Heather C Heather C is a married, mom of three: big sis Lily and identical twins Natalie and Sophia. She has been guest blogging for Mumbling Mommy since February of 2012 and began working as a Social Media Editor in 2014. After nearly a decade in banking, she now works part time at a doctor's office specializing in breastfeeding medicine and spends the rest of her days in her Midwest home as zookeeper/stay-at-home-mom. Heather C is also a runner, hiker, yogi, bike rider and more. She reads when she finds more than a few minutes to herself and she hosts a lot of pajama dance parties in her kitchen. In her spare time, she's the co-leader for her daughter's Girl Scout troop and an active member of the school's Parent-Teacher Committee as well as a certified postpartum doula.

Lularoe. You’ve heard of it, no? It’s a brand of clothing sold through pop-up in-home and online “parties” where women invite all their friends to shop and try things on. The host receives a certain amount of free clothes based on what her guests buy.

The most popular Lularoe item may be their leggings. They boast a one-size-fits-all tag (sizes 0-12) and are buttery soft. Lularoe only makes a select number in each (bright and bold) print, so many designs have earned the name “unicorn prints” because they are so scarcely available and women will pay double and triple the price to get their hands on them.

But are Lularoe leggings everything they claim?

And can you get the look for cheaper without sacrificing quality? Furthermore, will your friends be able to tell the difference?

I attended my very first Lularoe party about a month ago. I was extremely skeptical, but sure enough, on my curvy, postpartum body they fit like some kind of magical miracle. The leggings were priced at $25 a pair. I felt like these were worth the splurge, so I went home with two pairs that night.

I owned quite a few pair of leggings already. Many are from places like Old Navy, Target, and Kohl’s. Before Lularoe, I had never paid more than $10 for a pair of leggings. I am an extremely frugal mom, so I started feeling guilty about the price and spent a little time scanning eBay and Amazon, curious if there were better deals out there. Lo and behold, I found out about Viv Collection, which claims the same buttery softness, the same one-size stretch, and is less than half the cost. I immediately found a print I loved and ordered.

With fall weather in full swing here in the Midwest, I’ve had a chance to wear both brands of leggings and can speak to a few points here.

Lularoe versus Viv Collection

  • Fit: I am a bit bigger on bottom, averaging between sizes 8-10, and both brands fit me well. The Viv Collection leggings are just slightly longer than Lularoe, but they otherwise fit me identically.
  • Comfort: I compared tags on both brands. They are both the same fabrics. Both feel buttery soft. Both stretch with my body as I move. Lularoe and Viv Collection have a thickness to their leggings that I don’t have in my other brands, so I can trust that when I am on the floor with my kids, I won’t wear a hole prematurely in these new pants.
  • Design: The only difference I can see between the two brands is the design of the waistband. The Lularoe leggings have a wide panel at the waistband with no elastic inside; they rely on the fabric’s natural stretch. The Viv Collection, however, just has a one-inch-thick elastic band for the waist with the fabric sewn around it. After wearing both, I honestly don’t have a preference. I have a pretty narrow waist, but if control top is something you like, the Lularoe may be better. They don’t specifically offer more control in the waist, but the design naturally provides a little.
  • Look: The patterns from both companies are adorable in my opinion. Lularoe offers some that are more obscure than Viv Collection, like French fries or piano keys as well as seasonal holiday prints. Viv Collection has a limited amount of roughly 50-70 prints that run more conservative. Both offer solid-colored leggings as well, although I’ve heard Lularoe will be doing prints only in the future. Viv Collection also offers fleece-lined leggings for extra warmth.
  • Quality: In the reviews for Viv Collection, a few users reported seams popping or loose threads. I have not had any quality issues with mine. I did actually have one loose thread on a pair of my Lularoe leggings, though, so I think it is possible for bad eggs to make it past quality control in any company. Both brands are made in China.

Overall, I’m very happy with my Viv Collection leggings as an impostor to the real thing.

When I shared the image above of myself in both leggings, most friends had no idea which pair was which. The leggings on the left are Lularoe. The leggings on the right are Viv Collection.

I would never lie to someone about wearing an off brand if they asked me. Heck, I’m the kind of person who loves to share a good deal. I do like my Lularoe leggings undoubtedly as well. I like that my purchase supports a friend and that many moms are able to bring in a small income to help their families by signing up with Lularoe. Obviously, by purchasing from Viv Collection, this factor isn’t an option. I may buy more Lularoe in the future if the right print grabs my attention, but for now I have my eyes on several Viv Collection prints already in my cart waiting on my next paycheck.

To purchase Lularoe, find a consultant near you.

To purchase Viv Collection, you can find them on Amazon.

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Category: Fashion

Tags: Heather C.