Fall - October 16, 2020

Faux Leather Leggings Review: Commando vs Spanx

OK, I’m so excited to share today’s post with y’all because it is by far one of my most-asked questions this time of year! For years I’ve been a huge fan of any and all faux leather leggings and find any chance I can get to wear them all throughout Fall and Winter! I even wrote a whole guide on how to style faux leather leggings with lots of outfit ideas if you need some inspo!

But between all the pairs I’ve purchased and worn over the years, two particular pairs (or brands, rather) have always stood out to me – Commando and Spanx. And it’s actually a question I get quite often – which pair I like better or if I had to choose just one, which would it be?

The truth is, I love them both!! But of course they have their differences, so today is all about sharing the different features of each pair and giving you all the information you need to decide which one you want to buy! Or maybe you’ll want both!

I’d love to hear in the comments below which pair you prefer or find yourself wearing more and why. Or maybe you just have one pair and absolutely love it – regardless, I’d love to hear!

Commando Faux Leather Leggings

First up we have the Commando pair. I love this pair of faux leather leggings and reach for them quite a bit. One of the things that stands out to me the most about them is that the material is thicker and they’re fleece-lined. So for me, this pair might be more appropriate when it gets super cold outside. I also consider them to be more “formal” and find them easier to dress up if that makes sense? The finish is what makes a big difference with this as the Commando pair looks and feels more like actual leather!

Brighton butler wearing commando faux leather leggings with oversized sweater and sneakers, leather leggings outfit
Outfit Details: Free People Tan Sweater (wearing size XS) // Commando Faux Leather Leggings (wearing size small) // Golden Goose Sneakers // Ray Ban Sunglasses

As you can see from how I styled them though, you can clearly still dress them down! These sneakers are a great way to make them feel more casual and you can never go wrong with an oversized sweater this time of year. It’s probably my favorite way to style faux leather leggings in general!

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings

Next is the Spanx pair. I feel like Spanx leggings have a cult following and people go absolutely crazy for them and I totally understand why. They’re super comfortable yet they also “hold you in” (not much of that happening for me these days #bumplife) really well. The shapewear component to them is something I know a lot of people really love and when I’m not pregnant, I love it too!

Brighton butler wearing Spanx faux leather leggings with Topshop Animal print top
Outfit Details: Topshop animal print top (wearing size US2) // Spanx Faux Leather Leggings (wearing size small – the XS always feels a little too tight for my comfort) // Black booties (old – similar here)

To me, they wear much more like activewear or athletic leggings. They’re not lined, so they’re much thinner than Commando, which I think makes them a bit easier to move around in potentially (hence the reference to activewear). They also look more causal in general because the finish looks less like authentic leather. That said, I love to dress them up with black booties and a chic blouse – in this case, this super cute animal print chiffon top.

Commando vs. Spanx

If you’re still not sure or want more clarification, I also put together this chart to show you all of the differences side by side. Like I said at the beginning of the post, I don’t think one is better than the other, but you just have to think about what you need out of your faux leather leggings! Either way, I love that Nordstrom stocks them both and that y’all feel so passionately about it because it’s so fun to break this down!

spanx vs commando faux leather leggings comparison brighton the day blog

Which is your preference?

Do you have a particular pair that you love? If you’re hard-pressed for one or the other, tell me which brand and why in the comments so we can all see and weigh the options!

Thanks so much to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.