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| Align Pant (thanks to Ms. K. for the photo) |
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| Align Pant hang tag. |
Since Facebook was buzzing with pants-mania and lots of 'I love them' posts about the Aligns, I went this morning to check all the new styles out.
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| Align Pant fabric content. |
Of the four new pant styles, the very simple Aligns had the most elaborate fabric content.
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| Align Pant gusset. |
This is what the crotch looks like - no triangle or oval gusset. It's constructed similar to a pair of
Spinerette shorts I bought a few years ago:
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| Gusset in the Spinerette Shorts |
These were double layered because of all the rubbing against the saddle you'd do in spin. I liked this design feature since I wore pinholes into a pair of Passion Crops by putting a year of spin classes on them. I'm going to guess the gusset in the Align's is this way to minimize pilling in the crotch area since the pants feel super soft and seem like they be might more prone to pilling. It also might be to prevent CT when using such a thin fabric.
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| Align Pant waistband pocket. |
The hidden waistband pocket. The educator had to locate it for me - you access it horizontally.
The feel of the new NuLu fabric reminded me of rulu but a tighter knit, more supportive version of it that isn't hot. It felt very breathable standing there in the store. I wore 2008-era Clam Digger crops to the store and I thought the coverage and opacity of the Aligns was similar to them. One interesting thing was that they were fully opaque with a flash so I almost suspect they were designed for that. People are saying the fabric is the softest they've ever felt but if any of you have tried Beyond Yoga pants you know they are very soft. These didn't seem like they would be prone to crazy pilling like Beyond Yoga but I'll be curious to see how they do wear because a lot of times softness = pilling. The support was decent for how thin the fabric is but if you rely on the double thickness waistband of regular luon bottoms to help flatten a poochy belly this fabric isn't going to do much for you. I might pick up a pair of these if they come out in crops since a lot of times I find black luon crops rather hot to wear in the summer. Those of you who got these, do you intend to work out in them? They are so soft I was really tempted to get them for daytime pajamas but I resisted for now. I thought sizing was TTS. They are very stretchy and I am reading some people are sizing down in them but I don't know if I'd recommend that.
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| Zone In Tight hang tag. |
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| Zone In Tight fabric content. |
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| Zone In Tight gusset. |
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| Cranberry logo. |
The Zone In Tight fabric and fit felt a lot like In the Flow and Seamlessly Streets to me except much smoother and softer. I really liked the feel of the fabric in them and I thought they felt nicely breathable. The Cranberry was a bit revealing of my lumps and bumps but that is the only color they had to try in my size. The fabric was nice but I don't know if it's worth the big price bump over the In the Flow/Ebb to Street Pants. Fit was TTS.
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| All the Right Places Pant (thanks to Ms. K. for the photo). |
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| All the Right Places Pant tear out tag. |
The All the Right Places Pants are made of a mix of regular luxtreme and full-on luxtreme. What this means in the black version I tried on is that there were patches of shiny fabric and matte fabric that met in the middle of my thigh. You can see a little bit of what I am talking about in this photo:
The fabric in the front of the crotch area is matte but it changes color after it hits that mid-thigh seam. I'd prefer a more uniform look.
These pants also have the strip-style gusset through the inside of the leg.
The waistband on these only has one slot pocket in the small of your back. It also has two generously-sized thigh pockets. The waistband is high rise and nicely wide.
These pants were ok but there is a ton of seaming going on. For the price point these are at, I want to be able to use them for running and for me, that means two front slot pockets for gels, a back zip pocket for my car key/ID, and thigh pockets. The opacity and coverage was good on these and the compression seemed similar to other dual-fabric run crops. Fit was TTS.
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| Tight Stuff Tight * Reflective Nightfall Tricolor (thanks to Ms. K. for the photo). |
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| Tight Stuff Tight fabric content. |
The Why We Made This on the Tight Stuff 7/8 Run Tights says they give you locked and loaded support and I have to agree. A friend said she felt getting these on was similar to putting on a wetsuit which I think is not a bad description. I was leery of these since they're all Full-On Luxtreme but this seems to be a new version of the fabric. All my other Full-On Luxtreme crops have polyester and lycra spandex in them but these are nylon with lycra elastane. I thought they didn't feel as harsh and were both more compressive and a bit stretchier than my other Full-On Luxtreme run crops. They felt very breathable in the store, too. These tights have the standard triangle gusset.
My store only had the Gator and Cranberry in my size. The coverage and opacity of the Gator ones I tried on is the best of the four pants I tried on today - great smoothing, fantastic compression, and fully opaque. They are nicely matte - no shininess at all, even when stretched. Fit is a snug feeling TTS.
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| Black/Nightfall Black Tri Color with three colors of reflective dots. (Thanks to Ms. K. for the photo.) |
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| Gold logo. (Thanks to Ms. K. for the photo.) |
The *Nightfall Tricolor version has a logo in gold and three colors of reflective dots - silver, gray, and gold. They're super pretty in person.
Full disclosure - the manager of my store surprised me today and said I could have the pair of new pants I liked the best so I ended up getting the Gator Tight Stuffs because of the coverage, opacity, and compression. I put them on when I got home and wore them the rest of the day. As the day wore on I could really feel the compression along the outside of my thigh and knee, right where my ITB tends to ache.
These tights have the standard two gel pocket, back zipper pocket set up. The waistband fit reminds me a lot of the Pace Rivals - a bit looser fit than Inspires but the Tight Stuffs are high rise.
The breathability is excellent. I expected to be hot in these since it was in the upper 80s today but they were really pleasant. I plan to test them out with a run tomorrow.
The big question - would
I have paid $148 for these? While I really like the compression, opacity, and coverage of these I am not usually a tights-length person because I find them too hot to run in where I live for all but about two months of the year. Would I pony up $128-138 for a crop version of these? I might have just because I like to try out new fabrics and I liked these a lot. I don't buy solid colored run bottoms other than black because of cellulite issues but these did a really good job of smoothing that away. If they put thigh pockets on a crop version of these then it would be a slam dunk and I would have shelled out the money to give then a try. However, looking at the panel construction, I don't think thigh pockets are possible in these.
Is it worth it for you to shell out $148 for them? If you've been dying for lululemon to come up with a highly compressive pair of run bottoms and you're feeling flush I say give them a try. If you've been sticking to black and print luxtreme run bottoms because of thigh dimples and have been dying to wear color, definitely give these a try. They felt so nice running errands and depending on how they feel for my run tomorrow I started to seriously think about getting another pair. In fact, I ran the numbers to see if it was worth it to take advantage of currency disconnects and order from a foreign site. I thought the Nightfall version with the three colors of reflective dots were especially pretty. That is the pair all the eds in my store were getting.
All in all, I thought the new pant designs and fabrics are nice additions to lululemon's line. The sky-high pricing on them is a major obstacle to me fully embracing them, though. Many people in my Facebook groups were raving about the Aligns and bought them. People have also been reporting their stores were running out of Aligns. However, I see on the website, the US is out of some sizes (mine!) in the Tight Stuffs in the Tricolor and Bordeaux.
Did you try on the new pants and what did you think?
13 comments:
A note about your comparison to Beyond Yoga softness: while I felt Nulu was not as soft as BY fabric, BY also lasts about 1/3 of the time of most of my lululemon, pills like insanity and falls right off your waist. I'll take slightly less softness for higher quality any day.
nice review. thanks for all the details...
I would like to try a pair of Tight Stuff Tight but can't afford it at these prices so... I am going to stay away
Martha
Oh! I missed your review of the Tight Stuff Tight.. I already put in an order, glad I picked up the Gator Green like you said. :) I also got the Bordeaux drama dark maroon color. Was scared to try the cranberry for fear it would be too bright for me and show too much imperfections. Sold out of my size in the Black night fall tricolor, otherwise I would have picked those up too. They are a bit pricey :/ but I wear pants all year long in Norway, I only wear shorts a few weeks out of the year. So I constantly need pants, and having the reflective in the dark winter months is a must here just walking/running around outside. Thanks! -Heidi
I tried the Zone In pants in my TTS 4 and you could see everything. I mean EVERYTHING. The Tight Stuff tights felt nice in a size up but overall I didn't like it much more than the Speed Tight. That's awesome you have the option of trying other currencies as the USD is so strong right now. Sometimes I feel pretty sad and excluded by the crappy CAD, like I can't take part in certain things because of the exchange :( Come on, CAD!
I think "darn you LLA!" Yesterday, I was ready to say, "Good-bye! Turn out the lights the party is over," but then you go and post all of these lovely close-ups and details and well.... now I think I need a pair of these! (Kudos to your store for giving you those pants as you are the best marketing tool out there for this brand.) Seriously though, thanks for keeping up this blog. I especially enjoy it over morning coffee.
Luluaddict, thanks for all the great feedback on the new merchandise! I noticed that you mentioned potentially purchasing from a foreign site. I was just wondering how that works? I've wanted to do that because of merchandise that is in CAN or AUS that isn't in the U.S., but I didn't know it was possible.
@ anon 5:08 am - Totally agree about BY - I would love to pet my leg because they were so soft but they pill like crazy, gave me terrible CT, slid down my butt, and fit like crap. I only ever bought it on sale or off ebay to try a few pieces. They've all ended up in the Goodwill bag and/or worn when I do yardwork.
@ Heidi - Those Bordeaux ones are calling to me and I keep looking at the Black Nightfall ones, too.
@Michelle - yeah, Zone In Tights were not my friend in the Cranberry.
@ anon 8:00 am - thanks, and thank you for reading. :)
@ anon 8:07 am - You can purchase off the foreign sites with a credit card or gift card but have to ship to a Canadian or Australian address. You then have a friend, or Angel (a person in another location who buys on your behalf and then ships to you), or drop shipping service forward to you. With taxes, shipping, and tip (for the friend/angel option) I think I'd save about $10 and shipping would take longer to receive so I ultimately decided against it.
I'm not a fan of the Tight Stuff Tights for a couple of reasons. I usually tend towards a compression pant, but I wasn't a fan of the pattern detail and the scalloped-type edging on the bottom of the pants. The educator helping me at my local store also noted that a couple of the girls there had tried them and the bottom of the pant legs were almost too compressive and that they squeezed a little too tight at the ankle/calf.
I also tried the All the Right Places crop and I loved the fit in the leg but unfortunately there were just too many seams around the waistband for me. I loved the higher rise and they were quite slimming on the mid-section, but the switch to a different fabric/panel on the sides of my "muffin" top was not forgiving in the slightest. The panels on the sides along my waist were just a tad too tight for my liking and ended up cutting into me in an unflattering way in my opinion. (Since none of us want any extra bulge!)
Overall, I just want more colors! I already have quite a few pairs of black pants of all varieties so I'm looking for more exciting colors than just bordeaux and black. I would also love it if Lulu would come out with more crops with thigh pockets (I am 5'4" and a size 8, so 7/8 is perfect if I'm looking for full length and crops are a nice top of the ankle type length for me).
I ordered Align pants yesterday , but since I'm off today ran to my store to check them out. Well they were sold out of sizes 2 & 4, so I had to go to another store. In my TTS these pants feel like heaven! Amazingly soft and comfortable. I wasn't on the market for basic black leggings, but I couldn't resist these. Great job lulu! Looking forward to other items in Nulu fabric!
I also tried Zone in crops. While I liked the fabric better than ITF, I'm not sure what kind of behind you supposed to have to look great in these. I'm a size 4, I'm not skin and bones, I have glutes and quads. I usually don't have issues with fit, but these gave me a strange crease under my butt cheeks. And I don't normally have it when I wear WU. So I left those at the store. I also tried All the right places and really liked them. Nice, compressive and sexy. My store also sold out of Bourdeux Drama which I thought look the best.
Here's my two cents based on yesterday's try on session of all 4 pants...
Tight Stuff:
This is the pant I took home with me. Love the density/weight, compression level and matte finish of the fabric. The styling is minimalist and super flattering on the body. Love the laser cut scallop edged hem with reflectivity. The compression is exactly as advertised. TIGHT. Definitely feel "locked and loaded". Great for running. My only caveat is too make sure to pull the pant on high enough so the seam that runs NEAR the back of the knee is not positioned AT the back of the knee. Because of the compression level, one is more apt to feel it.
For running, I found this TTS. 5'6", 125 lbs size 6. It is supposed to be super tight. If you want a little more give, try a size up. I believe the intention of the pant is a TTS fit, meaning it runs TTS, not big, not small. Everyone's different in how they like their pants to fit. Honestly, if you don't want a tight, compressive fit, then select a level down in compression and pick another pant.
Align Pant:
LOVE...super soft, opaque fabric. Great fit. Like the high waist. No issues when I bent over. It's more of a 7/8 at 25" inseam. Inspire Tight is 25". High Times is 26". Could live in this pant. TTS imho.
All The Right Places Pant:
Love the strategic placement mix of Full-On and regular Luxtreme. Fabrics felt great. Great fit. Thigh pockets are a plus. I liked the no front seam! It makes a difference wrt camel toe. Only caveat is the pant has a lot of seams. I tend to like fewer seams for a cleaner look. Other than that I thought it was well done. TTS imho.
Zone In Tight:
I was all ready to feel the same seamless fabric used in the In The Flow, which I stopped buying long ago, b/c I had to keep pulling them up. Au contraire...this is far from the same fabric imho. Definitely more technical fabric. I was impressed for sure. I don't consider the ITF to be a particularly functional pant. The Zone In Tight definitely has an athletic aspect due to the compression zones that is missing in the ITF. It was comfortable and compressive, but not overly compressive. I felt the black color was a bit light...more like a deep coal. TTS imho.
From a product perspective I give Lulu 5 stars for product innovation. It's not an easy feat. While I don't love the higher price points, I felt the value was there. I have returned or give to Goodwill about 90% of what I've bought from Athleta..across all product categories. It is a step below in quality for sure. I'd rather be more selective and buy fewer bottoms from Lulu, than buy more bottoms from Athleta that I have to return or give away.
@ anon 4:44 pm - Thanks for these great reviews. What color did you get in the Tight Stuff Tight? Those Bordeaux ones are calling my name.
Keep the reviews coming. :) Now I've added the Zone in Tight and the Align Pant into my online shopping cart, but I'm holding off for now, as I have already broke the bank with the Tight Stuff Tights I just bought :/ I only get so much I can spend a month on LuLu, and with this price increase that means less stuff! not happy. As far as ordering goes, living in Norway, I order from both the USA site (have my family send it to me) and the Euro site straight to Norway (although a bit more pricey with import tax) BUT sometimes stuff sells out soo quickly on USA then I go to the Euro site and they have it, or they carry different patterns and colors than USA site. Last week got the yoga mat bag on sale on euro site! but not on sale on usa site same color?? don't get it, but hey I picked it up. Any review on the Sweaty or Not kit? Is it worth $50? Has anyone had a look at it in person?Also another question LuluAddict, have you thought about reviewing some of the Men's wear? :) My husband is starting to get more and more into the workout shorts and casual shorts. He looks super cute in them. He wasn't a fan of the socks as they got a hole right away. I think they were the run or race socks :( Thanks!! -Heidi
Oh man, I went in yesterday with the intention of buying the Tight Stuff Tights but it just didn't work out for me. I loved the feeling of the pants, but I have a long torso and the waist just didn't sit on me where it does for most of the ladies is all the pictures I've seen - I just ended up with a weird/bad muffin top that I would never feel comfortable with.
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