From the comments I am reading on the blog and in my lulu Facebook groups a great majority of you, the hardcore lululemon fan, are spending a lot less on lululemon these days. Many have turned to hunting "vintage" lululemon items on eBay and other selling boards. However, quite a few of have branched out into seriously exploring other brands or decided they have enough gym clothes and started indulging their inner shoe fashionista. Based on the various outfit of the day (OOTD) photos posted it seems the winners for their lulu dollars, with respect to women's athletic wear, are Under Armour's Studio Lux Line and Athleta. I've read so much about UA's "wunder unders" that I need to check them out for myself.
From all the comments I've read I get the sense that the scales have fallen from quite a few people's eyes and their spending is unlikely to return to their previous lululemon peak. Aside from the drastic drop in quality and not feeling valued as a customer anymore, many people feel the brand is over-exposed and are tired of walking into a class where three other people have the same top on. Many also feel the colors are being repeated too often (hello neon yellows), that designs have become too pedestrian, that the number of different styles have been greatly reduced (tanks especially), and that the brand has become a little too "young" and lacking in sophistication.
So, by how much has your spending on lululemon decreased? What other brands have you turned to
and, more importantly, do you think you will ever go back to spending so
much on lululemon again?
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| Under Armour's Studio Lux Capris |
Update/Follow Up - So I slummed it to a Dick's Sporting Goods this morning after writing this post and tried on some Under Amour Studio Lux, Nike, and Prana stuff. I did not like the UA Studio Lux. It's soft but all polyester and it seems like it would pill up on me and be hot for the gym. That was my impression anyway. I did like the one Prana tank I tried on a lot - it was the
Quinn Chakara Tank in charcoal. The material and fit seemed the most lulu-like of all. The price is also lulu-like at $60 retail. The Prana bottoms I tried on were ok and would probably be the brand I'd choose if I shopped at a big box store. The other item I really liked was a pair of
Nike Gym Seamless crops, $60. They seemed like Nike's version of Ebb and Flows since they were a seamless knit material made of a nylon/spandex blend. They were a little on the shiney side compared to E&F crops but I definitely want to take another look at these. They also come in a royal blue color which seem more matte than the black.
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| Prana Quinn Chakara Tank |
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| Nike Gym Seamless Crops |
