Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I've been trying to find a good Align Short dupe ever since Lululemon raised their prices. They now run $64 for solid colors and $74 for Diamond Dye. Ouch! That's nearly $70 for a pair of shorts after taxes for solid colors. I decided I had to give Aritzia a try.
For reference I'm 4 feet 11 inches tall. I'm wearing size XS in Aritzia. I also wear size 4 in Lululemon Align bottoms.
I tried two different shorts from Aritzia. The TNAButter Cheeky Hi-Rise 5" Short is very similar to the Align Short. I went with the 5 inch inseam over the 3" and 7". I think the 5" inseam is the sweet spot. The 7" inseam can be too long on my petite legs- similar to Lululemon's 8" inseam. This Cheeky version accentuates your assets. 😉 The seam across the back is curved.
The TNAButter fabric feels really similar to Nulu. I was pleasantly surprised. It's super comfortable and buttery soft. Size XS fits exactly the same as Lululemon's size 4. If you're a Lululemon size 2 or 0, Aritzia does make these in 2XS. The price is very affordable at $38.
I also bought TNAButter Atmosphere Hi-Rise 5" to try in Echo Grey. I'm wearing size XS here as well and the fit is the same. The waist sits right at my belly button. The Align waist does go over my belly button just a little bit more. In the below pic, you can see the wide waistband is slightly different from the TNAButter Cheeky Hi-Rise 5" Short. The seam going across does not curve, it's more or less a straight line. Both TNAButter Short versions are very comfortable. The price is also $38 and I have to say, given the $26 price difference between Aritzia and Lululemon, I think I would go with Aritzia.
It's just hard to justify $70 for a pair of shorts. Especially if I'm just mainly using these to do workouts at home! I do find that most of the time Lululemon does not have sizes in stock for their Align Shorts, and I have noticed that Aritzia also has a hard time keeping their 5" shorts in stock as well. As of right now, there are more sizes available in more colors in the TNAButter Cheeky Hi-Rise 5" Short. Most of the colors are sold out in TNAButter Atmosphere Hi-Rise 5" Short. Does anyone know how often Aritzia restocks and how when they release new drops?
It's hard for me to decide which TNAButter short I prefer more. I think the Cheeky version is slightly more flattering and the closer dupe to Lululemon's Align Short. You really cannot go wrong with either pair! I'll be adding more when I can, whichever version I find is in stock. That's it for me! Hope you all have a great start to the week and let me know if you have tried these shorts!
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Thank you for the fit review, Leslie! Yes the price increase on LLL shorts is ridiculous and I wouldn’t spend that much on a pair of shorts that pills! I wash my Align shorts inside a garment bag and wear them only for yoga, and yet they all pill. :( The Aritzia ones are definitely more reasonably priced and I hope they don’t pill.
ReplyDeleteI like both pairs on you and lean towards the Cheeky version as well. The curved back seam is a tad more flattering. 5” is a good length and I will definitely give it a try if a nice color comes out. Aritzia used to offer free shipping for orders over Canadian dollars $150 which turned me off, but I just checked and am happy to learn they now ship free for orders over $50 only, I think this will attract more online business for sure.
Hi Andrea!! Yes, I also noticed that after awhile, the Nulu looses the buttery softness. It's very sad! I've only worn these both once so far, and I will definitely keep an eye to see if it pills.
DeleteAritzia offers free returns as well. However be careful sometimes depending on the item they only give out store credit/gift card. (I think if it's on sale). Still better than final sale!
I've been waiting for this review! I love the Echo Grey color! I've only seen it online. I gotta try these shorts! :D I like the cheeky seam too.
ReplyDeleteHi Janessa! Let me know what you think if you get to try them! =D
Deletehi Leslie, Thanks for the fit review! Both pairs of shorts look good, but I also prefer the back seam of the Cheeky style.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, Athleta has just released a new line called Transcend. The VitaFree fabric is supposed to feel like Lululemon's Align Nulu fabric. For now, the shorts only come in 7" length. I'd be interested to try the 7/8 tight when it comes in a colour I love. Athleta's tights all fit me perfectly at the ankles. If the fabric is a close match to Align Nulu, Athleta may win me over for good.
Hi Karen! Yes I just saw the Transcend line today. It's too bad I didn't see that over the weekend because they had 20% off all bottoms. It's definitely on my radar. I'm probably going to try the 7" shorts unless they have a 5" version coming... I might hold out but the Borealis Green is super pretty! I might cave.
DeleteThe aritzia ones do pill a lot but I haven't had issues with them ripping or splitting. I will also tolerate shaving the pills off for the price difference. Just beware of their return policy. It's super short like 10 days before you get a gift card. If you order things online this can be a pain if you mail back. My tenth day was a Sunday, I sent the order back Friday afternoon but since FedEx didn't pickup til Monday I only got a gift card vs full return. I contacted them with proof it was dropped off Friday but it didn't count
ReplyDeleteI have a couple pairs that I rotate along with the Align Shorts. So far haven't noticed pilling but probably only worn them less than 5 times. I did notice their return policy is really short. I learned the hard way also and now have a couple hundred in store credit sitting! =(
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