Damsels in Leather Shorts

All right, so at the risk of my love for Olivia Palermo's wardrobe/hair becoming obsessive, I'd like to talk about her shorts – specifically, her red leather Tibi shorts she wore to to the Tibi Spring 2012 MBFW show.

Via CelebrityFashion.OnSugar.com

SO. MUCH. WANT.

Can you blame me with becoming obsessed with leather shorts since? I can't stop imagining myself wearing them with cute booties and a chunky sweater. Or a breezy blouse à la Olivia. Or with textured tights. Or really, with anything!

The only thing about leather shorts is that the "leather" part can get pret-ty pricey. The Tibi shorts OP is rocking the pants off of (get it?) are $550 on ShopBop.com:

Via ShopBop.com

Totally cute, totally expensivo.

Luckily, I've found an equally chic pair that are not only less money, but also animal-friendly....after the jump.

Via FreePeople.com

Say hello to Free People's Vegan Leather Shorts. Yeah, they're not the same awesome burnt red color, but at $98, they're more than 1/5 the price. Plus I love a good zippered pocket.

So what say you, Damsels – do you think these are a must? Or do you prefer the lust?