An honest review of Spanx Supersmooth Stretch Twill Cropped Wide Leg Pants

Confession: in the last five years or so, I have bought and eventually sold or given away at least five pairs of wide-leg white pants or jeans. I don’t know why this cut is so tricky to get right, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the color white—which can be a challenge especially on the lower half of one’s body—coupled with the fact that for a wide-leg silhouette, the fabric either has to be very fluid or very stiff, and anything in the middle can be a disaster. Like many women, I struggle to see my lower half with compassion, so I tend to be incredibly picky with what I wear on it. Because the color white reflects lights and often makes things seem bigger than they are, this can be especially problematic in regard to white pants. That said, when it comes to pants, there is one brand I trust more than most, and that is Spanx. When they offered to send me a pair of their upgraded stretch twill wide leg pants, I of course jumped at the chance. While I received these pants for free, the following are my honest and unfiltered opinions.

The Cropped Wide-Leg Pant

The cropped wide-leg pant is a silhouette that’s been in the Spanx lineup for awhile, but they recently gave it an upgrade based on customer feedback (and you really have to applaud a brand that listens to its most loyal fans). I never tried the previous version of this pant, but from what I can tell from the description, they added a functional zipper and button closure (many of Spanx’s older pants were pull-on, which I was not always a fan of) as well as functional front pockets with a clever invisible zipper that helps them lay flat and prevents them from getting all bunchy. They also have functional back patch pockets and Spanx’s signature 360-degree built-in smoothing panel—more on that later.

The fabric

I believe the fabric used for these pants also got an upgrade; Spanx calls it SpanxSupersmooth™ Stretch Twill, and it’s a blend of cotton, viscose, polyester, and Lycra, with a cotton/polyester lining. I get nervous when white twill or denim fabric isn’t heavy enough (which can make it see-through) or is too stretchy (which can make it incredibly unforgiving over lumps and bumps), but this strikes a really nice balance. The fabric is substantial enough to hold it shape, stretchy enough to be quite comfortable, and because of the lining, you can’t see underwear lines or pocket linings, which is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to white pants.

The fit

The rise of this pant is a high-but-not-too-high waist, which as a short-torsoed person, I appreciate. They hit slightly below my natural waistline, which is key to getting the fit right, but not so high that they bump into my navel ring. (Yes, I still have a navel ring. Please don’t judge. It’s a relic of my youth.) It’s a snug fit through the hip, but not so snug as to emphasize one’s hip dips, if you have those, which I certainly do. This could likely be the work of that magic smoothing panel. The leg flares from the top of the thigh and is wide but not too full. The length hits just at the ankle on me; for reference, I am 5’ 7”. I took my usual Spanx size, which is a medium, and this fit is definitely true to size on me. As with most Spanx pants, these are available in sizes XS–3X.

My honest review

I think we may have a winner, folks. I can’t think of anything I don’t like about the Supersmooth Stretch Twill Cropped Wide-Leg Pants. I love that they have a proper zipper ant button closure and that even though the fabric is super stretchy and the fit snug by design, they don’t pull at the fly or emphasize my lower-belly pooch. The true magic in these pants is the hidden shaping panel, which does a lot of the heavy lifting in ensuring they hang properly, yet is not at all restricting or pinching. I wore these pants all day to work, then again on the weekend, and even at the end of the night, I didn’t have to unbutton the top button, which I almost always have to do when I wear jeans. In other words, they are comfortable, they look good, and they make me feel more confident than I usually do in white pants. They’re a definite recommendation in my book.

Cheryl Shops