Best leather leggings

[bananafish81]

A pair of proper leather leggings is on my autumn lust list - I want to splurge on a decent pair of genuine leather leggings, after wearing the hell out of my faux leather ones (and wishing they were real leather)

Where does the best pair?

I tried J Crew on and absolutely adored them, I was practically mewing with delight as I stroked them - really comfy and looked great. But before I spunk an utterly obscene amount of money on a pair of trousers, where else should I be looking?

Baukjen? Me+Em? All Saints?

I don't think I want to even try a pair of Helmut Langs on in case I want to marry them and have to remortgage in the process, but any recommendations would be gratefully received

Otherwise I'll just go a bit nuts ordering ones from everywhere to try at home - any recs of ones to avoid?

Ah I see what you mean about the cropped Vince pairs, mine are lovely and tapered around the ankle and now I've seen a pair of Tom Ford ones worth lusting over on NAP. Bloody hate when brands change a winning thing, one of the nicest pairs I own are from Acne Studios which people ask me about all the time where it's from but they don't do them anymore, instead they do odd patchwork wide leg versions

No worries on the Ross situation, the lining is bonded onto the leather and it's quite smooth and very easy to get in and out of IME. They're pleasantly warm (body temp plus a bit) but never hot and I don't sweat in them either which helps because getting leather cleaned professionally is extortionate. If you are concerned try them on with tights, especially if you're fitting between sizes and unsure if a pair is going to be too tight. The leather does stretch and mould to your body so getting the right fit is important, if it's too roomy at the start they can go baggy. Equally, seams should not be stressed too much.

Glad to hear things are still great with your skin

I don't even want it look at the real ones, they will be too beautiful! I have some vintage leather trousers, would love to get a qualified seamstress to take out the slight widening at the end and replace with a stretch jersey zip insert to update them!

Banana to add to your expensive list, I would add Theory. They were about £900 and a fantastic fit. Sorry not much help!!

Can I ask what footwear you all wear with your leather leggings. I love them but am struggling to think of what boots/shoes I'd wear without looking like I've (a) just got off a motorbike or (b) am on the way to a night out at the sugar hut!

I'm stunned at 900£ on trousers.

Cool story Cheryl

I know you guys are looking at leather but I have these from h and m and they are lovely . I thin they look super expensive and at the mo there are some 24/3o in the sale for £9.99! For you little people , great for every day!

I am really impressed with the Baukjen leather leggings - they are mid range price point but really good quality. I got a dress maker to put belt loops on them and had them shortened.
I have them in black and navy but to be honest, only really wear my black pair. I have worn them to death so am considering a pricier pair when these give up the ghost which won't be anytime soon.

XiCi, I wear mine with heeled ankle boots or sneakers (I don't own them but on other people Adidas Stan Smiths and All Stars look particularly good). I also have a pair of the Isabel Marant wedge sneakers and they're like a match made in heaven with leather leggings and a slouchy textured sweater.

To make them more current this season you could go with those kitten heel sock boots I suppose, a bit 90's Tom Ford reminiscent where legs look endlessly long. Or the flat pointed toe ballerinas that are everywhere now. Pointed toes tend to work quit well with them in general but there's plenty of scope and you can play a bit with texture and materials too.

Thanks botemp that's really helpful

i am getting these ! they sound amazing ! cant wait

They are fake leather though ^

Oh I know my link are fake And also more jeans like than leggings but they are £10!

Oh no imjessie I mean the ones in my link are fake so sorry that must have looked really rude of me !!

No don't worry I didn't take it as rude , just thinking how nice they are ( I have a pair ) and perfect for everyday as they machine wash 😁

Hiya - if anyone is still on the fence about ordering those Baukjen leather leggings we've got a 15% discount code for you: MUM217

That will get you 15% off all orders over £59 PLUS free delivery and returns until the end of October.

I got a pair of leather front leggings from M&S last winter, I have full leather leggings and trousers from H&M and I prefer the M&S ones as I don't worry about them splitting along the arse seam (which happened with my trousers )

NAP order arrived and the scores on the doors:

-Joseph : lovely but just not for me. Not a huge fan of the elasticated waistband and the legs are so ridiculously long they're basically like tights, so they'd need tailoring to make them work (and obvs wouldn't know how they'd look until they were altered and thus couldn't be returned)

• By Malene Birger. These are absolutely lush. Really, really great. Ankle is slightly too baggy but otherwise fit is great. Really gorgeous, but.....

• Helmut Lang. Omg. They're so buttery soft I just want to stroke them. The MB ones are beautiful but the quality side by side means they look like they could be faux leather in comparison to the Helmut Lang pair. I love the back pockets on the HL, and the ankle fit is perfect for shoving into ankle boots.

Size 4 was too big, size 2 is terrific - I ought to have followed your advice @botemp and got a size 0 to try on, but tbh the fit around the knees and calves seems bang on (not too baggy, not being constricted) - such that I wonder if a 0 might be a touch too tight. How much give do they have after wearing for a while?

Obvs impossible to see very well here (and certainly can't see the quality, so looks like it could be a bog standard pair of regular leggings), but o leather leggings gurus, how does this fit look? This is the HL size 2...

Thanks so much for indulging me and for help thus far!

I can comfortably move, squat / bend down to tie my shoes in the HL 2, if I went any smaller am wondering if I might feel like I was testing the limits of the seams. Suspect I am answering my own question, in that if I'm gonna spend this much money, I suppose I ought to order the 0 to try it on and be sure?

Were you having the size zero balk . They do give a bit with a wear so as long as the elastic isn't digging in your waist you could size down for a tighter fit if you prefer that look, it becomes much more a question of style than sizing as there isn't much between them although sometimes one size can just give that edge. Give it a fit with some different tops too, if you want to be able to tuck things in the 2 may be better able to take in the extra fabric than a 0 would.

Have you gone through footwear options too? I'm shorter so tend to prefer them cropped as it works better with flats, sneakers, and pumps for me but still works with an ankle boot.

MNHQ, can we get some Helmut Lang discount codes instead?

Oh my god I'm getting total trews envy here.
I would never in a million years be able to afford real leather leggings but oh my gosh they are gorgeous. I'll just pop and look atthe fake pairs....

I thought I had ordered the two smallest sizes, but apparently not, so guessing it must have been exactly that thought process @botemp! There's a very slight gape at the small of my back on the waist with the 2, but that means I can comfortably tuck in if I want to - also don't have any VPL issues with this pair, which I'm guessing might be a bit more of an issue with a tighter fit. No way to know unless I try though really!

Tried on with several pairs of shoes ( flats, brogues, stan Smiths, various different ankle boots and summer sandals) and the HL are just the job - the MB were slightly too baggy around the ankle for boots, but the HL are juuuuuuust right

Re: Baukjen I actually got a catalogue through the post and there's a 20% off plus free delivery code (so slightly better than the MN code). Not sure if it's personal to me (and thus whether more than one person could use it) but will do some digging and see if I can post it for others to make use of....

I can't stand a gape, but I'm an hourglass where that signals bad fit that will only end up getting looser over time. I've never really had VPL issues, don't know what it is about leather but it doesn't really show that through.

To aid you with the size 0 complex, HL actually go to a 00 (which would definitely be too small) but I've never really seen it for sale outside of an HL store in Asia. American sizing is definitely off though, I am not at all what one would think of as a size zero but there are times after scowling at the 4 and 2 even that turns out to be a loose fit. There's definitely some weird vanity sizing happening there in the designer brands (who used to be the total opposite, at least the French are still consistently discriminatory there).

Not that I wish to encourage you to spend even more, but if you really like the fit of them, HL often do denim versions of the leggings. Their denim, in general, is quite underrated for what it is, I feel. Also, black formal trousers, t-shirts, suit jackets, and the drapey dresses are effing amazing. Anyhow, I digress and I sound like I'm on HL commission now.

Great choice OP!

Right so I've got the size 0 and 2, I'm here to bore you rigid and bother you for your thoughts on my dull sizing dilemma - thank you for humouring me!

The 0 certainly fits, but it's a wriggle to get them on and they're very much more of a spray on skin tight legging than the 2, which looks a bit less 'sandy from grease'. The 0 is better on the waist, but I think the fit looks a bit too tight around the crotch compared to the 2 - badly taken pics attached

The 2 feels more flattering overall as is, but not sure how much 'give' around the knees I should be allowing for...

First world problems much?!?