It’s a gown. It’s a skirt. It’s $148 and strangely controversial.
I’m talking about the 2-in-1 maxi dress from Lululemon, which, in all fairness, you might not have ever noticed.
The garment is extremely understated and more ideal for a walk on the beach than a workout class. There’s a good chance you’ve scrolled past it while shopping for new leggings on the brand’s website.
Fashion fans, however, can’t seem to talk about anything other than the stretchy shift right now.
Lululemon sells everyday clothes. You just might not have noticed.
At its core, Lululemon is an athletic brand. Its Align leggings brought the company fame, and its sweat-repelling pieces have become massive in different sports communities.
Even its everyday staples, like the belt bags teens carry instead of purses and the ABC joggers professional men wear to the office, can be used for sport.
So, Lululemon’s maxi dress might seem like an anomaly. It’s designed simply to be worn as part of a cute outfit, not an active ensemble.
“I still can’t comprehend how this dress is from Lululemon,” one TikToker captioned her video about the garment.
It’s really not an outlier, though. Lululemon has been selling maxi dresses and other casual staples for years. They’re just sleeper hits.
This specific strapless dress can be worn as a skirt when its top is folded over the hips. It’s sold in four colors — light ivory, black, lava cake, and raceway green — and sizes between XXXS and XL.
Many of the sizes are now sold out across colorways, and it’s unclear if the brand will restock.
Representatives for Lululemon didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Cute, but costly
As is the nature of the internet, the very existence of the simple dress has been debated. Over the past two weeks, dozens of videos tagged #lululemondress have been posted to TikTok.
Many have raved about its soft texture, saying the dress contours your body and fits like a dream. Its versatility is also a big draw.
Others, however, said its design is way too basic and overpriced, retailing for $148.
Though the dresses are made from a mix of fabrics, including silk and Lenzing Modal, they also contain nylon and Lycra elastane, which some shoppers dislike for being unsustainable and plastic.
“It’s not that it’s ugly, it’s just not $150 type of cute,” one TikToker wrote.
“Ok but if you saw it at Walmart, would you buy it??” another TikTok user said.
Some people are so bothered by the dress that they’ve even compared it to a “thneed,” the fictional, trendy garment mentioned in “The Lorax.” The comparison has made the dress even more viral, with shoppers debating if Lululemon’s garment fits the bill.
I’m here to tell you that comparison is not accurate at all.
After all, Lululemon’s dress does not look like a stretched-out sweater, like a thneed does, and it can’t be worn as a sock, hat, or sweatshirt, like a thneed can.
Now, is the dress worth $148 of your hard-earned money, or the time and effort it will take to find one in your size right now? That’s for you to decide.
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