Are These Faux Leather Pants Worth the Hype?
You’ve probably heard of the Aritzia Melina pant by now. (If you haven’t, where exactly have you been?) The best-selling style from the Canadian fashion brand’s Wilfred line went viral on TikTok over the pandemic and has since graced the gams of Megan Fox, not to mention cool girls all over the world. And it turns out there are a multitude of reasons why.
For starters, the Melina has an ideal high rise and fit that’s right for almost everyone. Truthfully, should I ever spontaneously start my own sisterhood of the traveling pants, I would pick the Melina for its diverse offering of styles (ankle, cropped, and slim), rises (high-rise and super high-rise), and lengths (short, regular, and tall) alone. It’s worth noting, though, that the size range—00–16—could definitely be better. In terms of sustainability, they’re made with vegan leather that could likely fool even the biggest skeptics.
Given the profound hype surrounding the pant, I took it upon myself to take them for a test drive. Spoiler alert: they are, in my humble opinion, worthy of every bit of praise.
Let me start with the design. Featuring a five-pocket style and zipper fly, the Melina is the epitome of classic-meets-modern, even more so when you consider the 21 color options. I went with black because I’m a purist and a New Yorker, and I’m happy to report that they go with just about everything in my closet (including this Reformation sweater and pair of By Far boots) and retain their shape well thanks in large part to Aritzia’s proprietary vegan leather that’s buttery soft and drapes just so.
It’s no wonder, then, that the Melina is constantly sold out. With a $148 price tag, the pants are a great buy that moonlights as real leather. As an added bonus, they’re machine washable. Because who among us has time for dry cleaning?
Deputy Editor
Claire Stern is the Deputy Editor of ELLE.com. Previously, she served as Editor at Bergdorf Goodman. Her interests include fashion, food, travel, music, Peloton, and The Hills—not necessarily in that order. She used to have a Harriet the Spy notebook and isn’t ashamed to admit it.
