I already reviewed this in an “official” outfit post (HERE), but I wanted to document it in these review posts as well for reference in the future.  And, I can update you since that last post!

These are ridiculously comfortable.  I thought my Saucony’s (HERE) were super comfortable, but these take the cake.  I read someone say in a comment there was memory foam in the sole, which I haven’t verified is true, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.  They are so stinking comfortable!

In my last post I said I bought them for walking, everyday athleisure, and strength training but was worried about running in them due to them potentially being too cushiony for me and not giving enough support.  I’m happy to say that I’ve now run 2 miles in them several times and have had no support issues.  That said, I still question their durability to last through heavy mileage over time.  I actually love to run in these now because they are much more lightweight and streamline than my old pair of running shoes.  But every time I run in them I debate about whether or not I’m okay with wearing them out quickly and potentially having to replace them in a year.  Still no clear decision, but I continue to run in them, haha!

Another thing to be aware of is that the upper is knit.  Several readers have said knit wouldn’t be good for the colder or wetter weather you’re in.  If that’s not an issue for you and you’re looking for a pair of athleisure sneakers I would absolutely recommend these.  If you want to do SERIOUS running in them, I would hesitate to recommend them to you.

I’m size 8.5 to 9 and usually 8.5 in sneakers, but 8.5s were *just* too short for me so I went with 9s.  They come in other colors, and I’m constantly eyeing the grey and purple but am trying to exercise restraint to see how often I actually wish I had a second color.  But gahhhh now they have a cuuuuute coral/pink too!  See them HERE.

See my awesome leggings HERE, reviewed HERE.  My fleece sweatshirt is Old Navy from years ago, but there’s a similar one HERE.  

Faux Leather Jackets
After a solid 5 year stretch, my tan faux leather jacket from Forever 21, one of my favorite items in my closet, died.  *sobbing emoji*  It ripped an irreparable hole and caused me to eat a bunch of ice cream while I drowned myself in tears.  Okay, not really.  But kind of on the inside.  I loved that thing!  See the ways I’ve worn it for the last 5 years HERE.

The great hunt to replace it began.  I would rebuy the exact same one in a heartbeat if I could.  I absolutely loved the fit, how soft, flexible and easy to wear the material was, and the COLOR.  It was a vibrant, brighter cognac that was more tan than brown.  Those are all the things I’ve been looking for in my new jacket.  Oh, and under $50 please!  

Below are four jackets that are all under $50 with current sales.  Spoiler alert: unfortunately none of the jackets I’m about to show parallel my old jacket in all 3 areas.  That said, they all have positive aspects and are relatively good options.  Here goes!

BTW, all of these come in black also.

This was the first I tried and I was relatively pleased with the color and fit.  The material was ooookay though.  It felt like a synthetic, inexpensive, faux leather moto jacket, but not to the point where I wouldn’t have kept it based on that alone.  It felt on parr with how these types of jackets from Target feel, and I think many people could/would be fine with it.  I just wanted to mention it for those who are pretty mindful of material.  The plus side of that kind of material is that it’s lightweight.

The color was closest to what I was looking for out of all the following jackets.  Overall I actually thought it was a decent jacket, except the material just didn’t feel as good as some of the other faux leather jackets I’ll review below.  

I didn’t keep it for a couple of reasons: The bust was a tad too large for me.  It’s not that noticeable visually, but it felt slightly baggy and I know that would have bugged me.  The second reason is because the collar touched the bottom of my chin and throat and I knew that even if the larger bust didn’t annoy me, the collar definitely would.  

Not everyone will have the same problems as me, as it would just depend on how long your neck or chest area are, and how big your bust is.  I have a fairly small bust, but if you need more room there, and you’re not picky about the fabric, this could be an option to check out.  Find it HERE.

BTW, the zippers are not white–it’s the tissue paper the jacket was packaged with!

Textured Moto Jacket – size M

While this was very similar to the one above, the main differences were 1) the texture detailing at the bottom, 2) an even roomier bust, and 3) more seaming to create an hourglass figure.

You can see that this jacket kind of nips in where the textured detailing starts, creating an hourglass shape.  However, the bust seemed even bigger than the last jacket.  On the top half of my torso the opening left by the jacket is narrower than the previous jacket.  It looks like it fits me better because of the hourglass shape, but it was actually even bigger at the bust than the previous one.      

Overall, I thought this one was fine and perhaps would be helpful if you have a larger bust and/or want a garment that will give you more structure and create an hour glass figure for you.  (A garment with this kind of seaming is one Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear would recommend especially for women who want to hide tummies or for women who desire to have more curves and definition.)

Find it HERE.

JCPenney Faux Leather + Knit Jacket – size S

Multiple people on Instagram told me they found moto jackets at JCPenney on sale for $30, so I immediately looked into them.  Thanks to a sale and extra promo, I was able to get this for $22.50! 

Between this and the two above, this jacket’s material felt the best BY FAR.  It felt thicker and sturdier while also feeling softer and more flexible than the previous two.  And it fit me and my smaller bust the best!  

My one point of hesitation was that the color was on the browner side rather than the lighter tan.  However, for this being a CORE can’t-live-without piece of my wardrobe, and for how little I paid for it, I’m inclined to keep this as a temporary replacement to hold me over until I find one with the perfect color–which may be years or may be never.  Also, as I wear it more I might be able to let go of my old jacket’s color and be fully content with it.  I’m definitely keeping the black one! 

(I did the “temporary” thing with my $46 cognac riding boots (THESE) and 2 years later they’re still the only ones I have.  😀  )

Note: There are some knit panels on the sleeves and bottom hem that you can see better on the product page HERE.  Not a huge deal to me, but some people might not like that.  

Overall, I loved the fit, the material, and how it felt to wear.  It’s not on sale for $22.50 anymore and I’m not familiar with JCPenney’s sale rhythms.  It’s originally $100 and I’ve seen it priced at $30, $22.50, and currently $37 with code 22SAVING until 1/25.  (Priced at $49.99 then use the code and it’ll be $37 at checkout.)  At the risk of overselling this thing, I actually do feel like it miiiight be worth its $100 price tag–maybe.  (Though at that point I’d be much less forgiving about the color.)  I wouldn’t actually recommend you pay $100 for it though, and that was just to say while the price might not come down to $22.50 again anytime soon, at $37 or even at $49.99 I think it’s worth it.  

Macy’s w/ Detailed Shoulders (Plus a more classic looking version) – size L
I didn’t have any Macy’s jackets on my radar originally, but I popped into the store for something else and saw this.  Of course I HAD TO try it.  As you can see there was a little human running around the dressing room as I tried this on, so I didn’t get a great analysis of it.  I *think* material felt almost as good as the JCPenney one above.  I know it felt better than the Amazon ones.  I think the detail on the shoulder gives it some nice character, but I’d still prefer a more classic one.  Fortunately I saw online that there is a more classic one by the same brand HERE.

The color is more reddish and less of the darker brown than the JCPenney one, but it’s possibly more red than I’m looking for.  Also, I think the JCPenney one still fit me better, and if I recall correctly the arms on this might have been quite fitted thanks to it being junior sizing.  I would actually like to do a direct comparison between the JCPenney one and the classic version of this one (HERE).  I’d also like to play around with the classic one with my wardrobe so I’ll be ordering it shortly.

This is from the junior’s dept so sizing is small, and I fit Large best.

Moto Jackets (not shown)
I also tried moto style jackets from JCPenney in both black and tan HERE, and while they fit fine, the zippers on the black one were very shiny.  If you like that, try these!  It actually looked cool, but it was a bit too much shine for me.  Size S fit me the best.

Now that I have Macy’s on my radar there are several more I want to try!  A fantastic black moto jacket option with some great reviews that I’ll be looking into is HERE.

Conclusion
If you are not picky about color, either the JCPenney or the Macy’s jackets would be great choices.  The Amazon ones are fine too, but since all 4 jackets are relatively close in price I feel like you’re getting more for your money with the JCPenney or Macy’s jackets.