When it comes to trends from the street and how seamlessly they blend into your existing wardrobe, most will fall into one of two categories. Either they fit into your current closet with effortless ease- (the pleated skirt, the knit snood)- or they prove Alexa-Chung-herself-could-not-fashion-this difficult, (think: floral-on-floral, the platform sneaker). The latest fad to hit street blogs everywhere is one of those that folds quite neatly into the latter category, and collegiettes- you may have to sleep on this one.
Pajama dressing– as it’s been coined- is the newest game-changing style you’ve been unknowingly rocking since the tender age of eighteen months. The difference here in styling this trend for the present moment is in the when and the how. With the exception of that brief period in junior high when the utmost in cool, devil-may-care dressing was a pair of low-slung flannel pajama pants- (oh, how the sartorial regrets do follow you)- sleepwear has found an unprecedented daytime niche with this preppy-cool conversion of the classic menswear night shirt.
Featured in the Pre-Fall collections of such heavyweight trend taste-makers as Céline and Stella McCartney, the pajama dressing trend is proving one of seriously impressive contemporary clout. But don’t take its designer endorsement as a get-out-of-jail-free card for rolling out of bed in the morning and straight to class; the pajama dressing trend is one of sophisticated subtlety.
Pajama dressing is not for repurposing your satin babydoll PJ set, however adorbs you look in it while dreaming. To avoid looking like you forgot to dress yourself between brushing your teeth and drinking your morning coffee, keep all other lines in your outfit tailored and crisp: think a brightly coloured cigarette pant paired with a starched cotton collared night shirt, or a cropped blazer with spacious, high waisted plaid trousers cuffed at the ankle.
Wake up on the fashion-forward side of the bed and subvert your sleepwear into daywear. Call it bed-sheet chic.
Bodas Cotton-Sateen Pajama Shirt- net-a-porter.com ($94)
Madewell Skinny Skinny Ankle Colorpop Jeans- madewell.com ($88)
Kelsi Dagger Jordi- Leopard Black- heels.com ($76)
Impulse Watch, Women’s Rose Gold Tone Stud Bracelet- macys.com ($49)
Kate Spade New York Spade to Spade Stud Earrings- couture.zappos.com ($48)
OPI Nail Varnish in ‘Are We There Yet?’