I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love leather!

I love the way it smells, the way it feels and how it only gets better with age. I also really love how it looks when you pair smooth leather with a chunky knit. It’s both cozy and chic.

Another [less wonderful] quality of leather is that it’s not inexpensive. If it is, then you’re definitely sacrificing the quality. If I could afford it, I would’ve invested in a pair of epic leather pants for the fall and winter season, but I don’t have $500-$1,000 available to spend on just one pair of pants. So instead, I made it my mission to find some good faux leather pants within my budget.

*I should preface the below by telling you that I have yet to purchase any of my picks, because I’m still in the “researching” phase, but I plan to write a follow up post about the winning pair (or pairs) of faux leather pants.*

There are a few things that I’m looking for specifically:

• the faux leather shouldn’t be overly shiny (definitely not going for the patent leather look here)
• the pants should be lined with a material that slides easily over the leg (NOT the material that’s on the outside of the pant)
• they should have a reasonable rise: high or mid. There’s nothing worse than a pair of faux leather pants creeping down your bum every 10 seconds.

Here are a few picks that I came up with so far. I’ll have more accurate information once I can try some of these on!

A. Forever21 Contemporary Faux Leather Leggings >> I like that these have a nice high rise, and the 3 colors that they’re available in are all so good! My concern with these will be stretch: will they be too tight on my calves?

B. Lysse’ High Waist Faux Leather Leggings >> I was able to feel these pants when they had them at Anthro, and they seem like they’d be very comfortable! Lysse’ always has the softed, stretchiest leggings- so I have high hopes for these!

C. Free People Vegan Leather Skinnies >> These are more of a true pant, as opposed to a legging. This means that it’s even more important for the fit to be right. From what I can tell, these are definitely worth a shot. It looks like only white is currently available in my size, but I’m not at all opposed to that color option!

D. Citizens of Humanity Rocket Leatherette Skinnies >> Okay, so these might just win by default. This is my favorite style/brand of jeans in a faux leather finish, so I already know these babies will fit like a dream. They also happen to come in some perfect fall/winter colors.