The onesie everyone wants this winter...
IF THE prospect of winter and Lockdown II is making you wish you could retreat back to babyhood, swaddled in a cocoon of cosiness, you’re not alone.
The grimmer the news gets, it seems, the higher the spike in online searches for ‘comfy’ clothing.
The latest fashion comfort blanket? The Oodie — searches for which have risen a staggering 207 per cent in the UK in the past six months. It might sound like a Teletubbies character, but in fact it’s a blanket with a hood, made from two types of fleece — ultra-soft flannel fleece paired with warm sherpa fleece — and created by Australian brothers David and Todd Fogarty.
The idea of snug fleecy garments is hardly new: past winters have seen crazes for the Slanket and the Snuggie, both essentially blankets with sleeves, as well as the original onesie.
As a fashion editor more used to tottering about in heels and sharp blazers, I once sneered at the sight of TOWIE and Love Island stars lounging about in their onesies and fluffy fauxsheepskin boots.
But oh, how I’ve changed my tune. Months of working from home and a gaping void where catwalk shows used to be, means even the dressiest among us have come round. Who can forget that picture of Anna Wintour in her jogging bottoms which the Vogue Editor posted during Lockdown I?
Now we can all openly admit to wanting to feel like a teddy bear. Deprived of touch and the comfort of meeting friends and loved ones, we’re desperate for products that soothe and reassure.
So, it’s officially OK to cocoon yourself in an Oodie. The only catch? The original Oodie, £79, is sold out until December. Happily, I’ve got a couple of fleecey blankets and a sewing kit — just the activity for a cold winter evening on the sofa …