Loungewear for anywhere. Plus, your style questions answered
Counting sheep wasn’t considered stylish until local brands started breathing life into our lives under lockdown
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE HISTORY OF PYJAMAS IS DEEPLY ROOTED in style. While you can trace the formal concept of sleep garments back as far as the 17th century, it wasn’t until the late 1800s, under the Victorian rule, that wearing sleep- and loungewear became an act of fashionable defiance in pursuit of style and pleasure behind closed doors.
The Victorians were famous for being drab, dark, depressed and buttoned up in public, which is why life at home was an explosion of colour, texture, print and loose-fitting sensuality. Due to the East India Company trade network, Europe saw an influx of exotic silks and beautiful fabrics in unusually bright colours and prints.
The word pyjama, originating from Persia and Hindu, describes a form of loose-fitting leisurewear, usually with a drawstring or waistband, worn by Indian Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Fast forward several decades, and we had to stay at and work from home for months. The concept of being stylish at home became very pertinent once more, and loungewear – not just for the bedroom – was trendy. Take Woodstock Laundry Co, a proudly local brand that emphasises local and sustainable craft. It has an array of bold, brightly coloured prints, many of which it developed in partnership with local artists who handpainted prints that feature across an assortment of styles, from lounge shirts to gowns and pyjamas. Many of these pieces can and have been paired with daywear, giving you the option of wearing them at home or outdoors – and as a result, are popular among festival-goers.
The bottom line is that fashion or style no longer ends the second you close your bedroom door, and that those pieces can translate into the fashion we wear outdoors today.
‘Life at home was an explosion of colour, texture, print and loose-fitting sensuality’