silkybunny
New member
*from an Ex-Employee lol
Given the light of all the recent legging reviews (thanks @lostandconfused90, @nathan98, and @sarahc59!), I thought I’d write a lululemon legging guide, as I used to work for the company as an Educator. Before beginning, I’d like to preface that in no way do I think lululemon leggings are superior. You can find amazing leggings at a fraction of the price! However, if you’re going to drop $100+ on a pair of stretchy pants, you’re best off knowing what you’re getting and why. This review will only go over the core leggings available all year round—not the seasonal leggings/styles.
First, I’ll go over some general lululemon information that I’ve noticed most people don’t know about.
lululemon does not fit true to (US) size. Yes, lulus run small compared to traditional US sizes. If you’ve never owned a pair before, go in-store to try them on first to get a feel of what works for you. With the exception of a few colors, if the leggings are see-through, size up. If there is bunching at the crotch or at the knee (if you lift your leg up and bend at the knee), size down. As a general rule of thumb, a women’s size S is a 6. Therefore, a 4 would be XS, an 8 would be M, and so forth.
lululemon repairs and hems leggings for free. If the leggings are too long, you can go in-store and they will re-measure the leggings according to your body and send them off to a partnered seamstress for free. Turnaround is generally ~3 business days and the leggings could also be shipped to you free of charge if you do not have time to pick them up. Same for repairs. The alterations look just like the original. In certain occasions (i.e. long-time guest, really friendly guest, etc.), we’ve just replaced people’s leggings with new ones altogether. This depends on the store, but don’t be a Karen, be friendly, and demonstrate that you’ve maintained proper care on the leggings (used for intended purposes only, washed in cold water, with like fabrics, no fabric softener, hang dry).
You can return unworn items without a receipt or if you’ve taken the tag off. Full refund if you have a Guest Profile but no receipt, store credit if you don’t have a receipt or Guest Profile. If you’ve taken the tag off, bring it back—we can re-tag it, and you’re good to go. If you’ve thrown the tag away, it will depend on the individual store’s policy whether or not to accept your return.
You should not be wearing the same pair of leggings for all activities. There are leggings made with fabric for low-impact activities, such as yoga, and leggings made for high-impact activities, such as HIIT. If you wear a pair of yoga leggings to a HIIT class, you run the risk of damaging them and may void any refund/exchange rights. I will first go over the main fabrics before going over the pants, as the fabrics are (in my opinion) more important than the style of pant.
Almost all of lululemon’s technical leggings use one of the five fabrics mentioned above. After narrowing down which fabric you should use based on your activity, you should look into the specific legging. The leggings all come with different features to help support various activities, however, like I mentioned—the fabrics are the champion!
Annnnnnd that’s a wrap! Apologies for the long wall of text, but like I mentioned—if you’re dropping $100+ on leggings, you’re best off knowing what you’re getting and why. I left lululemon around 2 years ago, but I am happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability! Also, despite the often catty and negative stereotypes of the company, they’ve made MAJOR changes to the brand in recent years, and working with them has truly been a pleasure. If I didn’t care about financial stability, I would 100% go back and work there (lol which I think says a lot, given it was a retail job!). Anyway, thanks for being an awesome community & go live your best/fit lives!
Edit: Typos galore!
Given the light of all the recent legging reviews (thanks @lostandconfused90, @nathan98, and @sarahc59!), I thought I’d write a lululemon legging guide, as I used to work for the company as an Educator. Before beginning, I’d like to preface that in no way do I think lululemon leggings are superior. You can find amazing leggings at a fraction of the price! However, if you’re going to drop $100+ on a pair of stretchy pants, you’re best off knowing what you’re getting and why. This review will only go over the core leggings available all year round—not the seasonal leggings/styles.
First, I’ll go over some general lululemon information that I’ve noticed most people don’t know about.
lululemon does not fit true to (US) size. Yes, lulus run small compared to traditional US sizes. If you’ve never owned a pair before, go in-store to try them on first to get a feel of what works for you. With the exception of a few colors, if the leggings are see-through, size up. If there is bunching at the crotch or at the knee (if you lift your leg up and bend at the knee), size down. As a general rule of thumb, a women’s size S is a 6. Therefore, a 4 would be XS, an 8 would be M, and so forth.
lululemon repairs and hems leggings for free. If the leggings are too long, you can go in-store and they will re-measure the leggings according to your body and send them off to a partnered seamstress for free. Turnaround is generally ~3 business days and the leggings could also be shipped to you free of charge if you do not have time to pick them up. Same for repairs. The alterations look just like the original. In certain occasions (i.e. long-time guest, really friendly guest, etc.), we’ve just replaced people’s leggings with new ones altogether. This depends on the store, but don’t be a Karen, be friendly, and demonstrate that you’ve maintained proper care on the leggings (used for intended purposes only, washed in cold water, with like fabrics, no fabric softener, hang dry).
You can return unworn items without a receipt or if you’ve taken the tag off. Full refund if you have a Guest Profile but no receipt, store credit if you don’t have a receipt or Guest Profile. If you’ve taken the tag off, bring it back—we can re-tag it, and you’re good to go. If you’ve thrown the tag away, it will depend on the individual store’s policy whether or not to accept your return.
The Fabrics
You should not be wearing the same pair of leggings for all activities. There are leggings made with fabric for low-impact activities, such as yoga, and leggings made for high-impact activities, such as HIIT. If you wear a pair of yoga leggings to a HIIT class, you run the risk of damaging them and may void any refund/exchange rights. I will first go over the main fabrics before going over the pants, as the fabrics are (in my opinion) more important than the style of pant.
- Luon: This cottony fabric is breathable, sweat-wicking, and has four-way stretch. When lululemon originally created yoga pants, this is the fabric they had in mind. There are several different types of luon, notably light luon, luon, and full-on luon. They’re exactly what they sound like—lightweight, normal, and tight-knit. Great for low-impact activities such as everyday lounging, yoga, barre, pilates.
- Luxtreme: This fabric also has four-way stretch, is sweat-wicking and quick-drying, but differs from the luon fabric in that it is cool to the touch. It is a more technical performance fabric that is built to withstand friction and lots of sweat! Luxtreme fabric is great for all performance activities, especially the sweaty ones.
- Nulu: The naked-sensation fabric that is insanely stretchy, lightweight, buttery soft. Feels like a second skin. These are literally my “no pants” fabric. Great for low-impact activities such as yoga and pilates.
- Nulux: Otherwise known as the love-child between the Luxtreme and Nulu fabrics, Nulux delivers the durability, quick-drying, and sweat-wicking capabilities of technical performance fabrics, along with the lightweight naked sensation of Nulu. Nulux was originally designed for runners.
- Everlux: The inside of this fabric is similar to Luxtreme—cool to the touch quick-drying, and sweat-wicking, while the outside is buttery soft, similar to Nulu. This fabric was originally made for studio classes where you’ll be confined in a small, sweaty space, with a heavy focus of spin in mind.
The Leggings
Almost all of lululemon’s technical leggings use one of the five fabrics mentioned above. After narrowing down which fabric you should use based on your activity, you should look into the specific legging. The leggings all come with different features to help support various activities, however, like I mentioned—the fabrics are the champion!
- Wunder Under: Most people pop their lulu cherry with the Wunder Unders, as these are the OG leggings that gave lulu their recognition. The Wunder Unders come in both Luxtreme and Luon fabric, so make sure you are purchasing the right pair. These leggings have a snug waistband and are very stretchy. There are no side pockets or drawstring waistband, so they’re not great for activities where you’ll be running and jumping. These tights in the Luon fabric are great for yoga, pilates, barre, lagree, lounging, etc. In the Luxtreme fabric, they’re great for the gym, rowing, spin, pretty much any non-running/jumping activity. They also come in mid, high, and low-rise.
- Align: I seriously love the Aligns. If I could live in them all day, I would. The Aligns use the Nulu fabric, so they feel like a second skin, but they have no compression—the stretchiest of the stretchy! If you want to feel like you’re not wearing pants, the Aligns are for you. Most people size down with the Aligns due to its lack of compression. No side pockets, no drawstring waistband, high-rise. These tights are great for yoga, pilates, barre, lagree, or other low-impact activities. I have no clue why the fitspo community loves wearing these to the gym, but please don’t. Sure, they make your butt look great, but if you tear the delicate fabric on these pants from a high-friction activity, it’s not Quality Control—it’s you.
- Train Times: This pant is made with Luxtreme fabric, and though it doesn’t come with any side pockets, it does have mesh paneling on the side for breathability and a drawstring waistband. It’s also mid-rise with a hugged compression. This pant was originally designed for HIIT, gym training, crossfit, and bootcamp, so all you OrangeTheory, F45, and Barry’s Bootcamp folks rejoice! These tights are also great for running if you do indoor treadmill/elliptical running.
- Speed Up: The Speed Up tight is a medium-rise pant made with Luxtreme fabric and comes with a draw-string waistband, side pockets, reflective paneling, and high compression (many people size up for Speed Ups). You can probably guess by now, but these tights were made for (outdoor) running. In addition to the side pockets, there is a small (kinda useless) zippered pocket in the back. The reflective paneling will help keep you visible when running outdoors in low light.
- Fast and Free: These tights are high-rise, made with the Nulux fabric, and feature a draw-string waistband, side pockets, and reflective paneling. Unlike the Speed Ups, there is no compression on these tights. If you’d like more of a “naked sensation” run, these are great. These tights are designed for (outdoor) run. The reflective paneling will help keep you visible when running outdoors in low light.
- All the Right Places: These leggings are high-rise, made with Luxtreme fabric, and features reflective detailing and side pockets. These pants are very high compression and are a popular favorite because they hug you in, well, all the right places. These tights were designed for running and gym training.
- In Movement: This super-breathable, high-rise pant is made with Everlux fabric. It features a cool lightweight feel, and unique seam design. This pant was originally designed for studio classes, particularly spin. Basically, classes in a small room and low ventilation, so you'll be sweating away. However, because it lacks a draw-string waistband, I'd advise against using it for classes which involve running and jumping.
Annnnnnd that’s a wrap! Apologies for the long wall of text, but like I mentioned—if you’re dropping $100+ on leggings, you’re best off knowing what you’re getting and why. I left lululemon around 2 years ago, but I am happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability! Also, despite the often catty and negative stereotypes of the company, they’ve made MAJOR changes to the brand in recent years, and working with them has truly been a pleasure. If I didn’t care about financial stability, I would 100% go back and work there (lol which I think says a lot, given it was a retail job!). Anyway, thanks for being an awesome community & go live your best/fit lives!
Edit: Typos galore!
