Spanx’s faux leather leggings are totally worth their price tag | CNN Underscored

(CNN) —  

Spanx’s faux leather leggings are one of the international shapewear savior’s bestsellers. Not only can their seamless fit and versatility take them from your daily stretches to your cardio routine, but their chic leather look makes it easy to pair them with a turtleneck for a perfect night-out look (not just because my mom said, “You look like Sandy from ‘Grease!’” as soon as I tried them on).

Though the faux leather material certainly points to the classic ‘80s movie, the wear of these leggings is more like cotton. The body is a comfortable blend of 87% nylon, 13% spandex and elastane, topped with a polyurethane coating, while the contoured “Built-In Power Waistband” is a poly-spandex blend with elastane. The waistband’s glossy finish is designed to hug you in the right places, all while being next-level comfortable.

While the leggings are quite pricey at $98, we wanted to get a pair ourselves so we could test them and really find out if they’re worth the price tag (spoiler alert: the answer is absolutely).

I usually wear jeans 24/7, but working from home has deemed leggings, like it has for so many of us, my saving grace. My year-after-year favorites are from Marshall’s, and, contrary to popular trends, I’ve never owned the customer-favorite Lululemon leggings. As my first quality pair of leggings, I can confidently say that the Spanx ones are so worth their price tag.

They have been glued to my hips for about a week and have been worn in while working at my desk, relaxing on the couch, going on a brisk walk (they are warm without being suffocating) and doing my 30-minute stretch and workout routine. I have a petite frame, and I was over the moon to discover Spanx carries the leggings in petite, regular and tall sizes. They do run a bit small, so going up a size is recommended.

As mentioned, these leggings fit like a glove but are incredibly stretchable and breathable. At first, I noticed they were more suctionlike than the other pairs of leggings in my drawer (which really formed to my shape nicely), but they don’t feel too tight or restricting, even during workouts. It was like this pair of Spanx was tailored by the gods. I appreciated their high-waisted design, plus they don’t have a center seam, which means you don’t have to worry about any camel toe effect, especially if your top is a bit more cropped — another win!

Though working from home has been the new normal for many professionals this year, you can totally get away with wearing these leggings with a longer tunic and a blazer for days at the office, when that becomes a thing again. I don’t have the urge to change into pajama bottoms throughout the day (after all, Zoom doesn’t pan down), but by the time 8 p.m. rolled around, I forgot I was even wearing these formfitting leggings. So, yes, you could get away with comfortably sleeping under the covers with this Spanx pair.

Before washing them, I spilled my pressed powder on the upper thigh portion of the leggings, but a simple dab of cold water on the spot removed it like magic. For larger stains or your typical routine wash, they are machine-wash safe. Spanx recommends drying them flat, so I laid them down to air-dry. After they were dried, I noticed no noticeable change to their fit, comfort, breathability or stretch — even when I did Rockette-style kicks during my dance workouts.

And pro tip: The leggings pair well with the brand’s matching faux leather medium impact sports bra ($68) for a workout, or this Spanx top (also $68) for a more dressed-up look.

While I’m the type of person who typically prefers jeans over leggings for everyday wear, this versatile pair is an exception. They’re durable and will likely last for years to come (see their sparkling customer reviews for further reference), which makes their price tag more than justified. Wearing them made me feel both comfortable and confident — the dynamic duo that separates a meh pair of leggings from an exceptional one, and this Spanx pair is undoubtedly the latter.