Latest Lorna Jane Order - Tights & Tanks

I ordered a few things from the Lorna Jane website, since a lovely reader left a 20% off code in my last post.  I've been quite happy with the pieces I got from them so far, so I wanted to add a few more to my collection.  And also at the time I ordered, Lorna Jane was promoting the Pammy Bra as a gift if you spend over $200.  It retails $59 so it's not a bad deal.  The online shopping experience was a bit weird.  I never saw this free bra in my cart when I was checking out.  So I emailed them and they said that they would automatically include it.  So I asked how they would know what size to send me.  They said they would make a judgment based on what sizes I ordered.  Ummm... okay... oh and then when they shipped my package, I got some weird FedEx notification from an individual without company name.  I actually thought it was spam at first.  Shipping only took 1 day though, since their warehouse is located in Santa Monica.

I actually went to a Lorna Jane store for the first time today to make an exchange.  I ended up trying on a bunch of stuff because the sales girl kept handing me more things as I was in the fitting room.  It was a little bit annoying because I had browsed prior to entering the fitting room (obviously), and vetoed them already.  But I had no problem shoving them back into her face so I wasn't that bothered.  But I can see how some people would be.  I made an exchange for an amount less than what I paid online, and they gave me a store credit instead of a refund.  That is very annoying.  AND, they give you a piece of paper as the ONLY proof of this credit.  They do not have record of any credits in their system so if you lose this piece of paper... too bad. And the worst part is... the store credit expires in 12 months!!!!!!!!!  WHAT??????  IS THAT EVEN LEGAL??????????  That might have ended my short lived love affair with them right away.  I mean... my credit was like $16 and I could have probably found something to get, but most likely would have had to pay more.  I'd also most likely go back within 12 months, but that is just not the point.  It's quite beyond belief.  I really don't think it's legal, at least in California, because I remember hearing stuff about Groupon/Livingsocial (can't remember which) being sued for people's purchases being "expired" a couple years ago.  So now if you let your deals run outside of expiration date, you can still claim goods or services for the amount that you paid - only promotional price/product will expire.

Anyway, so even though I still like the things I've got there.  I am kind of turned off from purchasing there in the future.  And I can't recommend anyone to do business with them without caution.  If I see something I really really can't live without, I'll probably buy it.  But otherwise my money will be safer spent elsewhere.

So now onto what I got online... I had almost bought this Inspire Excel tank during the trunk show when I first bought their stuff.  But at the time I thought the price was quite high for a tank without a bra, at $65.  However, with 20% off it becomes a bit more acceptable.  I am normally not a fan of sayings on my clothes, but I really like this one.  The material of this tank is nice and silky too.  I also like the baggy fit and the colors.  I actually ordered it in size XS on the website, because that was all they had left at the time.  So today I exchanged it for a size small at the store which fits much better.

The material feels very cool to the touch.  I am wearing my Lululemon Sprint bra under in bleached coral, and the color seems to go well with the orange on the shirt.  But it could work with any bra I think, and doesn't necessarily have to be orange-y.

I ordered this Fast Forward Run Tank online, because I really liked the back and it reminds me of my beloved Hardtail hoodie's back!  

I got it in size small which is the right size, but unfortunately it looks a little boxy on me and just not that flattering from the front.  I was surprised though, because I thought for some reason that the whole tank would be see-through type of mesh, like the back of it.  But the front part actually has the inner pink piece attached.  I guess I didn't really read the description when I bought it.  

I exchanged this today for a tank I like much better and it was on sale for $45 - the Macy Excel tank in bluebell - I only see it on their Australian site.  So I'm still new to this brand but so far I've figured out that what they call "Excel Mesh" fabric can be quite different on different tops.  To find the best one, it must say "honeycomb mesh".  Only some of them are honeycomb mesh, which very closely resembles Lululemon's circle mesh.  It is very soft and breathable.  When you put on a honeycomb mesh tank, you can immediately feel that it's better than the other mesh that have a horizontal pattern.  This tank is the nice honeycomb mesh.

Here's a close up of the honeycomb mesh:

I love how open the back of this tank is.  And I think the drape looks very nice.  I had been eying this Zella open back tank (She's a Star tank) at Nordstrom, which is similar in style to this one but I like this design better.  The back of this tank pretty much exposes your bra entirely.  It's a plus because all those cute Lululemon Free To Be bras need to be shown!  Hehe.

I am still wearing my Run Sprint bra here, because I didn't take it off from trying it on with the Inspire tank.  But I probably wouldn't wear this bra with this tank.

I also got 2 pairs of tights.  The first pair is the Marvel 3/4 tight.  I liked these because of the shorter length, and the large mesh area on the outer thighs.  The material feels closer to Lululemon's luon, but definitely a little thicker and less stretchy.  I like the hidden zipper pocket, and I think the fit is slimming.  It definitely gives more compression than Lululemon tights, and it's completely opaque so that's good news.  But it has no gusset... just two pieces of butt fabric sewn together... so there may be chaffing.  I am willing to keep these and give them a shot though, because I have heard good things about Lorna Jane bottoms.

I got these in size XS which fits like Lululemon's 4.  These are lower rise than most of Lululemon bottoms though.  But the waist is elastic and it doesn't look like it will go anywhere.  There is also a tie on the inner part of the waistband, but it's not continuous:

I do think the mesh is a great idea to keep you from getting too hot during a workout.  Plus they look cool!  I am a little worried that some of the seams are not flat locked though.  I guess I'll find out.

Lastly, I got a pair of tights for sale - the Devoted 7/8 Tight.  These were on sale for $70 and with 20% off, they are only $55ish.  They are kind of like Lululemon's wunder under style, same length and everything.  But I actually really like the material and color of these tights.  They are a dark charcoal color and they have a bit more compression than luon as well.  The waistband folds down, and it has the cheesy "Believe" saying on it.  Hehe.  Again, normally not a fan of these types of things, but I'm ok with this one.  I just really like how the fold down waistband is a lighter gray than the rest of the tights.  And the saying will be covered by tanks anyway.

So I actually do quite like the fit of these tights.  The slightly more compression does make a difference, especially around the knee area.  But I wouldn't really run in these - same as I prefer not to run in luon bottoms.  I think these are great for weight lifting, or yoga/pilates/barre type of classes.  Again, these have no gusset either, and the seams aren't locked down on the inside.  I actually wore them for a workout yesterday for a couple hours.  After I took them off, there was imprint of the seams on my skin.  Not liking that.  I think I am ok with these being only $55 and wearing them lightly for low impact activities, but I would not spend a lot on bottoms that may give me chaffing or cause any kind of itchiness or uncomfortableness.  

Oh yeah, I really like the free Pammy bra though!  They ended up sending me size XS.  I think it fits like a 4 in a Lululemon Flow Y bra, which means I could also wear a size S if I don't want it too tight.  I think maybe the padding makes all the difference, as I mentioned before.  Since Lorna Jane uses much thicker padding in their bra tops, they really make your chest look better.  

I like that this bra has a cute and simple design.  It doesn't pull on my neck/shoulders, and it's black which means it will go with everything.  Plus nothing beats free!

Ok, so maybe my enthusiasm for this brand is diminishing rather quickly.  I think they really need to reconsider their stupid return policy (or the lack thereof).  And their price needs to be at least 20% lower all the time.  Why would I want no gusset and unlocked seams for the same price as Lululemon, Splits59, or many other brands out there?  Also, as I've mentioned, it seems that most of their material is not as nice as the Excel honeycomb mesh.  So it is a place where you really have to go and feel the fabric and try stuff on, and consider really really really hard before handing over your moolah because you ain't getting it back!  Ha!

On a rather positive note though, I went to Lululemon afterwards to see if I could exchange my Heat It Up bra for a bigger size, even though I got it on mark down.  They were very nice and said I could.  But they didn't have any in size 6 anymore.  So I ended up buying the Free To Be bra in white instead.  I love this bra and have got like 4 of them recently!

Yay!  Now I have both a black and a white bra which are staple colors.  I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of both of them!