#86: (Re)Consider the Pyjama

Round-the-clock inspiration for the poplin-inclined.

Jul 24, 2025

∙ Paid

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It took me a while, but this year—my 29th orbit around the sun—it dawned on me that pyjamas are just clothes with a guarantee of comfort. As someone who has always respected authority and abided by rules to, I’m sure, my detriment (the idea of calling a high school teacher by their first name still feels wrong; I graduated over ten years ago), I think I’ve always found some comfort in very arbitrary distinctions. See: allocated uses for makeup brushes and kitchen utensils, though I know these labels are just one more way to get us to buy stuff. So it’s unsurprising that, in a world where ‘underwear as outerwear’ and feather-cuffed Sleeper pyjama sets have roamed our feeds for many a fashion cycle, I’ve opted out*—until now.

I, like most people, have a section of my wardrobe for ‘normal’ clothes I deem too unseemly for the outside world and relegate to pyjama-dom (old oversized tees, washed to oblivion, and Adidas track shorts). But I’ve also accumulated a small but growing collection of nice sleepwear, a hallmark of taxpaying adulthood (ironic, given the best pyjamas are arguably those designed for toddlers).

The more I confront the sloth of my WFH lifestyle, the more I think I should lean in: take advantage of my more chic pieces and embrace the daytime pyjama—particularly now that the Brooke Callahan, Le Set, Deiji Studios genre of comfortable, easily match-able cotton separates is dominating my algorithm. There’s also the ubiquity of the silk slip dress, which now seems to be the default wedding guest attire, and the rise of the cottagecore nightgown, which can be yours via the likes of If Only If (mine is slightly too sheer to wear out sans beach holiday) or a multitude of Etsy sellers peddling the real, French Provençal thing.

None of this is original—many a trend writer has already waxed lyrical about nighties. But the timing is convenient, and self-serving: I’m almost a week away from wearing some of the fanciest clothing of my life, and pre-empting the bridal elaborate outfits I will be zipping myself into, crisp poplins and breezy jerseys are all I want to wear in the meantime. You can also make the argument that an item of clothing that can go both ways (criteria may include: pure looks, breathability/skin-kindness, launderability) is extra deserving of your investment—at least, that’s what I’ll be telling myself.

If you’re tempted, I’ve compiled some pyjama inspiration through the ages. LMK if there is anything I omitted; I’ll be in my Tekla striped set in the meantime.

*I also just don’t love feathers on clothes, unless you’re Cher. Sorry!