Spanx faux leather leggings are a constant on my Instagram feed.  It seems as that every blogger on the planet believes they are the “end all, be all” of leggings.  To be honest, I have been dying to try them.  But spending $100 on leggings is a hard pill to swallow for me.  Most of the items I share are on the affordable side of things and it is not easy to promote a product that costs that much to my followers unless I am convinced something is worth the money.

Back in January, I caught some of the Spanx faux leather leggings on sale and decided I would invest in them and try them.  I felt like I needed to wear them and wash them to see if they held up also.  When I purchased the leggings, I got them for around $48 because of a sale.  I grabbed the snakeskin, olive, and grey moto leggings, all in the faux leather material.  My friend, Michelle had the black ones and I used hers for the photo comparisons below.  To see if you can choose the Spanx vs my top dupe, scroll to the bottom.  The caption gives the answer, so don’t go too fast!

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings:  An Honest Review

Spanx:  Pros

The Spanx faux leather leggings do exactly as they claim when it comes to sucking everything into place.  In my opinion, they make your silhouette more sleek and firm looking.  Spanx was founded as shape wear, so it is not a surprise that they hold you in, while making your legs and booty look great too.  As far as the shaping features go on the Spanx faux leather leggings, you will have a hard time beating it.

The lining of the Spanx leggings is very silky and it feels really nice on the inside.  It is soft and I think it probably helps you feel like things are smooth.  While the leggings are tight, as they are intended, they are still really comfortable.  I can see what makes them easy to style.  You can dress them up or down and they are super versatile.  For reference, I wear a small in the Spanx.  I could possibly size down, but I want to be able to breathe, LOL!

Spanx:  Cons

The Spanx faux leather leggings have a very distinct sheen on them.  It is almost a crackle effect.  This is one thing that I love about them.  However, over the last month or so, I have worn my faux leather leggings and laundered them several times.  The sheen seems to flake off at times.  So far, it hasn’t impacted the look of the leggings.  But it is has only been a few weeks. I am concerned that over time, these leggings will show wear in the butt and thigh areas, as those areas rub against each other when I walk or as I am sitting.

The price is most assuredly a con, in my opinion.  I have a difficult time justifying the $98 price.  It is definitely a splurge for me.  Personally, I would need them to be on sale around $70 or less, in order for me to purchase again.   I don’t regret my purchases, but I got them for under $50.  They are worth that, without a doubt.

Other Options:

To be completely transparent, I purchased three other pairs of faux leather leggings in 2019.  I was determined to find some at an affordable price point.  In my experience, there is usually a way to look fashionable and on trend, without breaking the bank.  I have always been a bargain shopper and I love to create looks that others can attain and feel confident in wearing too.  Comparison is hard in our society and everyone tells you what you need to buy to be fabulous.

Even though I am a blogger, I am telling you, do not fall into the “I need that” trap.  If you have the money to buy something and it doesn’t put you in a financial bind, go for it.  Otherwise, find an alternative dupe you can afford or save until you can buy it.  I am #sorrynotsorry for the soapbox, I just know what it is like to be in debt.  Debt can be a terrible trap and I never want people to feel like they have to “keep up with the Jones’s”.

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings Dupe:  Express

Express is one of my favorite stores.  They have some great items and I have shopped there for years.  I saw they had high waisted, vegan leather leggings back in December and I picked them up for under $35.  In my opinion, they are almost as good as the Spanx faux leather leggings.  They are high waisted and suck you in well.  Maybe not quite as good as the Spanx version, but still they are great!  The finish is a dull leather, so they are not super shiny.  They don’t have the crackle finish, however, the Express vegan leggings do not flake off and I don’t worry about the wear showing on them. I also think they are a bit warmer than the Spanx leggings. And to a girl that runs a heater in her office all the time, that is a big deal.

My only “complaint” about them is that I think they are a little long.  I purchased the ankle leggings and they are still a little too long on me and I have to work with them to pull them up high enough so they don’t look bunchy.  If they were available in petite when I got them, they would be perfect.  They are available now.  The Express vegan leggings run bigger than the Spanx so an extra small is a better fit in them for me.  They also come in a fantastic pecan color that my neutral loving self is dying to try!

I highly recommend these leggings if you are looking for a high quality dupe.  I have a hard time telling them apart in the side by side photos.  And when I polled some people, many of them chose the Express leggings over the Spanx leggings!  The Express vegan leggings are my favorite Spanx dupe, hands down!

NEW FAVORITE Spanx Faux Leather Leggings Dupe:  Simply Vera Wang

When I originally wrote this post earlier this year, the Express leggings above were my favorite Spanx dupe.  But I happened to see these faux leather leggings on the Kohl’s site and I knew they had that Spanx look.  If you remember I mentioned that the Spanx version has dull, kind of crackle sheen to it.  And while I love the look, it caused the leggings to flake and that was a big issue for me.  But oh my word, these Simply Vera Wang Luxe Leggings are as close as it gets to the look of actual Spanx and they don’t break the bank!  The only thing they don’t do as well, is suck you in and shape your booty as much as Spanx. So if you need a lot of shaping, you may want to stick to Spanx.  There isn’t much that can compete with that aspect.

Personally, I think these faux leather leggings are incredibly comfortable.  They are shaping, but I can breathe in them.  In my opinion, they run a tiny bit big.  The smallest is a small and they were a little big in the waist on me and slightly long, but I don’t think you can tell.  They are soft and feel great on your skin.  You can dress them up or down easily and wear them for a long time!  The best part is that the regular price is only $42.  Since these are at Kohl’s, it is pretty much a guarantee that you will be able to get them on sale.  I had a promo code and got them for under $20!  Additionally, they are available in wine and an ocean blue color that I think would be great for fall.  So what are you waiting for?  Get these almost identical dupes while you can!

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings Dupe:  Amazon

I love Amazon fashion.  Typically, I can find some great dupe options on there and I love that I can have most items in a day or two.  I picked up a couple of faux leather legging options from them to test them out.  One has a duller sheen, which I love.  The other is a shiny finish, more similar to the Commando patent leather leggings.  Those are also pricey!  I can’t speak for the quality of the Commando ones as I haven’t tried them, but the shiny ones are a decent dupe for those on looks, but they still aren’t as shiny as the Commando version.

As you might expect, the Amazon options don’t offer the shaping pros as much as the Spanx version.  But to be honest, they are not that bad either. I wore the dull ones to work with a long leopard sweater and several people asked me if they were the Spanx version.  The best part about this dupe?  The price!  They are under $20!  If you are on a budget and want to experiment with faux leather leggings, I would suggest you consider these or the Express version.  If you love them, you can always save and upgrade to the Spanx faux leather leggings.

Amazon Dupe-Duller Sheen 

Amazon Commando Dupe:  Shiny Sheen 

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings Dupe:  Assets by Spanx

I have to be totally honest with you guys. I had such high hopes for these dupes.  They are made by Spanx, so surely they would be good, right?  Do they suck you in and shape?  Without a doubt.  So I will give them high marks for shaping.  However, they have a cheap, plastic feel to them.  I thought they were really difficult to get on and off too.  The waistband is not faux leather so you would need to be sure you are wearing a longer top to cover that part up too.  Overall, I just did not love these at all.

Side By Side Comparison-Can You Pick The Spanx Leggings?

In close, if you have the means to buy the Spanx faux leather leggings, they offer the best in shaping and holding everything in place.  However, if you are looking for some more affordable options, they ones I mentioned above are great too.  Below is a side by side comparison of the Spanx faux leather leggings and the Express vegan leather leggings.  Can you tell them apart??

I posted about it above, but here are some more side by side comparisons of the Spanx vs Simply Vera Wang.  I am still a bit amazed at how much the Vera Wang leggings are almost identical to the Spanx version!

2021 Update!

I have updated the links and added a $15 pair of Spanx dupes to my favorites list!  I grabbed a pair of faux leather leggings at Walmart of all places, and I have to tell you-I was SHOCKED!  They are almost identical to the Spanx ones and only $15.  If you see these, I highly recommend that you pick them up and try them!  They are in and out of stock online, but I have seen them in the store several times.

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