Elasticated waistbands FTW
I’m just going to lay out all my cards here from the get-go, but loungewear is my favourite genre of clothing BY A MILE. What’s not to love? It’s practically the law that comfy pieces come equipped with an elasticated waistband, the fluffier the better and they must be a 10 out of 10 on the cosiness spectrum. Slouchy clothing has always been a big part of my wardrobe. Growing up we were a ‘comfies on when you get through the front door’ kinda family and in my uni years I spent 95% of my time in leggings and fake Ugg boots and the rest in some kind of bum-skimming body-con number. Now I work from home it plays an even bigger role. There’s a lot of bumf I read in business books about dressing up and getting ready for the day to aid productivity levels and although I’m a big believer of an energising blast in the shower each morning, I don’t see anything wrong with slipping into something comfortable if that’s how you work best. It’s a perk of the job and for me, no good work gets done in denim, no matter how stretchy the waistband.
You lot know that I’m a bit of a Marie Kondo fangirl, but I actually break one of her fundamental rules when it comes to loungewear. In her book she states that old and tired clothing should be thrown away or donated and not filter down into your personal ‘slouchy’ category, however – that’s where I source most of my comfy bits from. I know, such a rebel. My uniform usually consists of a pair of knitted jogging bottoms or leggings, a t-shirt and a jumper. The jumper is usually something something that I’ve accidentally misshapen or has gone bobbly, but it just too warm and soft to throw out. Sometimes I’ll treat myself to wearing one of my nice cashmere jumpers during the day. Fancy. Underneath I’ll pop a t-shirt, which is usually a slogan one that I’ve got bored of and so has slipped from my outdoor wear into my indoor wear drawer. Then on my bottom half I’ll go for a pair of knitted jogging bottoms, which I feel just look a tad fancier than your typical cotton pair – plus they’re warmer. Or I’ll wear a soft high-waist legging, which I actually quite like to wear because they hold in my gut and remind me to SUCK IT IN.
So where to shop for the soft stuff? Of course there are the obvious spots of Next and M&S, of which I sourced pyjamas and loungewear from for years. Let me give you some specific recommendations though. The ASOS White range is a great place to purchase cashmere jumpers that don’t cost the earth and are chic enough for both loungewear and brunch-wear. I just threw this Black Turtle Neck Jumper and this Stripe Crew Neck Jumper in my basket because I was lacking both in my current capsule wardrobe and I knew they’d both be ones that I could don to meetings, but also wear around the flat too when I need warming up. For t-shirts I really ain’t fussy. The majority I own are ones that I’ve got thrown in with PR parcels that have branded hashtags across the front, although I do love this ASOS Choose Love number because all the profits go towards helping the refugee crisis, and so not only is it comfortable, it’s also your good deed of the day. Finally, for leggings I ALWAYS go for the Lululemon Align Pants. There’s just no question about it. They come in a range of colours, but the texture is just like butter (see my mini review of them here). Knitted joggers sound like a bit of a niche, but I usually find them on ASOS. The ones I’m wearing in this post are actually from REISS, although they don’t seem to have made it onto the site just yet this season, it’s worth keeping an eye out because these are loungewear and travel gold.
LOUNGEWEAR CHECKLIST
1) Is it easy to wash? These are going to be items that you’re wearing a lot and so are going to be on constant rotation. I know cashmere isn’t the easiest, but check out my clothing care advice here.
2) Is it comfortable? There’s nothing worse than an unadjustable waistband that digs in, or a label that’s scratching your back every time you move (CUT IT OUT!), or a jogging bottom that cuts off blood circulation to your foot.
3) Could you wear the top half out to the shops? This is the question I ask myself to decipher the overall slob-level of my outfit. I like to wear loungewear that could be worn to the shops to grab milk, if I switched out the bottom half for a pair of jeans.
4) Is the postman going to think that I’ve just rolled out of bed? If the answer is yes then it’s best to retire whatever you’re wearing to your bedtime clothing category (a.k.a, my second favourite clothing category).
Photos by Lauren Shipley
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