Love Raw Blue

Raw Blue Inspire Crops

I forgot to write that I saw the Raw Blue/Snorkel Blue Inspire crops today and really like Raw Blue. It's a extremely dark navy, almost black color. It is much darker than Deep Navy which you can still tell is blue without comparing it a black. I hope we see more bottoms in this color, particularly in Still Pants.

Deep Navy Still Pants

Passion Crops Now On Line on US Side!

On the day I buy a new jacket and accidentally tear the rip out tag out when hanging it up, Lululemon re-releases my favorite crops, the Passion crop. The photo on the website is showing Coal and Antidote ones but when you click through you get the black. I really like the just-below-knee length and the comfortable ribbed cuff at the bottom. The bottoms ride up a little when I spin but these are the luxtreme crops I reach for most often.

Cups for the Tanks

I was browsing the reviews for the Push UR Limits Tanks - it now has 150! - and found this very recent review from a new customer regarding the hoops she had to go through to get cups for her new tanks:

I was so excited by the reviews of this top that I decided to buy 3 of them. The reviews did not lie, this is a great top for jogging, yoga, spinning, kickboxing, ect. I am a 34B, 95 lbs, 4 ft 10 in and the size 4 fit well. It would be better in a size 2, so please Lululemon make a size 2 in this top since us smaller gilrs still like good support for our bust!

However, only 4 stars because when my 3 tops arrived in the mail they did not come with the cup inserts. When I called customer service, they told me that they usually don't send the cups with the top for old customers since the cups can be reused from top to top. I informed customer service that I was a new customer and asked for 3 cups to be sent for the 3 tops I had received. Customer service told me that they would only send me 1 set of cup inserts even though I bought 3 tops since the cups can be reused. This is gross and would require laundering after use and I bought 3 tops so I would not have to do laundry after each work-out. This is also totally unacceptable for the amount of money spent on this top. After expressing my astonishment, customer service told me that they would send me 2 sets of inserts (for my 3 tops). They told me that it would come in 2 weeks. After a month, these inserts still did not come. I finally had to make a trip to the store to ask for the inserts (the reason I ordered online was to avoid having to go to the store). The girls at the store in Chicago-Lincoln Park location were so nice and gave me the cups I needed. If it wasn't for the store, I would not have kept this top. There are other athletic stores such as Lucy that make these kinds of tops and all of them come with their own individual inserts- even when you order online. Beware other buyers since you will not get the cups for this top unless you have a store in your city. Customer service will tell you that they will send you the cups, but they will not. Very disappointed in customer service over the phone, but again customer service at the Lincoln Park Chicago store was great. Buy this top if you have a store in your city.

I don't really get Lululemon's cheap-ass position on not giving people cups or the option to get cups (or decline them) in their tanks when ordering on line. Particularly when it comes to Luxtreme tanks which reveal every pimple and freckle on your body not to mention nips. I'm a long time Lulu buyer so I have a huge stash of cups in my drawer but people who are new to the brand need to build up a supply. Reusing the same cups is disgusting and expecting people to wash out their cups right away after a workout is unreasonable. Lululemon profits are through the roof and they give part time workers a 40% discount (FT get 60%) so you know the markup on the clothes is enormous. They can afford to give people the cups. They are needlessly pissing people off, especially new customers, with their tight-wad position on the cups. Additionally, if they do want to be so cheap, why not sell replacement cups? I remember when I first started buying Lulu the stores used to have little mesh bags of two or three pairs for sale for about $8. After awhile the cups get wrinkled and ratty around the edges so you do need to replace them. People have been giving them this feedback on their Facebook site for quite a while now. It's a very simple fix - put  a check box at checkout. Why hasn't something been done about it yet?

Store Trip & Markdown Rack Report & Upcoming Items

I was having Lululemon withdrawal symptoms because I hadn't been to a store in something like a week so I made a trip this morning to both the Newport and Irvine stores to see what was new. There wasn't anything that we haven't already seen on line or posted on Facebook but I got to see some of the latest things in person. I got to see the new CRBs and compare them to older colors. Purple Crush is in the same color family as Very Violet except a shade lighter. I really liked it. I held a Concord Grape CRB up to an older pair of Groove pants with Lolo Purple in the band and the colors are very close. If you already have a Lolo CRB you definitely don't need to get the Concord Grape. You might even get away with pairing the two colors together if you have a Lolo Jacket.

I tried on the Quilted Ray Groove crops. I like them but I was reminded why people have said the double banded version (where both bands at the top is a color) is better.  Although, looking at the photo below, the colored part is the same as the double banded width but there is an extra horizontal seam under the band of color:

Hmm. Well, then I guess I didn't care for the extra seam. At least, I didn't care for it that much on me.

I tried on the Black Pique In Stride and the Gray Stride today. I ordered the black pique In Stride yesterday from the website but it is not here yet. I have decided I am just not a Stride/In Stride Jacket person. They are super nice jackets but I find the fit boxy and the overall design too plain for my taste. The length also hits me right at the widest part of my hips. However, I do love the feel of pique and definitely would love a jacket/top in this fabric but I just can't pull the trigger on getting a Stride/In Stride. It's weird because I love my Gather Together Jacket which is kind of a cousin to the Stride/In Stride. I know I am of out of step with lots and lots of people on this because the Stride is super popular but my first love is the Define Jacket. That is actually what I ended up getting today - the Ikat Define.

Trading in my Black Pique In Stride for the Ikat Print Define

Markdown Report - The Irvine store really didn't have a markdown rack and not much was marked down except some Ta Ta Tamers at $44 (I think). The Newport Store had a healthy markdown rack again and had lots of gym bags on sale. I saw black Fast in Flight bags marked down to $69 (I think all the FiF are being marked down). The Hottie Hot gym bag/purses were $49 and the Gym Essentials toiletry kits were $39. The toiletries kit has to be at least $10 cheaper for me to get it. Newport also had it's remaining Black Roses Power Ys at $39 and the Static Wish 50 Rep bras at $34. I'm hoping some of these markdowns make it on line because last year around the middle of January there was a big Loot upload.

Upcoming Things A woman on Facebook spotted the following new things at her gym. I don't know what country she is from. The strategic partner gyms/studios have separate buyers than the stores and website so that is why they are out of step with them.

• Light Gray Pique Define with White Logo
• Coal Define with Heathered Purple Crush Logo
• Aruba Short Sleeve Swiftly with Dark Gray Neck and Sleeves (i.e., baseball style)
• Resolution LS in Heathered Purple Crush body and sleeves but Solid Purple Crush Color Blocked Sides
• Scoopneck Tank in Heathered Purple Crush with Solid Purple Crush Neck
• Purple Crush Scuba

No Limit Report - Readers have reported their stores are telling them the No Limit is coming at the end of January / beginning of February and the colors will be: solid black, black with ikat; white with grey; and coal with a purple. I believe this because one Canadian store recently posted photos of older No Limits tanks and said stay tuned for more info.