I Get Showered With Compliments When I Wear These Vegan Leather Leggings (and They're Secretly So Comfy)

And they’re machine washable!

It’s hard to come by good-quality vegan leather leggings (life is tough, I know). The complaints are always the same: They’re unflattering in all the wrong places, made of noticeably cheap fabric, hard to move in, or make weird noises with every step. But even if I were into wearing genuine leather, the price points don’t exactly align with my budget—so hunt for faux leather, I must.

My search for the best faux leather pants came to an end about a year ago. I found my perfect pair in Lyssé vegan leather leggings, and they're everything I didn’t know I needed.

RELATED: These Comfortable Work-Perfect Pants Feel Just Like Yoga Pants—and I’m Obsessed

I first saw these chic, fitted skinnies on—wait for it—my mom (yes, she’s that cool). She was actually wearing Lyssé’s faux suede pants, and everyone around her kept stopping to ogle and demand to know where she’d gotten them. All she kept saying was, “They’re fake, and they feel like pajamas.” In her effort to humbly deflect compliments, she was actually selling them better than any ad could. Faux, luxe-looking fabric options, great quality, reasonably priced, machine washable, and comfortable? Where do I sign?

After checking out the female-founded clothing brand’s selection online, I ordered the basic vegan leather leggings (and also maybe a pair of The Cotton Skinnies!), and have never looked back. The soft, stretchy (but not too stretchy/clingy) lining, and its flattering, wide-band high waist are huge selling points. Plus, they really don’t require any special care—I simply toss them in the wash, inside-out, with the rest of my cold-wash laundry, and take them out to air-dry.

RELATED: 7 Insanely Popular Leggings on Amazon for Less Than $30

While they were, admittedly, a bit more expensive than I’d hoped to pay for fake shiny pants, it was worth the small investment—they’re higher quality and more durable than a lot of other faux leather options out there. And instead of just looking like leggings with a cheap sheen, they have enough structure to look like actual pants worthy of dinner and drinks, and even work, with the right top. I can dress them up or down—they're pretty much ready for anything.

Besides being versatile, effortlessly cool, and athletic-wear comfy, one functional perk I secretly love about these pants is that they kind of repel water (I call them my scuba pants). When it’s pouring rain or snowing sideways, instead of wearing jeans and being forced to sit in cold, wet denim at my desk all day, I wear my Lyssé leggings. Since my work commute involves a 15-minute walk outside, this is my favorite wardrobe-weather hack—and they haven't let me down yet.

I’ve been getting compliments on my Lyssé pants for a while now, and I’m always looking to pass the torch. If you’re on the hunt for a great pair of faux leather pants or leggings, I highly recommend these.

RELATED: 13 Top-Rated Black Leggings That Are So Comfortable, You’ll Never Want to Take Them Off