I Tried The Spanx Famous Faux Leather Leggings – Here’s My Honest Opinion

It’s rare that a style staple finds its way back into our wardrobes year and year. Usually, we shell out three figures for something we will wear four, maybe five, times and then tuck it into the depths of our closets to be forgotten about ’til next season.

Somehow the Spanx faux leather leggings have managed to break every style rule and are still trendy season after season making them worth the investment. Right? Well, kinda.

As someone that owns three pairs of Spanx faux leggings, here are my honest review that you should know.

In all fairness, this post is not sponsored, but I was gifted multiple pairs of Spanx faux leggings over the years for editorial consideration. It wasn’t until I got slews of messages from my readers asking about the actual wearability and worth of the leggings that I decided to do a post on it.

Please keep in mind that my experience is based on my body type. For reference, I am a size 2 / petite / and curvier on my bottom half. [Both my engagement ring and my body are pear-shaped (monkey-covering-eyes-emoji)]

Related: 4 Things To Look For In A Leather Jacket

What are the Different Kinds of Spanx Faux Leather Leggings

There are multiple colors, but for simplicity, let’s focus on the black Spanx faux leather leggings. They actually come in 3 styles: Regular, Moto & Active. They are also available in multiple lengths like petite, plus, and tall.

I’m 5’0 and the petite length actually fit me full length + some. I would say that if you are under 5’5″ you might want to consider a petite length.

Style wise, the regular Spanx leather leggings are your traditional sleek look. Alternatively, the vertical detailing near the knee are iconic in the “Moto” style. However, the newest addition to leather family is the active leggings. These hold the infamous Spanx compression but in a way that moveable and breathable.

Related: 8 Winter Staples You Need In Your Wardrobe

Shop the Spanx Faux Leggings

Honest Review to Original Spanx Leather Leggings

They look amazing on, but there is little stretch to them and after a while I can feel my legs getting a little numb. These aren’t comfy cotton leggings that you can be in all day — or at least I can’t. I think if I were taller and skinnier (cue Instagram models vouching for these leggings), it would make more sense.

I am usually a size 2 and in pants that are alphabetically sized (small, medium, large, xl, etc), I usually choose a small. The pair of Spanx original leather leggings that I have run small and long.

Honest Opinion To The Spanx Moto Leather Leggings

I found the sizing of the Spanx Moto Leather Leggings to be similar to the original pair. They were cute, but had little stretch and become uncomfortable after all day wear. But seriously, so cute.

I opted for the petite size in these and still found that they went comfortably over my ankles.

Review to Spanx Active Leather Leggings

The Spanx Active Leggings are designed to be worn in the gym, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only place you can wear them. These leggings have the most stretch and are breathable.

The Spanx Active Leggings are actually made in a 7/8 length, which made them perfect for my petite frame. They hit right above my ankles.

MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION

For date nights and quick outings, I found myself reaching for my Spanx leather leggings. Even though after a hearty meal, I could certainly feel them getting a little tighter.

However, when the Spanx active leather leggings came out this year, everything changed. Yes, I’ve worn them to work out but I also wear them all of the time. These give you the same slick look of the original Spanx leather leggings but with so much more comfort, stretch and breathability.

The only drawback I see is that these are “crop” length (i.e. 7/8th length leggings), and on me, that means that it hits the perfect spot (almost full length) but it’s a wider opening towards the bottom since it’s designed to sit on your lower calf and for me, it hits at the ankle.

Sahir insists no one can tell but me, but I figured it was worth mentioning. If you are taller than 5’3, I would be prepared for a crop length with the active leggings.

Best Spanx Faux Leather Leggings Dupe

Even spanx leggings is known for its high quality and prove their claim that it can make you look slimmer, I know this is quite expensive. So these are the best alternatives you can buy that similar to spanx but in an affordable price.

Spanx Dupe #1 – Aerie

I got this crackle and shine leather leggings from Aerie as a quick dupe for spanx and it’s under $35. Although not very similar to the original, I’ve used this leggings for days that I needed to be in the leggings longer than I could manage.

Unfortunately, Aerie discontinued this leggings, so I’ll linked the other affordable options I saw on Amazon.

Related: Are These Lululemon Dupes For Under $35?

Spanx Dupes #2 – Amazon

I’ve searched for leggings that similar to Spanx and these are what I saw on Amazon. They have higher ratings, feedbacks, and also recommended by other bloggers, so I’m confident to share it with you.

These spanx faux-leggings #1 is the cheapest of the two options which only costs $24. Most of the feedbacks say that it is comfortable and looked expensive. The cons here is just the smell but it’s curable after 2 washes.

The other spanx faux-leggings #2 is from Tagoo which is $40. This shinier and has high quality compare the former.

Final thoughts on Spanx Faux Leather Leggings

If you’re going to shell out $100+ for leggings I know that they have to be worth it. You have to consider seasonality, wearability, and cost per wear.

I can confidently say that I would recommend the Spanx activewear leather leggings both inside and outside of the gym. If you aren’t as curvy on the bottom half, you may love the original leather leggings too! You can always size up and see if that gives you a little more room to enjoy an extra piece of pie this holiday season.

Hope this review helps you on deciding what to buy on Spanx faux leather leggings!