I’ve been watching the faux leather legging trend get more and more popular. I can be a little slow to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to new trends (I fought the skinny jean trend for years!). But I’m loving the faux leather legging trend and decided it was time to add a pair to my wardrobe. Read on for my review of several different pairs at a range of price points.
Pair #1
Still leery about whether it was something I could pull off I opted to start with purchasing an inexpensive pair. I chose this pair from Jess Lea Boutique, which was priced at $26 and had good reviews. The first time I wore them I had put lotion on shortly before getting dressed. Big mistake! I could hardly get them on. As the day went on though and the lotion soaked into my skin I noticed that I was starting to get some sagging and bunching going on. I felt like I had to keep pulling them up and unbunching them at the knee and below my butt. I was feeling discouraged that this trend was one I couldn’t pull off and was glad that I had decided to go the economical route to figure it out.
A couple weeks later we had family visiting from out of town and my very trendy and chic in-law was wearing a pair. They looked great on her. She had gotten them from Express. I was hopeful that maybe I could pull it off after all and the next time I was in town I stopped in to our local store. Express has two styles, one with a narrow waistband and one with a wide waistband. All they had in the store in my size was the narrow waistband option. I tried them on and I did like how they looked in the legs, but I did not like the narrow waistband. It is more likely to have pressure points and cause some lumps and bumps to show through your top:) But for the price point of $50 I think that I would have been really happy with the wide waistbanded pair. Sorry, I did not get any pictures of this pair.
Pair #2
Then I went searching online. I came across this pair from Nordstroms that had good reviews. They were priced at $69. When they arrived, I liked how thick they felt in comparison to the first pair I had tried. When I tried them on I had a few issues with them though. First, they were possibly too thick. Instead of contouring with the body they would gather and pucker, especially in the hip/groin area. Second, the wide waist band was not attached to the leggings on the bottom side of the band and it wanted to shift and roll with movement. They were not flattering from behind. I wouldn’t wear them with a top that didn’t cover my rear, so that part didn’t seal my decision to return them. Another thing to note is their length. I am only 5’ 2” and these were barely full length on me. Taller women would definitely have an issue with the length of these. I did like the seam detailing across the back and down the outside front of the leg. They are flattering on the model in the pictures on Nordstrom’s website, so I’m sure they would be great on some people.
Pair #3
I went back to searching online. When I searched the first time I had found a lot of women raving about the Spanx Faux Leather Leggings, but they were the most expensive and at the time they were out of stock. I also wasn’t sure about the texture on them. They didn’t have the same flat leather look/texture of the other pairs. I decided to give them a try though after my other failed attempts (and them being back in stock). I have to say, I’m in agreement with all the other reviews that I read about how great they are. They fit like a glove, but in a way that pulls/pushes/squishes everything together in the most flattering way! The wide waistband does not cause any spill over at the top, they make your legs look longer and leaner and they don’t bunch at the knee or the back of the thigh/below your butt cheek.
The Verdict
There are a lot of times that a less expensive version is a great way to go. I love shopping at H&M because I feel that the clothes are so reasonably priced that if I only get one season of wear out of them I still got my money’s worth. However, this is one of those instances that it is worth it to spend the extra money and invest in the good pair that will last and will be the most flattering. These leggings are incredibly versatile. They can be dressed down with a plaid top and sneakers or dressed up with a shimmery top and heels.
Now I’m crushing on these Spanx Faux Leather Moto Leggings! Do you have a pair of faux leather leggings? What is your favorite way to wear them?
