SPANX Review: My Top 5 Summer Picks for Midlife Women
Last month I was gifted five pieces from SPANX, a brand I’ve loved and recommended to clients for years. While I first discovered SPANX through their shapewear, I’ve grown to appreciate their full clothing line ideal for midlife women—especially during the summer months when comfortable, versatile outfits are a must. What I appreciate most—and what keeps me coming back for more—is the quality and fit of SPANX clothing. Each of the five pieces I received is solid quality. The fabric is sturdy but not stiff or heavy—comfortable and feels nice against my skin. They’re pieces I reach for often because they’re versatile and really fit with my aesthetic.
I wasn’t explicitly asked to review the pieces but I genuinely like all of them and think you might, too, so I’m sharing my thoughts of each piece. If you’re dealing with midlife body changes and you value good quality, I highly recommend checking out SPANX.
SPANX AirEssentials Cap Sleeve Tee and Tapered Pants
The Best SPANX Outfit for Midlife Travel
When I got the offer for these five pieces from SPANX, I was in the throes of an international move—packing up our home and lives in Austin and preparing to move to Berlin. So the one thing that was really on my mind (aside from, how did we amass so much shit in the past 10 years?) was the actual journey to Berlin, which of course meant a long flight. And I remembered how much I loved my AirEssentials set when we flew to Japan a few years ago, so I knew I wanted to add a few more pieces to my collection.
I’ll confidently argue that the AirEssentials collection is a midlife must-have. The pieces are buttery soft and stretchy, but the styles look elevated and flawlessly lend themselves to any occasion on a midlife woman’s calendar. For me, one of those occasions is travel.
I chose the AirEssentials Tapered Pants and Cap Sleeve Tee because I knew they would be comfortable, but the look is more polished than, say, traditional joggers and a t-shirt. And I loved the vibrant cerulean blue, which 1) immediately makes me think of The Devil Wears Prada because I can’t not think of that movie whenever “cerulean blue” is used, and 2) is a color I will argue looks gorgeous on everyone. It’s very lightweight and offers plenty of stretch, so you’re set if you want to hit snooze on a trans-Atlantic flight, but you’ll also look like the woman who always looks put-together if you were to wear it grocery shopping. The tee fits true-to-size for me.
I already own the AirEssentials Wide Leg Pants and while I’m partial to a wide silhouette versus slim or tapered, they did me dirty (literally) when I wore them on my flight to Japan. Hear me out. If you’ve been on one of these flights, you know how nasty the airplane bathroom gets four or five hours into the flight. The floors could often use more attention than the flight attendants—understandably—have capacity to give. So you use the restroom, and where do your wide leg pants pool? On the nasty floor. The solution? A tapered pant. Yes, I know this is very niche. And also, yes, this is why I selected the Tapered Pant. The drawstring waist gives them a sporty feel, which makes me think of them as more of an elevated jogger than a tapered pant. They fit true-to-size for me.
The Best SPANX Pants: Shorts Alternatives for Midlife Women
I have a love/hate relationship with shorts, have for years. The summer after having our daughter was the worst; I rocked Bermuda shorts with a shirt pulled down over my hips—you know, to hide everything… Fortunately, it’s no longer an issue where I feel like I can’t wear them or where I opt for comically long shorts because I feel inclined to hide my legs; I’ve moved past that nonsense. But sometimes I just don’t like them, don’t find them to be comfortable, and I want an alternative to shorts.
Enter the cropped pant. I really like a cropped pant when I’m not feeling my shorts or my flowy linen pants. So two of the other pieces I chose from SPANX are the Cropped Wide Leg Pants and the Cropped Wide Leg Jeans.
As you can see, the cropped twill pants and jeans look very similar, but there are some noteworthy differences. One similarity? I found they both ran slightly small, so I sized up in both of these; more on that below.
The SPANXsupersmooth Stretch Twill Cropped Wide Leg pants are a slightly more polished version of the jeans, appropriate for business casual but can easily be styled more casually, which is my vibe. I wore them two ways as soon as I got them—once with a J.CREW Baird McNutt white short-sleeve linen button-down and strappy gold sandals, and later with a graphic tee and Veja sneakers. You can do so much with these pants. The pants have a few coveted features I’d like to see more consistently from SPANX: a functional zipper, button closure, zip-hip pockets and belt loops. According to spanx.com, they run true-to-size, but length is slightly long, so I opted for petite length (25” inseam). I also sized up because I find SPANX bottoms to run small in general. Sizing up and opting for petite length worked well for me.
The SPANXshape EveryWear Cropped Wide Leg Jeans are my least favorite pieces out of all of the things I ordered, but that said, I like them. I just think they could be better with a few minor tweaks. If your goal is to hide your midsection, these jeans are a great pick for you because they feature built-in TummyTamer Tech™, which definitely made me feel like I was wearing SPANX, but not in a constricting-can’t-breathe kind of way; it held me in. I don’t find them to feel like traditional jeans, which doesn’t bother me but is worth noting (they feel more like a cross between jeans and chinos). What does bother me, though, is the faux button-front and the faux front pockets. I feel like the belt loops are a bit of a consolation prize, so at least I can hide the faux button. But pockets? I’m constantly trying to slide my hands into these faux pockets, and obviously I can’t! Pockets would make these jeans perfect.
Based on the fit details on spanx.com, I sized up but opted for regular length (length can be tricky for me at 5’3”), which worked well for me.
The Best SPANX Shorts for Women Over 40
I was happy to find the SPANXsupersmooth™ Stretch Twill Short in a 5" inseam. A 5” - 6” inseam is perfection for me, these shorts included. There’s a lot to love about these shorts in addition to the inseam, like the flat front and zip hip pockets. Much like the twill pants, I find these shorts so versatile. While they can easily be styled casually, I can also dress them up with a silk blouse and heeled sandals, or even add a blazer or vest for an even more elevated look. They’re a summer closet staple that meets my needs for a lot of different occasions. I sized up because they are said to run slightly small per spanx.com.
Final Thoughts: Why SPANX is a Smart Summer Choice for Midlife Women
If you’re struggling to feel put-together easily this summer (a common concern of the women I work with), I encourage you to check out these (and other) pieces from SPANX. I think you’ll find them to be high-quality additions to your wardrobe, and offer you a lot of versatility.
I recently shared my Summer 2025 Swimwear Guide for Midlife Women, which is full of more midlife summer style guidance—read that post here.
And if you need help figuring out how to incorporate pieces like this into your wardrobe, hop on my waitlist to be the first to know when I start accepting new clients.
