In the Australian upload there are two bottoms under the TIGHT designator. Both are made of Full-on Luxtreme so I would like to equate TIGHT = An all Full-on Luxtreme item but under the next looser category, HUGGED, there are also bottoms made of full-on luxtreme so I'm not sure what the defining characteristic is. The new TIGHT pants also don't seem to have any special panels or seaming to add compression but the photos are pretty terrible so it's hard to tell.
HUGGED seems to include most of the bottoms now - Inspires, In the Flows, Wunder Unders, Speed Tights, High Times. etc., and a variety of fabrics. This category has both run and yoga-oriented bottoms in it and seems too broad in functionality.
HELD IN - is a single pair of crops called Zone in Crops made of knit material with compression zones.
NAKED is a single pair of new Align pants made of NuLu.
RELAXED are all loose fitting bottoms - Yogini Trousers, Studio Pants, Jet Crops.
The new categories are either too narrow (NAKED, HELD IN) or too broad (HUGGED). The ability to sort by activity, such as for RUN bottoms, is gone. My own personal collection tends to be split along heat management (i.e., I need cool clothes for running or spin) and functionality. So all my run bottoms are together, my general gym bottoms consisting of Wunder Under Crops and knit-type bottoms like In the Flows, and then everything else is casual - textured luons (pique, herringbone, jacquard, denim, etc.) which are too hot to work out in, loose pants, and track/sweat pants. Temperature definitely takes precedence over compression for me.
17 comments:
Just when I thought I was getting a slight grip on this...NOT! Held-In???
Can't wait to see how they explain it at the event at the store tomorrow...
I tried on a pair of Align pants in store here (Aus) today. Ummm, I'm not sure what to think, they fitted high rise like High Times, soft light fabric but on me It felt like I was wearing opaque tights (like hosiery tights!) maybe I needed to size down?!
@Karen - ooh, pants that feel like hosiery sounds a bit too naked feeling for my comfort zone. I'm curious to try them on, though.
Does it really need to be this complicated? Not that I really care, I'm not planning on studying it. I'll just do what I usually do and go with whatever I feel like based on first impressions seeing it. If I like the look of it is always number one, then I go from there.
Karen - this is exactly what I imagined they'd feel like after seeing them in that video! ...not good! I even thought they looked like tights or something and made a comment on them showing every little imperfection (just like tights!).
If one of the educators asks me how I want to "feel" in my pants, I might have to punch someone. This whole gimmick is making me "feel" irritated.
Maybe it refers more to the sizing and cut more than the fabric. Swiftlies aren't compression, but they've always been described as a tight fit. I use the shirt descriptions to determine if I should size up or size down. I'm usually a 6, but I don't like my Swiftlies to be form fitting, so I buy 8s and 10s. Maybe it's that simple. And, yeah, it's stupid, but not much different from Gap calling jeans "sexy boyfriend" cut or Banana Republic calling things a "Martin" cut.
Now, that incredible mass of FUG they just dropped on Australia, *that's* something concerning. Ewwww.
Thanks for trying to break it down and make sense of it. I am likely to just ignore it and buy what I buy...if I buy anything anymore.
I guess it shouldn't surprise me if the nulu are like panty hose? They were already on their way with sheerness issues. That's a new level of being suckered if one starts paying over $100 for panty hose. I already feel gypped when I pay $5! And panty hose always have to be replaced!
I also predict that the new classification system is not going to last.
10:58 and 11:04 - completely agree. This is much ado about nothing if you ask me. And the new names are dumb - the old categories were fine this is just a way to make us think things have improved. Time will tell.
Have these new terms resulted in increased prices?
hugged sensation > feels like a comfortable embrace that holds you close and moves with you
held-in sensation > strategically placed zoning keeps you feeling secure through your abs, hips, bum and thighs
WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN???? Feel secure in my pants???
I definitely do not like that they have ungrouped the run vs. yoga
I totally agree with your temperature-climate comments! That's exactly how I have my stuff organized. Everything is according to activity and season plus sub-seasons like early fall, late fall/early winter, dead of winter brr friggety cold, spring (mostly for colors if different from fall), and early summer, hot diggety dog summer. ;) No I don't actually have labels. LOL
Anon at 11:04 PM - I agree, I was thinking the same thing, I don't want to have a discussion on how I want to feel in my pants when wearing them! It's kind of ridiculous. If approached the next time I go in to shop for pants, I'll just politely say I'm not interested in discussing it. I mean, do we really need all these ridiculous descriptions to pick out a pair of pants? I doubt it, I never even went by the descriptions they used before, I think it's pretty obvious to have a good idea on how a pant is going to fit based on looking at it, then after trying it on you have an even better idea about it and if it feels good to you and comfortable or not - it's not rocket science for crying out loud. It seems to all be just a way to make a big deal for their new pants collection and get attention, I'd say they've done so, but it's certainly not impressing to me, and that's what the turn off is more than anything to me, I can just imagine whoever came up with this that they're feeling quite smug right now, I think the company definitely has that quality of smugness about them.
@ anon 8:07 am - totally agree.
The level of compressive feeling was never my top discriminator as to whether I'd get a pair of pants anyway. As long as I am held in to some degree, I am happy. For running, I want pockets and lot of breathability so I don't have heatstroke. In cooler weather, I still want lots of pockets and warmer pants. For the gym, I still don't want to overheat and I want coverage to smooth over dimples and bumps. On top of that, I like soft feeling fabrics.
I wasn't able to fully articulate it as well as you did, but you're spot on on the Hugged category. When I first heard it, I was surprised Inspires, WUs, and In the Flow Crops were all somehow in the same "sensation" category.
Re: the narrow categories, I think that's just to start--I'm sure lulu has much more pants in those categories that they're going to release.
PS ICYMI: pricing has gotten more simpler (yay) but overall more expensive (shocking, I know). Essentially, almost all the crops are now 88 (so, all black WU that were 72 as well as those WUC high rise with wild prints/special editions that were up to 92). All pants are now 98 (with some exceptions, but much less than before).
What this means: higher margins on their core black items. If incentives follow, they'll likely face a drop in their all black, simple pants/crops (HT, WU, etc) because they're now the same price as all the special print and feature items.
Sorry for the block of text. Curious to see how everyone here will react as well as the more casual/average LLL fans.
Seriously I need to smoke what they're smoking. Nothing about this classification system gives me more information as a consumer it just makes me feel like some skeevy old man got his jollies coming up with ways to feel us all up.... Give me cute, functional clothing and cut out the new age hippie.
So I was able to check out the new 'pants wall' today. They do know me in the store, so I was immediately and excitedly led in that direction. I didn't have a ton of time, but I tried on a pair of the new seamless pants, which I was told were better version of the Ebb to Street pants. I tried on the black, but there was red as well. I found them to be extremely tight -- I size up in my Ebb to Streets and these seemed to be an even tighter fit, which I personally didn't love. The fabric was a little thinner than the Street Ebbs. No go.
I didn't try on the Nulu ones, but the ed was wearing them and they were cute on her. She said that the fabric felt like 'butter' and it was very soft. I would say it felt like a slightly thicker and softer version of Luxtreme. Still very tights-y, and I'm guessing they would've made me feel slightly 'naked.'
I wish I would've had more time to try on, but all-in-all the new pants don't seem to be my thing... The pieces I looked at seemed to be more technical than streetwear, and I like my stuff to be both ---
The whole thing is ridiculous. i feel bad for the educators having to explain all those terms.
M
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