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| Lorna Jane Calypso Run Tank, $59.99 (AUS$) |
The Australian sportswear company
Lorna Jane is o
pening a new store in Huntington Beach (at Bella Terra) this Saturday and another store in the Irvine Spectrum on September 21. I've read some good things about Lorna Jane from people. Their price points are similar to Lululemon but the return policy seems even more restrictive according to their website and from comments I've read - 7 days after purchase and for store credit only. If anyone has any insight into Lorna Jane's clothes we'd love to read it. I like some of the styles and others have giant "Lorna Jane" splashed across it which has no appeal to me at all. I have to mention that high resale and a giant resale market (10,000+ listings on eBay right now) is a significant factor in why I continue to buy lululemon. The fact that I can get a portion of my "investment" back when I am bored with a piece of clothing or ready to update to a new color/style is a big part of lulu's appeal to me. However, I will definitely check out Lorna Jane. It's nice to mix things up. One european brand I am very curious to try is
Sweaty Betty, from the UK. I don't think they have any stores in the US yet but they recently opened a US website.
There was an interesting paragraph in the linked OC Register article about Lululemon: "
However, a problem involving bright colors that bled when washed may
impact sales, according to one July 31 analyst report by BMO Capital
Markets. "Following our recent trip to Asia, we believe LULU's recently
expanded manufacturing partnerships could be partly to blame [duh - ya think?] in terms of
isolating the problem. However, because this is a grass-roots company,
we think this is a significant customer-relations issue that could
tarnish the brand's reputation among LULU's loyal customer base and
possibly result in lost sales." Lululemon declined Tuesday to respond to
the report."
I will comment that my latest Cool Racerback and Define purchases have been made in Indonesia instead of China and haven't had problems with bleeding so I'm thinking lulu dumped the bad Chinese manufacturer who was causing a lot of the bleeding. I've been watching the boards for comments about Flare Light and Bordeaux bleeding but haven't seen any mentions of it so I'm crossing my fingers the bleeding is behind us. (Thanks to Michelle for the tip on the new store.)
32 comments:
bordeaux does not bleed I have the breath of fire bra which I haven't stopped wearing and I have washed it several times and no bleeding. Split pea bled a tiny bit which is normal when you do a first wash, and that was it. I really hope they clear that problem, because flash was a complete disaster and I love the color.
I live right by the Lorna Jane in LA and am completely unimpressed by their stuff. Nothing fit well and I found it pricier than lulu. Designs reminded me of Bebe Sport actually.
Very interesting to see Lorna Jane expanding to the SoCal athletic clothing market. They opened another store recently in the Topanga Mall, but I haven't had a chance to check it out. My brand loyalty to lulu not only comes from the quality and tailored fit of the clothes (though recent QC issues have reduced my weekly spending habits significantly), but also the high resale value as LLA mentioned. Making back the amount I paid for items, some NWT and some even worn is quite incredible, IMO.
Seven day return policy for store credit only? Thank you for completely alienating online buyers. I'd have to really LOVE something from them and know for a fact that it fits perfectly. No thanks! :)
@ Jen - the online policy is a little differnt. I believe they allow returns longer and for money back. Check the website.
@ anon 10:39 am - Bebe Sport is what I thought, too, when I looked at the website. Not for me but I used to see a lot of Bebe around my gym.
Here's a blogger review: http://stuftmama.com/2012/09/07/fashion-talk-friday-my-pretty-woman-experience-at-lorna-jane/
I own a jacket from them in a color that is a dead ringer for Paris Pink (it looks like a cross between a stride and a define...and doesn't bleed)). I truly love the jacket and have seen several other styles that tempt me. I also have a few of their bras that are AMAZING if you are close to flat chested like me. They somehow make it look like I'm working with something up top. The padding inside is definitely more substantial (but still removable), and I appreciate that it doesn't fall out if the cup pockets in the wash (I presently spend a lot of times taking lulu cups in and out of flow Ys). Some of The bad points have already been noted. In addition to those, I have a pair of heir pants and they are just ok. Probably more durable than lulu, but definitely less comfy.
Anywho, I definitely think it is a company worth people's time to check out. I'm definitely not going to leave lulu, but it's nice to get some different pieces here and there n
Oh! And the other thing to know is that they come out with gobs of new stuff each month and I have found that there ar a lot of cuter things in the store that seem to not make it onlin or somehow get buried. So if you live near a store, it's worth wandering in...just beware tat I think they train the shop girls to be ON IT with suggesting items; thereby making it not the best place to be if you have trouble saying no.
(So ends the longest post I will probably ever throw onto the board :-))
I would say it looks like Bebe Sport but the fit doesn't even look as good. I think it looks more like Victoria's Secret Pink only not cute.
I'm sorry, but that stuff looks like a total pass.
Ah, okay. Thanks for the tip. I was so turned off by it, I hadn't even gone to the site. :)
Went to my mailbox today and there was a catalog from Sweaty Betty. Just moved here one month ago so not yet receiving any catalogs from stores, and no 3rd class mail forwarded, so they had to get my name/address from lululemon. It's the only retail item I've received here at this address. Not saying they're related to lulu, just saying they had to have hijacked or willingly given my address from LLL. The stuff in magazine was actually pretty cute. Once lulu gets in another rut where I'm not loving the colors or styles I may consider trying something from Sweaty Betty. Right now I'm too in love with Bordeaux Drama and Angel, oh and my all-time-favorite color, Currant to have eyes for anyone else. ;)
Speaking of "bleeding" with the fabrics: I have worn my flash centre bra, flash powerY and flash dune stripe CRB MANY times - probably about 6 times each. I wash all three items together and have never had a problem. I was always mindful to check for bleeding because it was such a hot topic....never had any problems. One day after I washed all three of the items there was a deep purple stripe/mark on all the pieces. I handwashed everything but it was still there. I ran them all through the washing machine and it finally went away. Strange!! Delayed-bleeders.
LLA how doea the exchange process work online didnt really understand what they said. I sent my item back tags attached, online receipt, and the print out form in my email not to mention it costed 12$ to ship, now do i wait until i recieve my money back on my card and order the right size then or do they send me the right size and charge me again or what??? Ahh so confusing
my Bordeaux wunder unders bled
I've been wearing Lorna Jane clothing for over 15 years... but I have to admit that these days my workout clothes are over 90% Lululemon.
One of the big reasons for me is that I just find Lulu's basic items like CRB's or Speed shorts to fit better and last a lot longer. Although Lorna Jane does try to copy their designs I've had a lot of LJ singlets that stretch out of shape after one wash.
That said they do make some really nice sports bras and pants. But like LuluAdict pointed out... half the stuff seems to have huge logos all over it which IMO makes the brand look very young.
Oh and the return policy definitely sucks! I was wondering how that was going to go over in the US!
They are huge here though (QLD Australia) and most people have never heard of Lululemon where I live. The nearest store is about 2 hours away so at my gym Lorna Jane rules... which is another reason why I love Lulu :)
Also forgot to mention that on Australian ebay the resale of Lorna Jane items is really good... just like Lulu!
Didn't someone recently post on fb a picture of the currant/white every yogi long sleeve, which bled? Wonder where that was made...
I lived in London for two years where all we had was Sweaty Betty- this was before the lulu showroom opened in London and only one store sold lulu and it was way over priced. I bought quite a bit of sweaty betty items and was very disappointed. Their tops shrunk (without drying & only washing in cold water) and their logos wore off. Some of their styles are ok, but I wasn't impressed by most. Their pants were also quite odd. They were EXTREMELY overpriced- way more than lulu. Didn't know they had opened a US website so not sure what their US prices will be but if they're anything like they were in the UK it will be way over priced.
When switching back to your former, trusted vendors Lulu, could you PLEASE switch your Swiftly production back to Israel? No political/religious bad juju here, I just want the quality back...
@ anon 2:06 pm - I did see a single photo of a Currant Every Yogi that bled along the seams. However, I believe I've only seen one photo and I kind of suspected the item was hand washed since the bleeding was oddly distributed. I think if you wash the item in a large volume of water for 40-odd minutes, like in a machine, it'll do a lot better job of washing away the excess dye. I've read comments from multiple people that their Currant Every Yogis have not been a problem. If I start to see numerous comments/photos pop up and a trend developing then I'll post about it.
I wash all my Lulu items together in the machine with color catches... Flash, Ray, Currant, Flare etc... and I've never had a single thing bleed!
I live in Australia so I'm quite familiar with Lorna Jane. I find their quality is not so great. In fact, that's how myself and a few of my buddies ended up being Lululemon customers. Also I don't like the slogans they tend to plaster on their tanks.
I have a few Sweaty Betty items - love them but they are pretty pricey so I don't buy as much as I'd like to.
The advantage that Lulu has over both brands is that they do technical workout gear that is functional and cute a lot better for a similar price.
I'm from Australia and there a few Lorna Jane things I just love and can't live without. Nearly all my running tops (tanks, short sleeve and long) are LJ because I love their mesh excel fabric for running. I buy their loose fitting stuff which I wear over sports bras and they are just perfect.
Their shirts and crops are ok but the lack of pockets and zips etc frustrates me as a marathoner. Lulu and Nike seem to be the only ones who really get the need for pockets for gels etc.
Lorna Jane casual wear (as opposed to athletic wear) is not nearly as nice as Lulu. It's very casual, beachy and young - a reflection of Queensland style really.
another australian here - i find LJ stuff to be really bland, they rarely use technical fabrics and their stuff isn't that well designed (not as well thought out for pockets etc). I use to wear it years ago, and it's fine if you're a teen, but Lulu is much more grown up.
Also at for the price point - I am not a goddam billboard! their 'inspirational' slogans and excessive branding are awful
I live in canberra and we only have a lulu showroom at the moment, but a full store will be opening in time for xmas and i recon it'll crush LJ.
I am Australian, so I wore Lorna Jane before I ever discovered Lulu. Once I found LL, there was no going back to LJ. In Australia, the prices are about the same (which means LJ is likely to be more expensive in the US) but it's just not the same quality. Every single thing I've ever bought from LJ has lost its shape, faded or otherwise fallen apart. The bras are good, but beyond that it's a bit 'meh'. The cheesy slogans on 90% of their shirts are also a huge turn off.
My (Canadian) husband actually introduced me to Lululemon, and I was blown away by how different it is in terms of quality, fit, style, etc. After making my first LL purchase, any time I went back into LJ, everything just looked so cheap and tacky.
That said, my favourite bikini is from Lorna Jane. It's so unique and I've never seen anyone with the same style before. It did cost $110 though, which I don't think people in the US would spend.
Now I live in the UK so have plenty of access to Sweaty Betty. The quality is better than LJ, but the clothes just aren't as nice. They are expensive (although cheaper than UK Lulu prices!) but the cost is unwarranted. I own one pair of SB pants (they are a baggy grey trackpant, which Lulu doesn't make hence the purchase), and that's it. I'm a personal trainer so some of their shawls and cover ups look good for winter, but I'm just a diehard Lulu fan.
Sorry for the ramble but I hope this helps!
As another Australian, I personally get really annoyed by LJ's copying of Lululemon's designs. I can't believe that Lulu haven't sued them.
LJ do have some nice tops & bras but the excessive use of her name logo drives me nuts.
The last time I was in a LJ store the sales girl commented on me wearing "another brand that we aren't allowed to mention" head to toe. I was wearing a define with groove pants. Obviously they know what the competition looks like even though LL's logos are far subtler.
LJ excel fabric is v good though & doesn't fade or bleed. I have running tops & bras that are great.
However LJ crops are scratchier & hotter - nothing in comparison to luxtreme or WUs.
I also wear 90% lulu & prefer to drive 1 hour to their nearest store rather the 5 mins to my local LJ store.
I own styles from all 3 brands, however what Lorna Jane has over lulu is the fashion thing, which I think is gonna be huge in California, if not state wide. The bright colours and feminine and flattering styles kick lulu where it hurts. Sweaty Betty is very similar in this remark. Both brands really value the need to look good while working out. I've read some wonderful product reviews about girls being excited for something other than lulu in the U.S. How refreshing that a new brand of fitness apparel is popping up for the women of SoCal. I feel that the Lorna Jane styles are really on trend for this area & I can only imagine it will do really well. They also have a great brand value I think & this comes through in their styles... they want to inspire their customers to get active with their brand philosophy of Move Nourish Believe. In regards to quality, if you think Lorna Jane is slightly under par to lulu, I wouldn't surprised if they started to lift their game. They have certainly got it right with the Excel Mesh. So good for the hot climates :)
@ anon 12:44 pm - I've never exchanged by mail but that sounds about right. Give the GEC a call to make sure, though.
Thank you everyone for all the great Lorna Jane and Sweaty Betty feedback. It's so helpful!
My sister- in- law gave me a Lorna Jane jacket for Christmas. She lives in Sydney. I thought the fabric was comparable to Champion. Lululemon is far superior in every way.
IMO, the Sweaty Beaty clothing is beautiful. The designs are unique, but their models Do not look like fitness models!!!! I am not a fan of the Lorna Jane. It looks very young and not well made. I agree, very similar to VS.
I still like the LLL brand better than SB or LJ. Maybe I just drank the kool aid LOL
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