A great example of non-sheer vs. sheer lululemon luon pants. This woman is a 5'4" 135 lb. lululemon size 6. The Still Pants in the upper right corner actually a size 2 since they run so roomy. Additionally, the bottom pants were bought well before March 1st. For what it's worth, this is the level of sheerness long time fans have been complaining about for the past year or so. It sounds like the latest problem that led to the recall is much worse than this. Thanks to Ms. X. for the comparison photo.
(FYI - This is the bend test you should be doing when you get a pair of bottoms if you plan to be doing a lot of bending over when you wear them. Go outside the dressing room where the lighting is better to get the best idea of how it will look to your studio or gym. Also,
Zobha makes some great nude seamless undies.)
40 comments:
FYI, this is the bend test they should be doing in product testing BEFORE the pants go to the stores!!!
I consider the pics tamer than what I've seen in gyms lately. btw, last night I saw a girl working weights and her black tights were sheer like pantyhose. EVERYTHING showed when she bent. Even her thigh area looked transparent. I'd say it's worse than wearing pantyhose actually because the sense of security we have with black workout pants. Suddenly she turned to face me and I saw the Adidas logo.
I chose not to say a word this time as we were in women's only workout area. Plus the last time I let a fellow LLL wearer know she was flashing class I got a not-so-friendly look throughout my group class as if I lied or was a weirdo for noticing her butt.
Is this what we're reduced to now to get Lulu to really listen?
They know this sheerness has been ongoing for quite a while now and all they're doing is using it for a publicity stunt to tell everyone how fantastic they really are.
Lulu, you're service is crap, you're quality has been going down the toilet for quite a while now. I need serviceable fitness wear to be able to teach my clients, just like my husband needs serviceable protective wear in his job you are not fulfilling your side of the deal, so you're not getting my money any more.
I'm placing my first order with Zobha and to hell with the shipping and import duties. They give me a 25% discount online as an instructor, that will more than cover the extra costs. Lulu won't give me an online discount and it's certainly not 25% even when I do get it!
I was staying with my parents over the holidays and I went into the local store to get some wunder unders. I had to try on 5 or so pair of both regular and astro waist WUs before I found a pair that was not sheer like that bottom picture. So the whole march 1 bad batch argument is ridiculous. I'd really love to get another pair of full length WUs but I'm weary to order them with out being able to try on multiple pair first.
awesome idea to do the bend test when trying on these pants.
OT: so i went to the el segundo store to return a pair of speed shorts. The second I pulled it out the ed said, "you can't return those!" I was really confused and told her I had a receipt and she told me about the 2 week policy that we are all aware of.
I told her i had bought them a week ago and she says "well lets see it on the receipt" and she saw I was right.
I know the chevron print came out months ago, but seriously, that was unnecessary.
@ amazr - You would think, right? It was mentioned that they are going to be adding a bend test to the QA process in today's conference call. I just posted highlights.
@ anon 12:45pm - Of all the LA-area stores El Segundo is my least favorite educator-wise. There aren't the friendliest women there. However, I often find good deals there.
@ anon 12:27 pm -I think good (or bad) luon comes in batches. You really do have to try on multiple pairs to find a non-sheer pair of pants. Sometimes it's style dependent. I've been editing pants for at least two years now and I boycotted Grooves for longer than that - when those Scotch-tape plaid Savage Green ones came out (in 2009? 2010?). That is when I noticed the luon on pants started to go iffy and you had to carefully pick and choose.
LLA, thanks for the update/highlights.
@ 12:45 PM, wow, completely unnecessary. It sounds like with some stores, their (staff) whole goal is to repel, make things difficult, judge, deliver bad customer service a.s.a.p. before they even know what the issue is. As in your case, where you had a completely valid return. Why do they have to be so idiotic?
I work at lulu and my new power Y in black is sheer. They won't let me return it. I spend thousands there a year a d love my company. It's awful what's coming out of head office. It's embarrassing. This is not what my company is about, look at our mission and vision statements. These acts are inauthentic to lulu.
I'm sorry to everyone effected.
As staff we were told we had to try on the pants and bend over in them and have someone look to see if you can see the white tag. This is harassment and embarrassing. I refused and instead one of our guys ended up trying on women's pants. Awful.
The shear-mess is noticeable in all black Luon garments, not limited to tanks and not only limited to black Luon. We have been told shear-mess is not a quality issue.
as far as I can remember Lulu has been one of the best for purchasing workout wear. When I read the article about the issue they are having with the pants i was surprise. I guess the quality has dropped a lot. Anyhow what can you expect if these are being made in China!!! How about we start helping the economy and start purchasing products made in the USA... I have try merchandise from KOS*USA and love their styles and quality. They have very fun prints and styles!!!
I also agree that I loved LULU at the beginning, but now I have started to look elsewhere. Where LULU had a great variety of style, they really haven't come up with anything of value & when they did do something new, they cut corners on quality as well as the little details that lulu was noted for. i.e. - form jacket - really cheap looking & missed the boat in EVERY AREA YOU CAN THINK OF. Either they should get new designers or new executives. But something needs to change if they expect to keep the customers they have.
Wish I could order some of those nude seamless undies from Zobha but $35 for shipping to Canada YIKES! Will have to find another alternative in Canada instead.
Thats a great comparison shot. My lulu circa 2007 are so amazing and thick and makes my butt look good. The new ones make me sad
i would also like to recommend the victoria's secret pink seamless panties in nude/black for working out. i know a lot of women here hate how "teeny bopper" and tacky VS pink is, but these panties are pretty much invisible under thin dresses, white bottoms and workout pants.
@Anon 3:25pm
How long have you had your VS seamless panties for? I only buy LLL and VS panties, but the seamsless start curling a LOT after about 3 months. I love the way they feel but it's suuuper annoying.
@anon 12:45 - Probably because they haven't had them in store for a while and they don't think they can sell them. I took back the pow pink elevation stripe pacesetter to that same store back in August and I was one day after the return period. I asked if it was okay and the ed taking it back said that it was fine because they could still sell it. Still - that doesn't excuse them from judging your being within the window before you even get the words out of your mouth that you, in fact, have a receipt and are within the window.
I noticed the sheerness of my Ebb and Flow crop (original not II) one day while stretching at the office gym. Apparently many of my coworkers have seen my butt now, especially since I do bent-over rows, tricep kickbacks and streching...
Sad. I really hope they go back to the nicer luon. I'm just not sure I can buy luon bottoms online anymore.
I'm all for seamless panties, but they shouldn't need to be beige. We should be able to wear any color panty under black. What a scam.
@2:32, I agree. Between the designers' poor taste (or are they perhaps using design interns from the local community college to same $$?), and the cutting corners, there's just too little to make it worth checking Lulu out with the frequency that I used to. I went to Athleta the other day, which is in the same mall as Lulu, and I just bought my Athleta stuff and headed home. What am I going to get at Lulu? Sheer pastel dance studio pants? Color-blocked stuff that looks like it's from Kmart? No, thanks.
PS: Speaking of instructor discounts, Athleta gives 30% in store (and they'll put it through for you for online items, too, if you do it from the store); Beyond Yoga's is 30%; Splits59 is 15% online. Lucy stopped offering instructor discounts, so boo for Lucy. Any other good instructor discounts? Lulu not offering it online is stupid. So I'll go to the other brands instead. Whatevs, Lulu.
I bought two wunder unders June 2012 and they were both sheer... Maybe worse than the bottom picture.
In this era of globalization, it's time to move away from the notion that "manufactured in Asia = poor quality". That companies look to lower labour costs is not a new phenomenon. However, luon is lulu's trademarked fabric, lulu controls the formula and quality-control is lulu's responsibility ultimately. The 105F singlets with the scalloped edges and the QC sticker which everyone loved were made in my home country, while I have received Made in Canada Astro WU pants where the luon is significantly thinner and scratchier. I've seen questionable workmanship in some Made in America products I've purchased online, from reputable sportwear companies who are lulu's rivals and whose selling point is that they are made in the USA. Ultimately, it's the company which determines what it deems acceptable to sell. As consumers, we can choose to return items which are sub-par. But here is where lulu falls down time and again.
If you try to saussage yourself into pants two sizes too small, of course you'll see shearness. Get honest about your size, people!
I hope they also pay attention to beefing up their luxtreme fabric. The 2013 version is thin beyond belief.
Sorry but I get a little irked when people blame QC issues on where an item is made(e.g., China). Apple makes amazing, long-lived products that are produced in the same city (or very closeby) in China where some of the luon is produced. QC and the company's slow response to educator and customer feedback is the issue.
You are quoted again! My husband sends these to me. He is fascinated by the following:
http://theweek.com/article/index/241747/how-lululemon-got-kicked-in-the-butt-baring-pants
I'd say those pics are no wear near as sheer as some I've tried on!
My coal astro wunder unders were awful. I may even have a pic I could send in.
And what about the Ebb and Flow II? Yikes!
And I'm so sick of people saying its because we're trying on too small of pants... I have always wore the same lulu size, haven't gained weight and only in the last year are they sheer!
@ Lovin4u and everyone else - This blog wouldn't have any weight behind it if it weren't for all the thousands of comments you guys have made over the years with similar observations on the changes that have been made. My fingers are crossed we'll see change for the better.
Kudos to the woman who was brave enough to take these pics. The evidence is right there for everyone to see. I just want to say thanks to her for having the confidence to share these pics.
@ 3:11 PM Victoria Secret and La Senza both have nude (and other colour) seamless underwear that work well. VS has classic hiphugger and also made for sport, La Senza has no show sexies.
Obviously they also work for regular clothing and no vpl.
I think some of this has to do with size. I'm a bit smaller than this person (I'm 5'3" and 125 lbs) and for example I wear a 4 in the new stills, a 2 was tight. I don't think they are made to be tight. Aren't they made to be roomy?
@Anon 12:03 is right on and I do have to say she has a great figure. Maybe I would be that confident to do the bend test publicly if my waistline was flat like hers and didn't look all *yuck* in the process.
http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/american-eagle-skinny-skinny-jeans-are-an-april-fool-s-joke--say-sources-170449508.html
See second to last line of this article - maybe Sheergate is an April Fool's joke? Ha. We wish.
Apple is incredibly stringent about QC, hence 'Made in China' but still quality. (Ex workes for Apple, visited lots of Chinese plants) Lulu, not so much. Labour is cheaper overseas, and quality can be there - if the company insists on it.
I wish they'd quit lying about their changes in the fabrics - as with any other industry, they watch their bottom line (asin prices) and looked to make the fabrics more cheaply. And it shows (literally!)
For the anonymous poster on March 22 @5:46pm:
5'3 125 lbs is not a size 2 or a size 4. No wonder your pants have sheerness, they are getting stretched more than a fresh pizza dough.
I hope Lululemon is starting to listen to their customers - and treat them better. They're getting alot of bad press over the "bend over" test.
The problem with my wife's tights isn't the sheerness, it's the fact that the seams unravel after the first washing. Every pair she has bought so far now has holes in the legs or crotch. Back to Nike for her.
Don't forget to try em on first and bend over.Kudos to Mrs X for sharing.
I wish Lululemon would go back to make these Groove pants with NOT their Luon material. I purchased a pair back in early 2000s and the material was much thicker and not cheap feeling. Unfortunately, I was wearing my favourite Lulu pants when I blacked out and the EMS cut them up. =( I'm so upset about that.
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