I Caved and Bought the Spanx Faux Leather Leggings

outfit 1: H&M blazer (shop more blazers here), Spanx faux leather leggings (shop more Spanx here), Tamara Mellon booties, Ray Ban sunglasses (shop more Ray Ban here) // outfit 2: H&M sweater (shop more sweaters here), Spanx faux leather leggings, Senreve bag (shop more Senreve here)

When it comes to the Spanx faux leather leggings, I didn’t get it–until now.  Sure, I have some of the leggings that I wear to the gym (and love them), but I saw how much others loved this pair in particular and how much they swore by them.  I saw the thousands of positive reviews on every website that sold them.  And I still wasn’t convinced.  The clothing snob in me was like, “Why would I get faux leather leggings when I have actual leather leggings?”  The 34 year old in me was like, “Faux leather? Like the pleather of yesteryear?”

I bought my Theory leather leggings in 2011–yes, almost nine years ago; they were a newish item to the market and a huge splurge for me.  I knew I couldn’t live without leather pants (and yes, I’m being dramatic).  At the time, faux fur and faux leather was definitely an option but it looked cheesy; the faux fur and faux leather that’s out today looks amazing compared to almost a decade ago–they’ve both come leaps and bounds!

I think I know why the Spanx faux-leather leggings are so popular.  They’re SUPER comfortable and suck you in.  They made my legs feel shapely (and I’m not that shapely, so that’s a plus for me!).  Bonus: they come in both a regular and maternity version.  I advise wearing them with a long sweater or jacket (I personally don’t love wearing leggings with short tops–the checked sweater is a bit too short for my liking).  As for shoes, they look just as good with fancy booties (pictured) as they do with sneakers or ballet flats.

So, I was wrong.  I get the hype.  I will always admit when I’m wrong and they’re a great fall/winter purchase that you’ll pull for over and over when you want to look pulled together but don’t feel like putting in the effort.  Am I giving up my real leather leggings?  Hell no–I’m keeping those for life (and by this point, the cost per wear is 0.0004 cents) and my suede Helmut Lang pair, too!  But it’s good to have a lighter-weight pair, like these Spanx leggings, in the ol’ arsenal.