wait for big sales, so maybe I don’t even notice the full price anymore!
I’m with Jenn below that I haven’t been in the market enough to really be able to say whether I’ve noticed prices going up or not. Useful observations on your part though, and an interesting suggestion that it may have to do with some sort of across-the-board change in labor/materials cost. I guess it would be tough to really pin things down except from an actual industry insider.
I am sad that they removed the ruching from the speed tights as well. It was such a nice detail. However, I recall many reviewers did not care for the ruching for some reason, so maybe it was removed to appease them. Or maybe they did it to decrease production costs. It looks like they made a slight revision to the waistband as well?
Do you find the seams along the sleeves of the Race Your Pace to be really scratchy? I tried it on at the store the other day, and while I liked the fit and feel of the fabric, I couldn’t get past the scratchy seams. I had the same problem with the Base Runner half-zip last winter.
JK, did you try on the half-zip or longsleeve? I bought the Base Runner half-zip last winter, and the zip seam was so scratchy that it literally made my neck bleed when I ran it it! Coincidentally, it bled on a run I did with my local Lulu run club (!) and I had pics to prove it, so they of course let me exchange it for a crew version. I did not find the seams of the Race Your Pace scratchy at all, and I tried on two sizes (I found my CRB size extremely fitted and sized up one size) with nothing on underneath but a bra.
It seems like the Base Runner half zip was really hit or miss for people. I only tried on the half-zip (and it was very fitted in my size like you mentioned), but the educator I talked with said that the long sleeve has the same stitching along the sleeves. I was sad because I really wanted a Rulu half-zip. But the Run for Gold half zip is really nice, so I got that instead.
Don’t worry about us being shafted on the inkwell pique up here in Canada, we’re still getting the shaft on the BB CRB that the rest of the world got a month ago…
Ouch, I didn’t realize that hadn’t even made it to Canada yet…lawd! :(
The number of comments on your upload page has exceeded Lulu Addict, which I also love and read everyday. Keep up the great work! From a fellow scientist :).
I salute you! May the p values and peer reviews be ever in your favor! :) And thank you!