Try to hold back the gasps, Ladies, but it turns out I don’t really like Lululemon clothes.
Let me explain myself before you decide whether or not to be my friend anymore.
The clothes sold at Lululemon are quite lovely. I love what they’ve singlehandedly done to yogawear and workout wear and I often find myself admiring a pant/sweatshirt/bag style that I see people sporting, and I can’t deny that they do great things for some not-so-great butts (mine especially).
But these clothes are expensive – really expensive – and I’ve recently come to decide that I don’t really think they are worth it, especially when you can buy equally lovely yogawear from other retailers at 1/4 price and have them be almost as functional.
After I bought my Lulus, I treated them like good china or the fancy towels in bathrooms, you know, the ones you only use on special occasions. I was too afraid to wreck them…and I’m careful with them. I wash them the way the perky girl at the counter explained I should and I never, ever, ever put them in the dryer (advice from the girl behind me in line who was decked out from head to toe in Lululemon and and carrying 5 more pairs of pants up to the cashier).
But the material just just annoys me. What is their name for it? Luon. Right. Their matte finish (made to feel like cotton) just collects pet hair and debris (you should have seen me after I emerged from the woods at the dogpark yesterday after trudging through last fall’s dead leaves) and will attract a particle of dust/dirt from anywhere in the room and send it sailing my way at unstopable speeds, only to permanently attach itself to my pants. And no, one of those rolly, sticky brushes does not remove it. I’ve tried. The pet hair and dust embeds itself forcing me to pull each one off one at a time, something I have no time or tolerance for. And what’s worse is that they seem to come out of the washer looking as covered in crap as when they went in. Is it just me? Can I be the only one who has pets AND Lulus?
They haven’t lost me forever. Not yet. But for now, paying over $100 for a pair of pants I don’t want to wear 5 minutes after I put them on for fear of looking like I rolled around the floor at PetSmart before I got to my destination just doesn’t make sense to me. Perhaps their scientists could come up with an anti-fuzz guard formula for their Luon. Then they’d have me at hello.
Kris - LOL. This might shock you, but I agree.
I have a friend in Victoria with a somewhat large, very lovely dog. One of the very few dogs who has crossed the realm into my limited circle of dog acceptance. Unfortunately, she has a huge, long, white furry coat. The first time I went to visit, I wore my lulu pants and a black jacket. I was in their house for approximately 15 minutes. I left absolutely covered in dog hair, but the pants were the worst.
I still love their stuff, but it’s a lot easier to love without a cat in the house!
Heather - I too have moved on from the era of Lulu somewhat….enter Lotus Wear!
It’s a wee bit less expensive, different material (made from soy, mostly) and possibly even more flattering.
I can’t help you with the dog hair problem though except to suggest, as I did, to get a non-shedding breed. Oh, and one that weighs only 5 lbs.
I’m so trendy.
Sonja - I’ve always hated Lululemon and not only because of their outrageous pricing but also because of there grab-ass preachy attitude. My sister bought a pair of sweatpants (which she took back once she realised that she spent $100 on sweatpants…for my dad), included in the bag was a handout that listed some of lulu’s favourite sayings including such gems as “children are the orgasm of life”.
That and by spending a hundred bucks on sweats, you end up convincing yourself that it’s a good choice to wear sweatpants outside of the house or gym. Nice flattering sweatpants sure, but sweatpants nonetheless. From there it’s a slippery slope down to pajama pants and giving up entirely.
Jessie - Has anyone ever had a run in with a Lululemon employee in a yoga class? They are insane stalkers of yoga instructors. Since I’ve started to take yoga regularly a few times a week, I have watched as a series of “lulugirls” have tried to lure my teacher (and friend) into becoming a “Lulu Ambassador”. These girls introduce themselves simply as “Westboro” or “Rideau” (apparantly their identities really just boil down to which Ottawa location of Lululemon they work at – oh, and they are pretty much decked out head to toe in Lulu and I reckon they figure they don’t need to specify that they work at “Lululemon” Westboro… Yeah, obnoxious). Anyway, after they’ve “introduced” themselves they proceed to try to lure the yoga teacher into becoming a “Lulu Ambassador” – which is essentially an unpaid model/endorsement. You don’t even get free clothes for doing it. Oh and then you have the “privilege” of giving free yoga classes inside the wonderful Lululemon retail environment.
The whole thing is, in a word, sleazy.
That said, I am a total hypocrite and looser because I’ve been given a few Lululemon items over the years, and I absolutely adore all of them. I justify my love because they were “free”.
For excellent yoga and workout gear that is reasonably priced, and much of it actually made in Canada (and not China, as Lulu is), check out Brio Bodywear on Richomond or on Bank.