a celebration of casual comfort

Chances are you haven't been invited to a slumber party in quite a few years, but it's a safe bet that the concept of pajamas has grown and evolved since that time.

While the term pajamas in the traditional sense has always implied some form of sleepwear --- be it a nightgown, nightshirt, chemise or a matching top and bottom --- the category now extends to a far more casual, but no less deliberate grouping of t-shirts, boxer shorts and knits. Along with greater variety in the category, an interesting aspect of the pajama evolution is its expanded role from sleepwear to "at-home" wear for many women.

"I think the trend towards a more casual lifestyle has carried over into women's choices about what to wear when they're home and relaxing, no matter how many hours it is before bedtime," considers Kathryn Gordy Novakovik, director of fashion marketing for Cotton Incorporated. "I think women want to get changed once and know that whatever they put on can carry them from dinner and straight into bed."

An entirely fresh crop of complementary tops and bottoms in bold patterns, as well novelty prints with whimsical flair done in sumptuous fabrics, and the desire to keep them under wraps, or at least indoors, is almost irresistible. "Today's pajamas have such great style and versatility, you almost wouldn't know what they really were unless someone tells you," Gordy Novakovik continues. "They allow you to be stylish and comfortable all at the same time."

"The common denominator is functionality but there's a distinct eye on style," tells Wendy Shum, senior vice president of sales and marketing for JWE, a manufacturer in New York. "We've come a long way from the days of the flannel pajama; today, these garments are made to look like a two or three piece outfit. There are great trims and details that go well beyond the basic notch collar."

This modern interpretation of pajamas is likely what keeps the garments the number one choice in sleeping attire for women today. According to the Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor, one in three women declared pajamas as the item she most typically sleeps in. The traditional nightgown seconds the list as the preferred sleepwear of choice with over one in five women.

Lifestyle is just one of the factors influencing women's pajama preferences. According to the Monitor, age also plays a role, particularly when it comes to traditional versus newer options in pajamas. Not surprisingly, the nightgown, the bastion of feminine sleepwear for countless decades, grows in importance with each advancing age category. Of women who favored this silhouette, 9% were in the 16 to 24 age group, 17% were in the 25 to 34 group, 30% were in the 35 to 55 group and 42% were in the 56 to 70 age group. A similar, yet opposing trend was obvious with t-shirt and boxers; while a mere 2% of women aged 56 to 70 wore this combination, it gained momentum among 7% of women aged 36 to 55, 19% of women aged 25 to 34 and 25% of women aged 16 to 24.

As newer options and opportunities abound, so do new businesses. In 2002, The Vermont Teddy Bear Company launched Pajama- Gram, a catalog- and web-based business offering an easy means of pampering women with beautiful, yet fun and practical options in sleepwear. "Pajamas are incredibly popular with women, so we want to offer items that women can actually see themselves in. It's not necessarily about what's sexy, it's about what she really wants to wear," says Nicole L'Huillier, a spokesperson for the company.

"I'm happiest when I'm in my pajamas," shares Ellie Badanes, who has taken her passion for the product to the ultimate level and founded, aptly enough, The Pajama Company, a web site dedicated to offering pajamas that, in Badanes' words, "make people happy." She adds, "I don't even think of it as sleepwear or loungewear, but more what I call 'living wear', which is about the every day."

Rebecca Apsan, owner of La Petite Coquette, a premier lingerie destination in New York's Greenwich Village weighs in on the importance of fabric choice. "You can't be uncomfortable when you're choosing sleepwear and that's why I will only wear cotton; for its comfort and breathability." Many women agree and were willing to take extra measures. When asked by the Monitor if they were willing to pay more for natural fibers such as cotton, 63.4% answered in the affirmative. "There is no substitute," Apsan completes.

But also be sure to be true to your own style and you can't go wrong. "A great pair of pajamas should be an extension of what a woman wears during the day; ideally, it should have the fit, feel, style and familiarity of a great pair of jeans that we know and love," Badanes adds.

The comfort, variety and versatility of today's pajamas are moving them out of the bedroom, in much the same way that athletic attire exited the gym and entered mainstream wearability. Could the popularity of Juicy Couture's velour track suits at celebrity events, for example, herald a wake-up call for high-end "party pajamas?"

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women's wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.

Publisher: cotton inc
A research and promotion company funded by US cotton producers and importers of cotton goods into the United States designed and operated to build demand for cotton in the US market and for US cotton in world markets.
Published: October 2005
Region: usa

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