Pajama Girl Chic

I’ve always been a pajama girl. Whether it’s housework or work work, my mom, sister and I all accomplish the most at home when we’re wearing pajamas. The problem is that now that I don’t go into an office, I rarely need to get dressed. When I feel terrible, this is not a problem, but on OK or borderline days, I feel slouchy.

It’s not like my wardrobe is complex, but jeans aren’t comfortable to lie down in, sweaters itch and bras are (almost) inherently uncomfortable. I’ll put on real clothes to go somewhere or if I feel too lazy in my PJs, but it’s no more than a couple hours before I’m back to comfort.

On Friday I developed a solution. My plan? Turn the yoga pants that are a staple in my PJ wardrobe into real pants by pairing them with T-shirts, fleece tops and comfy bras. The climate here is mild, so when the weather turns cooler, I’ll wear fleece yoga-type pants.

I’ve got the yoga pants and the T-shirts, so the first task was to add fleece. I had to make a difficult decision Friday morning — do I stop for a latte on my way to REI’s fall sale or do I get coffee after shopping so I can get to REI 10 minutes earlier?

REI won out. Don’t know if it made much of a difference, but I’m convinced myself that the lines would be much longer if I’d gotten the coffee first. Besides, coffee would have interfered with filling my hands with clothes to try.

After some false starts, I wound up with four deliciously soft and surprisingly well-styled fleece tops.

Saturday I ordered duplicates of the not terrible bra I’ve been test driving.

Now I fit right in with all the active Seattleites and have a pretty inexpensive wardrobe that will last a couple years. My life will change drastically. No more changing clothes four times a day, not needing to get dressed before I leave the house, answering the door without embarrassment, Hart seeing me in clothes instead of PJs. When he saw me getting dressed this morning, he asked if I was going somewhere. That’s how often I used to wear pajamas.

P.S. If you’re interested in this revolutionary way of being, it’s good to know that “real” yoga pants can be expensive. Costco stores have French Dressing pajama pants that look the same and cost about $12 for two knit pairs or one fleece pair. They’re perfect for mild climates, but may not be enough other places.