Review: Lorna Jane Tanks and Bras

Last week I bought two Lorna Jane tanks and bras during a promotion they were having (I saved $57!). Lorna Jane is an Australian company with retail stores on the West Coast. I read one online review from someone in Australia saying all you see at races is a sea of Lorna Jane, so apparently the brand is very popular there.

My package came one week after I placed the order. Here's my haul.
Lorna Jane haul from clockwise from top left: Rhianan Bra, Comfort Sports Bra,
Dash Excel Tank, The Force Excel Tank

Fit and First Impressions

First up is The Force Excel Tank in Samba. I ordered a size medium because I wanted a loose fit for running, and the LJ site said it's slim fitting.

Lorna Jane The Force Excel Tank, Samba color, size medium
 

I loved the color. It's a true orange. Here you can see it compared to Lulu Very Light Flare and Creamsicle Pop.
L-R: Lululemon Very Light Flare, Lorna Jane Samba, Lululemon Creamsicle Pop

The fabric is LJ's Excel Mesh. This mesh was not super lightweight, as I expected. It felt a bit thicker and didn't seem to breathe.
Close up of Lorna Jane Excel Mesh
 Both tanks had this cute little tag.


There is a drawstring at the bottom of the tank.


This shows the tank when worn with the drawstring slack. It is a loose fit.


This is the tank with the drawstring pulled and the tank bunched up a bit. I like this look much better, at least with leggings. You can see the silver reflective LJ logo at the top left. I'm picky about logo placement and wasn't bothered by either the logo itself (which is subdued) or the placement.

Here is the back view, which I absolutely love! In this picture you can also see the LJ Comfort Bra that I review below.

Here's a shot of my dog wondering why I am taking so many pictures of myself!

I wore this tank on a hike on a very humid day. Because the sides come down so low and because of the design of the back, there is a lot of airflow that kept me cool and comfortable. I really like this tank.

Next is the Dash Excel Tank. Again, I ordered a  medium so that it would be loose. I also loved this color. It's called Nectarine and is a pinkish-orangish shade, though it looks pink in the photos.
Lorna Jane Dash Excel Tank, Nectarine color, size medium


Here is the back with the LJ metal logo--very chic!

This fabric was also the Excel Mesh, but it was more lightweight. I guess the same Excel Mesh fabrics can have different weights, which makes it hard to order online (where there are no reviews).

This tank also had the drawstring at the bottom. This shows the drawstring slack. It is a loose fit, but not as loose as The Force Tank. The color is more true in this photo, taken outside.


This is with the drawstring tied, which I again like better than with it slack. I'm wearing it with an Athleta Relay Skort.

The back is just gorgeous. I'm wearing it with the Rhianan Sports Bra that's reviewed below.

I haven't worn this tank yet but think it will be great for running because it's so airy and lightweight. I also really like this tank.

Next up is the Comfort Sports Bra in Ocean. The color is a gorgeous blue with a hint of aqua and is more true in the second of these photos.
Lorna Jane Comfort Sports Bra, Ocean color, size medium

The fabric is thick and substantial--probably the thickest material I have in a bra. It is the LJ Classic fabric and tightly woven, not mesh. Here's a comparison of the thick band on this bra compared to the band of a Lululemon Energy Bra.

Also substantial are the bra cups. They are not just thin pieces of foam but are molded to have more material in the bottom and less on top--almost like a push-up bra. They are a thing of beauty, but unfortunately I couldn't get a good picture that really shows the shape.

The Lorna Jane size charts said I was a small, but I never believe size charts that have bra sizes at general sizes and not bra-cup sizes. I knew I would need a medium, so that's what I ordered. The fit of the medium is perfect and compares to the fit of a Lululemon Energy and All Sport Bra in size 8. It is very supportive and about as comfortable as a very supportive bra can be if that makes sense. Other sports bras I have that are as or more comfortable offer little support. I wore this bra hiking all afternoon and never felt the straps digging in or that it was uncomfortable in any way. But the real benefit of this bra is how the bra cups shape you. In no way did it look like I was smooshed or had a uniboob. My girls looked fantastic! Here is what the bra looks like under a slim-fitting tank (Lulu CRB tank in Paris Perfection). You will notice that you can see the outline of the band just above my ribs. You can also see how high coverage this bra is.
Lorna Jane Comfort Sports Bra under Lululemon Cool Racerback tank


The back of the bra just barely shows. Here you can see the full outline of the bra under the tank. I told you it's thick!

Last is the Rhianan Sports Bra in Laguna Beach, also in size medium. This bra is easily the most gorgeous bra I have!
Lorna Jane Rhianan Sports Bra, Lagune Beach color, size medium
This bra is made with both the LJ Classic and LJ Excel Mesh fabrics. This close-up shows the mesh above the bra cups. Note, the color is not true in this photo.

The back has an interesting design. I love this bra so much that I wish I could wear it out as a top!

The first and third photos above are pretty accurate as for the color, which is a greenish teal. It reminded me of Lululemon's Bali Breeze or Athleta's Catalina Green. Here is a comparison photo.
Clockwise from top: LJ Rhianan Bra in Laguna Beach, Lulu Bali Breeze, Lulu Surge

Here is the back view. I think this bra would look amazing with a tank with a very open back (which I don't have, so I'll have to put that on my wish list!)

Here's another shot of me wearing this bra under the Excel tank. Even with this loose-fitting tank, you can see the outline of where the bra cups meet the mesh.

I forgot to try this bra on under a slim-fitting top, but I'm certain you would be able to see the outline like you could the Comfort Sports Bra. Also, this bra has less coverage than the Comfort Sports Bra--you can see just a tad of cleavage at the top, but nothing obscene. I found this bra to be very supportive and comfortable.

Product Care
LJ's website says that "most" of its products are easy care to fit the needs of active women. Yet all four of these products were hand-wash only! The website does not give care instructions for each product, so it was a big shock to me that these were hand-wash. The tags also said some colors are not colorfast and instructed to hand-wash them in cold water with a tablespoon of added salt before wearing.

I was irritated that they were hand-wash--which I hate!--but I loved them all so much I decided to keep them. So I spent a good hour hand-washing all four pieces separately. Only the blue of the Comfort Sports Bra faded in the water.

What was very odd is that all four took a very long time to dry. You know how quickly workout clothes usually dry, so I was very surprised that all took so long to dry--especially the Classic fabric in the bras. This makes me think that the fabric may hold sweat, even though LJ's site says the fabric wicks. The item that dried the quickest was the Dash Excel Tank, which makes sense because it was the most lightweight. I wonder, though, whether it was a matter of everything holding more water since I washed by hand instead of machine?

Bottom Line
Positives

Negatives
While I love the style of what I got, for me the hand-washing may be a bigger issue. I'm not sure if I would buy more from Lorna Jane, at least items made with their mesh fabrics. I wonder if I could get away with throwing them in a fabric bag in the gentle cycle, but they were so expensive I don't want to chance it. Does anyone have experience with machine washing LJ items?

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