Saw It On Social: Spanx Perfect White Pants

Does it annoy anyone else when you open up your social channels on a random Tuesday afternoon and are bombarded with content from one brand?  That’s what happened to me with Spanx Perfect White Pants.

My favorite home blogger had a reel showing how well they moved when she was staging a house.  My favorite traditional fashion blogger had several videos showing how the white pants are completely opaque.  And one after another, the other influencers I follow were all posting videos about the same pants on the same day.

I always wonder why brands think this is a good idea.  In the business of politics, we call this kind of grassroots-resembling campaign astroturf because the origins are fake.  But plastic grass aside, maybe the pants are great?

As you know, I own the Spanx Perfect Pants in the wide leg style.  I love these pants. The regular length is exactly the inseam I need to wear flats without hemming (32.5″ — score!), the material is thick and comfortable, and the fit is amazing.  They are the perfect pants (name drop) for every work day, and they’re especially nice on days when your body doesn’t feel its best.

They make several styles of pants, most of which are inclusively sized with petite and tall options and running up to 3x.  My only complaint is that after a month of washing, the hem fell out of one of the legs and I had to have it repaired.  Not a big deal, but a little bit of a surprise.  I switched to delicate and washed them solo after and haven’t had a problem since.

Now that we’ve reviewed, let’s talk about the white pants.

Spanx founder Sara Blakely has a famous story about the origins of her company, in which she convinces the buyer at Neiman Marcus to stock her product by showing the woman what her butt looked like in a pair of white pants before and after Spanx.  So it’s no wonder that the company says it took seven years for them to develop a white pant that honored that legacy by being completely opaque and utterly comfortable.

The pants are totally opaque due to an innovation called Silver Linings Technology.  This is a fabulous thing for those of us who remember a time when all pants were lined, especially the white ones.  No more searching for the flesh-toned underwear so you can wear  the white pants you brought on vacation.

I purchased the wide leg version of these pants because I knew that I already like that style.  The problem was all of the white pants are cropped.  The inseam on the wide leg version is just 26-inches for regular lengths.  Which was a bummer because it limits how much I can wear these pants, since cropped pants and a professional office only mix on Fridays (your mileage may vary).

So I sent the regular length back wide legs and picked up the tall inseam in the Straight Leg Ankle Pant, which is 29-inches.  Not an ideal solution, but I really love these pants.  The length is now slightly cropped, as opposed to high wader, and looks like an ankle-length work pant.  I really like it with a poplin blouse or an eyelet top for chilly brunches or Friday office runs.  I also plan to tuck them into boots in the Fall and wear them with blazers.

But let’s talk for a minute about the star of the show: The Shorts.

Spanx make their white opacity shorts in both a 4″ length and a 6″ length.  Only the 6″ is available in inclusive sizing.  I bought these on a lark because, as a new mom, I will be wearing more shorts this summer than dresses.  And white shorts are a particularly difficult item to find.

But holy mother, do I love these white shorts.  They fit snugly, but not tightly.  They have a slight A-line cut to keep them from choking off circulation to your thighs.  And the back pockets are real pockets.  I bought the 6″ for added comfort, but likely could have done the 4″ without issue.

Bottom line, I’m glad Spanx started making regular clothes.  I swore off shapewear years ago in the name of comfort and body acceptance.  I don’t want to be sucked in or pinched, but a little smoothing never hurt anybody.  It’s like using the Zoom filter on a call; if I have to look at my own face that much, I need that good Oprah lighting.  So to find pants that offer a little assistance on tough days when you don’t feel good about your body but are still comfortable and easy to wear feels like a gift for Thirtyish ladies everywhere.

I bought the white pants and the shorts.  I also bought a new pair of the swim skorts because I can wear them with a rash guard and not need to pack a separate outfit to the pool or wear a cover up when I take Sloane.  It felt a little weird to buy swimwear that covers so much skin until I wore it to the pool and didn’t think about my body for the entire day, which for a new Mom who is still making peace with her body, that was a gift.  I just pushed up the sleeve to relax it a bit and wore a great pair of oversized designer sunglasses.

{this post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author; all pieces referenced in the post were purchased by me, with my own money, because the point of this post is to review items honestly in light of having committed resources to the purchase}