Week 5 for me so far. How bout you? The only items I’ve purchased in the last long while were the Power Purple WU’s (may not keep) and extra long CRB.
Sad times! The little CRB that could. I wish this was a normal non 1990’s length.
Don’t buy this at $98. I just posted bellow this post about 4 minutes ago that this is in outlets for $78.
I’m intrigued by this new Silver Metallic Free To Be Bra. I’ve heard it’s more like the pearl luxtreme heathered pigeon CRB than really a metallic but I’m definitely curios to check it out.
The tank I posted about earlier now has a name. It’s called The Optimal Tank.
This looks like a new tank, doesn’t it? Looks like it’s luxtreme and has some interesting strap designs in the back. Sadly the white is sheer and shows the bra cups thru but in another color this has potential. Worn with the Run: Nothing To Hide Skirt
Look at the straps on this tank!
Prettiest picture so far of the Some Like it Hot Tank
Silver Daily Gym Bag.
Silver Daily Gym Bag.
This is so wild. So wild I’m too shy to wear it but I secretly love it.
Transition Jacket (reviewed in earlier post)
All the newest Wunder Unders. Black, Quilted, Heathered Coal I think, Power Purple, Flash Light, Deep Indigo, Ray
Some Like It Hot Bra with Flash Light Wunder Under Crops and Good Fortune Bag
Looks bigger than I expected
Run: Nothing to Hide Skirt
Some Like It Hot Bra in Bruised Berry
Some Like It Hot Bra in White/Seaside Dot
Seaside Dot/Flash Inspire Crops are in store now
Not a lot new in store today, the ‘Power Purple’ Swiftly Techs were in fact lilac and not Power Purple. In my store at least. There was this new Transition Jacket which I tried on in an 8 (size down) since my usual 10 hadn’t been unpacked yet. It reminded me of the Community Jacket from 2 years ago but the fit of this one is boxy and has a sort of mullet hemline which I disliked. It was just too short and boxy on me and the size down was quite roomy so definitely at least try on the size down to see if you prefer it to your TTS. The Swiftly was not as soft as the Community Jacket, it was quite stiff and thick from my recollection from this morning, but the color Bruised Berry is very Lolo Purple like in this material.
Transition Jacket, Bruised Berry size 8 (sized down)
Some Like It Hot Tank size 10 (TTS)
This was my TTS size 10 and I was not comfortable in this because the sheer luon body is fitted and body skimming and doesn’t flow away from the body enough at the bottom so the sheer material really highlighted my less than firm tummy area (I was definitely sucking it in and trying to stand taller and not breathing in order to make this blog acceptable). I liked the look and style of the tank overall but the bust was not supportive enough on me and I felt like it was going to travel down south and expose me so I kept hiking it up on either side of the straps. I’m just not used to a halter top style so I don’t feel confident enough in it to buy it. I also don’t think the bust area had any supportive boning on the sides so my boobs would probably end up migrating into my armpits with this one.
Look at this new print on the new quilted waistband Boogie Shorts. It’s a stiation type of print with what looks like Bruised Berry, Flash and maybe Pow Pink and Lilac blended in. Can’t wait to see this in a CRB.
– Posted by lulumum from my iPhone
Some Like It Hot Bra
Luxtreme and Moderate Support Bra. Really cute! (although probably another for the A/B cups I’m thinking)
Ray and Power Purple Swiftly’s
I’m not letting myself get too excited that these are in fact Power Purple Swiftly’s because I think it may actually be the Lilac ones I saw in store last week. If they are PP I will be getting the LS fo sho!
Hey Vancouverites, tomorrow is the big day that Metrotown Lululemon unveils it’s newly renovated store . As a result of tomorrows grand opening the temporary location will be closed today as they move all the inventory upstairs. I’m pretty excited, I missed the old location which was a lot brighter than the painted black walls of the temporary location. I’ll definitely be there tomorrow with bells on and keeping my fingers crossed for power purple items or perhaps some special surprise exclusive items. I’ll be sure to post my finds tomorrow.
Thanks to Lindsay for sharing her store finds today.
Wandering Yogi Crop, $78
Cotton/Lycra and comes in Fossil, Dune and Black
Good Fortune Bag, $58
Comes in Lilac, Black and Grey
This looks a bit like a lunch bag and that got me thinking how cool it would be for lulu to come out with a lunch cooler. I’m definitely in need of a smallish lunch cooler
This article is from the Globe and Mail Lululemon Stretches to Balance Expansion Against Profit by Marina Strauss
Lululemon’s chief executive officer is betting that pumping up the company’s investments in testing new product lines such as swimwear while building up inventories of its core yoga products will pay off in the long run.But the cost of ramping up her strategy is dampening the company’s 2012 outlook, which on Thursday fell short of analysts’ targets and prompted the stock to tumble nearly 9 per cent. Investors were unnerved by the company’s fast-rising stockpiles of clothing.
In its bid to ensure that shelves aren’t empty when shoppers are looking for items, the company boosted inventory levels 67 per cent in the first quarter. And Lululemon’s product pilots are expected to help push its gross profit margin below 55 per cent in the coming months, according to the company’s forecast, compared to about 57 per cent last year.
Ms. Day is convinced she’s on the right path. “I really don’t feel the need to apologize for that level of performance and growth track record that we have,” she told analysts on a conference call. “Balancing short- and long-term [objectives] and the impact it has on an organization that is still growing infrastructure – that is our job and we think we do it pretty well.”
She is engaged in a delicate balancing act as she strives to build the athletic-wear retailer even as inevitable imperfections start to surface.
Lululemon has counted on its core yoga line to serve up healthy returns, but the company today feels the urgency to move into new areas because the shelf life of yoga wear as a phenomenal growth story may be limited.
And after struggling with a shortage of products last year, which held back sales growth, Lululemon has built up inventory levels dramatically, putting pressure on the company to match supply to demand and still ensure its premium products can command a top price to deliver high margins.
“You don’t want a small company [like Lululemon] to be stretched too thin,” said Jaime Katz, retail analyst at Morningstar Inc. in Chicago. “It’s a double-edged sword: You get penalized for straying from the core product. But you can’t grow yoga forever.”
Lululemon investors have long watched nervously for any sign that its growth might falter. The company beat its own and analysts’ forecasts in the first quarter, with same-store sales at outlets open a year or more – a key retail measure – climbing 25 per cent. However, investors were rattled by the company’s outlook that those sales will only pick up in the “low double digits” in the current quarter.
For the full year, the retailer projected revenue of up to $1.34-billion and profit per share of as much as $1.60, at least three cents below analysts’ expectations.
“These are things that will compress our margins in the short term, but we also can translate some of those [lessons] to other product lines,” she said. “It’s the right thing as a market leader to continue to innovate.”
Still, Ms. Day said the company’s investment in testing small batches, or “capsules,” of products in new categories will pay off in new lessons it can apply to other merchandise. In a bigger gamble, Lululemon will launch eight capsules this year, compared with two or three in the past year.
But in the rush to develop new lines and products, the retailer isn’t compromising on the quality of its products, she said. And it has factored product-development mistakes into its forecasts, she said.
For instance, the chain wrestled with some dyes that didn’t work, and was forced to pull some merchandise to ensure it didn’t put “bad product” on the floor.
“They weren’t big mistakes,” Ms. Day said. “But we don’t want to make those kind of mistakes and put that out in our [customer’s] hands … That is the business we are in, not quick turn, high-volume T-shirts.”
She’s racing to find the right balance between her model of scarcity – not stocking too much of an item, so that customers are forced to return for more – and not over-ordering an item.
“If we chased an extra amount of pink when yellow is what is needed, we really just create, in our opinion, future markdowns and destroy the brand.”