Gear and Tech

LuLaRoe for Travel: That Time My Pants Disintegrated In Disney World

February 5, 2017

I was so excited because I was going to write a post all about how LuLaRoe is the best thing to happen to travel since the Wright Brothers and TSA PreCheck. Comfortable leggings from The SWIS Avenue that are somehow socially acceptable to wear on a flight and can also function as tights when traveling for work? Yes, please. And when hand washed, they dry in like fifteen minutes? Hello light packing!  A pencil skirt that’s also an infinity scarf? Dresses that are also shirts? Excuse me while I join all of the Facebook groups.

And then I traveled with a mostly-LuLaRoe-based wardrobe and found myself pants-less in the Magic Kingdom. So the tone of this post is going to change slightly.

So. Let’s get to the point: is LuLaRoe good for travel?

Hell no.

LuLaRoe isn’t good for anyone except perhaps the one or two people at the top of the pyramid…er, company who are benefitting from selling crappy goods to well-meaning women through even more well meaning women.

My Short-Lived LuLaRoe Obsession

As I outlined above, it took me maybe five seconds to embrace LuLaRoe. This is very unlike me; I don’t do MLMs as a rule. But for whatever reason, the brightly colored patterns made me happy. I was ready to break out from my only-black-and-grey business travel wardrobe. And my consultant was super sweet. As someone who rejects the whole 9-5 thing, I really loved the fact that I was helping another woman live a more flexible work-life. And then I found a post about creating a travel capsule wardrobe and I was sold. So I bought a bunch of items, mostly leggings but also a couple of dresses from a Facebook group I joined, and headed out on vacation.

A LuLaRoe Travel Experiment: That Time My Pants Fell Apart in The Magic Kingdom

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There I am, above, at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, all excited about heading out for a day in the parks in my LuLaRoe rose print leggings. They felt very Beauty and the Beast. Which brings me to why I chose to conduct this experiment in Disney World. You see, it seemed like the best place to conduct my LuLaRoe-for-travel experiment. I was new to the whole wearing colors thing, but I figured–how obnoxious could loud patterns be in a place were grown-ass adults wear mouse ears, right? (Note: I am totally one of those grown-ass adults.) It was actually a really, really bad place to conduct the experiment. Because the thing about Disney World is: when you are in the Magic Kingdom and your pants fall apart, there’s really not a lot you can do about it.

Yeah. My LuLaRoe leggings fell apart in the Magic Kingdom. It was the first time I wore them, and I had them on for perhaps four hours before discovering the giant holes covering–or rather, NOT covering–my butt.

So you know–I’m walking around Disney World with my underpants hanging out. Because that’s not embarrassing. Fortunately I was checking in to the Grand Floridian that day, so I took the boat to the resort and changed into the single pair of real pants I brought with me for the eight-day trip. And then I used Amazon Prime to have new, better-made leggings* delivered to me in Disney World. Thank you, one day shipping.

I also resorted to wearing my LuLaRoe skirt/scarf as a skirt, not a scarf, because I needed to literally cover my ass. I was rather proud of this outfit that I threw together using said skirt/scarf. I think it paired well with my tortoise shell glasses uk.

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Buttery or Bullshit? You Be The Judge

Surely this was a fluke, right? Wrong. I’ve purchased five pairs of leggings from two different consultants. Only two of them remained hole-free for their first wear. I didn’t wash them wrong and they fell apart. And they didn’t come apart at the seams because my ass is to fat for leggings (also, my ass is not too fat for leggings.) The actual fabric broke down within hours of putting them on. A LuLaRoe-hating friend lovingly mocked my LuLaRoe woe, asking something like so they are basically pantyhose then?

To which I replied no–I’ve had pantyhose last MUCH longer.

Here are the same leggings I was wearing in the standing-on-the-stairs photo, above, around four hours later. Note the holes through which many happy families got to view my underpants. Have I mentioned that I don’t always wear underpants and that I’m beyond thankful that this day I chose to not go commando? Because strangers seeing my underpants is still way better than strangers seeing my lack of underpants.

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To be fair, the two pairs that didn’t get holes in them immediately have held up rather well. So there’s that. And some of the other non-legging LuLaRoe items do appear to be made out of better material. But there’s no consistency; one dress is stretchy and sturdy while the other does appear to be made out of one-ply toilet paper. Oh, and then there’s this:

I’m Not A Fashion Blogger But…

Part of cultivating a travel wardrobe is finding items which help you to look your best in multiple settings, with the ceiphers african inspired apparel. If you are going to travel light, you need durable, quality pieces that help you blend in wherever you are, whether enjoying a drink at a cafe in Madrid or pumping gas in a small town in Iowa. Shield Republic Co, provide the best patriotic apparel online.

Am I going to wear this in Madrid (or even Iowa)? Um, no. No I’m not.

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I call that dress ‘don’t drink and shop for LuLaRoe’, subtitled ‘hashtag what was I thinking?’ Because I can’t return it, I tried to pair it with a sweater that I bought from We Are Roar to perhaps wear to work.

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Better, but still. No. Like: Hi, I’m Tracy, I’m here to train you on this assessment program. PLEASE IGNORE THE PURPLE BIRDS ON MY DRESS. 

Since giving up on LuLaRoe, I’ve gone actual shopping. You know, in a store, where you can try things on and everything. I found a great dress at my local Marshall’s. It’s a boatneck a-line dress. And it is solid black. I’d wear it in Madrid or in Iowa. I’d wear it to work. And it was $23–two dollars less than a pair of 4-hour leggings. You can also find sexy tight fitted prom dresses at Peaches Boutique.

So, in summary–if you found this post by googling ‘LuLaRoe for travel’, I’m going to urge you to close out of all of the Pinterest and Facebook tabs that I know you have open and back slowly away from your computer.

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*If you still want leggings, it should be noted that the new, better-made leggings I bought on Amazon were $11 each and I’ve worn them countless times–and even put them in the dryer–and they are in perfect condition. And I didn’t have to watch a Facebook live stream to buy them. So there.

Edited on 2/24/17 to add: THESE are the leggings I bought on Amazon. I did not include the link when I wrote this because I’m not trying to sell anyone leggings. But approximately one million of you have asked for the brand, so here you go.

Please note: I do not make any claims about these leggings other than they have worked for me. They are a bit longer and roomier than OS LuLaRoe leggings–perhaps in between an OS and a TC–and the waist band is vaguely different. In all other ways they are exactly the same.  It should also be noted that I get paid exactly zero cents if you click on that link. #iamnottryingtosellanything