Weekend Fashion Tips (And Our Favorite Loungewear Styles For Leaving the House In)

Monday to Friday are a grind all their own, but now it feels like even weekends require a warrior mentality, what with all the errand-running, kid-shuttling, wine-drinking and other garden variety self-caring that has to be stuffed into 48 fleeting hours.

Loungewear is there to save lazy Saturdays and Sundays from total fashion oblivion by stylishly taking you from AM coffee to PM nightcap and everything you fit in between.

We asked Bare Necessities buyer Melissa McDonald for her best advice on how to leave the house feeling snuggly, but never sloppy.

5 casual weekend fashion tips for any style:

1. Keep it simple: “Look for solid colors or quiet prints, cozy textures and fashion details like buttons or contrasting trim,” Melissa advises.
2. Match your separates: “Intentional coordination is the key to looking polished,” she says.
3. Find the right fit: “Of course you want the silhouette to be roomy and comfy, but anything too big and slouchy can look messy.”
4. Take a few minutes for hair and makeup: “Ward off the ‘leaving the house in pajamas’ effect by doing a shortened version of your weekday beauty routine.”
5. Boot up: “Wear athleisure and loungewear with cool sneakers or Ugg boots; leave actual slippers at the door.”

COZY CARDIGANS

Barefoot Dreams Boucle Hooded Cardi: You may not be able to wear a bathrobe out in public, but you can definitely wear this opulent open-front sweater, which is probably the better idea anyway. Besides the ridiculously plush knit this brand is renowned for, a hood and deep pockets also make it ideal for dashing out.

Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Ultra Lite Cardi: This so-soft blend looks like a designer cardigan; patch pockets and that luxe Sand Dune shade take it to the next level. With a hem that’s shorter in front than in the back, it drapes not only beautifully but flatteringly over the hips and tush.

Ugg Judith Knit Plush Long Cardigan: Inching closer to the jacket end of the spectrum, you’ll find this substantial knee-length duster with a hood and button that smoothly pulls a whole look together (or at least covers whatever you threw on underneath). Coming from Ugg, you already know the comfort and warmth it’ll deliver.

P.J. Salvage Cozy Fleece Cardigan: The innerwear/outerwear mash-up of a bed jacket and a teddybear coat, this cardigan’s shawl collar and button front let you swap it in for your usual weekend fleece zip-up for a softer, sweeter chill-busting layer.

MATCHING SETS

DKNY Cozy Up Fleece Lounge Set: For a two-piece set that feels like a million and doesn’t cost a fortune, DKNY gets it exactly right. You can add any tee or tank under the open-front fleece cardigan, pull on the stretchy fleece leggings and a pair of white sneaks or black boots and go where you want to go, do what you want to do.

Flora Nikrooz Genna Cozy Knit Pajama Set: A lot of our favorite bloggers fell in love with this one. Sure, it looks like that perfect paragon of comfort—the crewneck sweatshirt and sweatpants—but it’s so far above and beyond it as to defy any comparison. The pants are the right amount of roomy, and the floral embroidery is so prettily unexpected.

Kate Spade New York Velour Jogger Pajama Set: The sweatsuit instantly becomes stylish with the addition of black cuffs, an ever-so-slightly fitted cut and, not least of all, a well-executed modern animal print. Just add trainers.

Pour Moi Velour Lounge Set: Understated is always the smart way to play a trend, as this solid black set proves. The easy-wearing flow of both the boat-neck top and the wide-leg drawstring pants show off the supremely soft fabric’s good looks and feels.

COORDINATING SEPARATES

PJ Harlow Izzy Terry Lounge Shirt and Blair Knit Lounge Pants: You could put the satin-trimmed sweatshirt with either the cool racing stripe pants, jeans or leggings for a comfy day-off outfit you’d be more than happy to run into an acquaintance in.

P.J. Salvage Peachy Waffle Knit Turtleneck Lounge Top and Jogger Pants: Thermals are the best because they keep you warm without bulkiness. This one gets dressed up with a cowl-meets-turtleneck top and drawstring side-pocket pants. Both pieces offer loads of mix-and-match potential.

P.J. Salvage Peachy Knit Jersey Lounge Top and Knit Joggers: Buttery soft. Deep V-neck. Eye-catching, mood-elevating color. These two pieces right here are what to wear on a plane, to the grocery store, to breakfast…the list goes on.

P.J. Salvage Sweater Knit Cozy Pajama Top and Sweater Knit Cozy Jogger: If full-on magenta isn’t for you, then this version of the same idea is the way to go. Subtle pops of pink at the neck, sleeves, waist and ankles take quiet gray someplace special. You could without a doubt wear the sweater to work Monday morning, and no one would ever know you wore it to bed Sunday night.