December is never not about bundling up, but that goes triple for this year. We’re prepared to show 2020 the door by chilling at home the rest of the month. Literally all we need is Netflix, wine and takeout.
With winter starting, now’s the time to layer on a throw blanket, light a fire (or turn on your light therapy), spike the tea, and dress accordingly. Especially if winter isn’t your favorite season, it’s surprisingly happy-making to dip into your pajama drawer and emerge with something velvet or flannel or chenille. Low temps and low moods don’t stand a chance against Bare Necessities sleepwear buyer Krista Molinaro’s warm and fuzzy day-to-night picks.
When the trends collide with incredible textures like these, the result is a do-nothing wardrobe to get excited about…even if you and the UPS delivery person are the only ones who see it.
LOUNGEWEAR: PAJAMAS THAT CAN GO PUBLIC
Among other things, this year has taught us that there are nighttime pajamas and there are daytime pajamas. The latter by another name is loungewear: real outfits that are as unconstricting as they are comfortable. The added benefit of loungewear is that you can leave the house in it for errands, like, for instance, an essential run to the liquor store. When jeans feel too fitted, turn to joggers; when a button-down hits too formal, there are hoodies and sweatshirts with style to spare.
Our favorite overall is P.J. Salvage loungewear, because it’s an effortlessly on-trend assortment that constitutes an entire wardrobe of pieces you can wear interchangeably. The P.J. Salvage Mountain Escape Fleece Lounge Top, for one, nails the ombre look (like tie-dye, but for winter!), and it can go with whatever leggings, jeggings or joggers you already own. (Even jeans, if you’re feeling fancy.) There are chevron and fair isle sets that feel like the actual outfits we used to wear once upon a time. The cute and P.J. Salvage Bear with Me Knit Lounge Top and Knit Joggers bring the hibernation metaphor home.
Another all-star loungewear label is PJ Harlow. Forget the grocery store; in the Jolie lounge pants and the Shelby Knit Lounge Cardigan Wrap, you can go out to dinner and still feel confidently at ease.
If you run hot or live someplace that does, the Honeydew Intimates Sun Lover Knit Lounge Set is the equivalent of a T-shirt and pants. Similarly lightweight and soft only with long sleeves is the Honeydew Intimates Star Seeker Sky Knit Lounge Set. Again, you get comfort mixed with cool dip-dye, Bomb Pop colors. You could absolutely wear this on a happy hour Zoom hang, and no one would give it a second thought.
If chic solids are your thing, check out the Felina Hacci Knit Hoodie and Lounge Pants. Big satin ties give it a little something extra—like a dressy sweatsuit, if you will. Ditto the plush, black Pour Moi Velour Lounge Set, in XS to 4XL, that stays in or goes out with all the flattery and ease of a LBD. The Ugg Tasha Fleece Hoodie and Betsey Fleece Joggers are, for all intents and purposes, real clothes that happen to be really soft. Wear them around town with sneakers and around the house with matching Ugg slipper slides.
And should Santa have left you to your own devices, run, don’t walk in the direction of an Arlotta Cashmere Stripe Hoodie and Jogger Pants. Now and forever, there is nothing you’ll want to live out your days in as much as than this ribbed cashmere combo with quietly wild leopard-print stripes. Consider the mic dropped.
You already know if you’re a flannel or a velour pajama person: Your inner thermostat runs cold; you prefer socks to not; you own or have owned an electric blanket. If snuggling up and piling on layers is the primary way you cope with cold weather, then extra-warm PJs are a key part of your uniform. And should your preexisting options this year call for a bit of a glow-up, we would steer you to the lattice logo DKNY Velour Pajama Set (which also comes in leopard, stripes and hearts) or the Flora Nikrooz Maddie Hacci Knit Pajama Set in hearts or owls. They’re both fresh takes on classic pajamas you will find yourself hard-pressed to ever change out of.
For more of a classic notched-collar pajama lewk, again it’s P.J. Salvage for the win. You can choose between animal prints, winter scenes, and lots of doggies—whatever sweetly cheeky print will send you off to dreamland with a smile.
BATHROBES THAT MAKE A STYLISH STATEMENT
Gone are the days of old-fashioned bathrobes that lean all the way toward function. The best new robes are like extra-long cardigans: soft, rich, feel-good fabrics that incorporate into the rest of your look. We’re partial to animal prints and other fun styles from some of our favorite clothing designers, like Kate Spade New York (this short, nubby chenille robe comes in leopard, stripes, hearts and polka dots), Donna Karan (we’ll take this fuzzy hooded robe in beige or in black, please and thank you) and Ugg (the knee-length Duffield shawl collar robe is extravagantly lined in velour; the long Marlow fleece robe is about as glam as it gets anymore).
Even reliably classic Lauren Ralph Lauren is getting in on the update, with its luxurious robes rendered in regal white (see the Lauren Ralph Lauren Dalton Fleece Robe) and garnet (Lauren Ralph Lauren Berry Velvet Long Robe). Eileen West’s White Zip-Up Plush Robe offers a zip-up option that’s basically a wearable blanket to put over her preppy nightgowns.
For couch-surfing, wrap yourself up in the fuzzy, fluffy collar of the cool P.J. Salvage Cozy Items Camo Fleece Robe. N Natori always delivers an understatedly feminine touch along with its comfy bras and sleepwear; why should bathrobes be any different? The texture pressed into the pale lilac N Natori Embossed Waves Fleece Robe is just so good. For a print, the N Natori Ombre Charcoal Leopard Plush Robe is striking and a steal.
And then, of course, there is cashmere. We’re loyal to Arlotta for its beyond-soft feel, which is pretty much all you want out of a bathrobe. Any day you wear the Arlotta Cashmere Bell Sleeve Robe or Arlotta Cashmere Robe is a spa day.
Add matching slippers and you’re fully dressed the 2020 way.
Brooke Glassberg
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