E very woman waits for the moment when the uncomfortable high heels are off, the tight trousers are changed, and the pyjamas are on. A woman’s quest for comfort ends when she slips into parallel legs of a refreshing world, shedding travel fatigue and the day’s languor resulting from wearing binding clothes, mostly to fit into an image conjured up by the world.
Since childhood whenever I came home my pyjamas were the first thing I looked for. My body beseeched good riddance to clothes which screamed of a person I was not. Metaphorically, I longed to shed the mask of my worldly ‘image’.
Clothes often create first impression and the dictum that first is always the last, turns true in most cases. Especially if you are in a public space. Your personality is decoded through clothes. Be it in a queue, interview waiting room, railway platforms, airport lounge, first day at college or job, date, matrimonial meet, or family occupying the next table at a restaurant. What you wear is scrutinised and scanned. And before you know, out goes a label branding your personality. From liberal, conservative, rural, modern, trendy, decent, to beautiful, ugly, smart or modest, one is stamped in a fraction of seconds.
However, once you embrace PJs, the heavy weight of such measured responses is shed. Each time I slip into the heavenly attire, I feel ‘at home’ with myself. I am no longer concerned of how the world wants me to be. The state of mind then is like being at a world class lounge, enjoying an elaborate meal alongside a chilled beverage without even paying for it.
This breathable and lightweight piece of cloth is no less than a thinking pad for me. I am wired and tuned in to my natural best when in PJs. The clarity in thinking comes from a higher vantage point which becomes accessible owing to a calm physical self.
I secretly fancy the idea of pyjamas becoming part of uniform or office wear one day, for the sheer comfort they bring. Though, for it to be a national costume is a far-fetched idea. Especially, in the light of cases reported worldwide where jammies worn in public stirred controversy; in some cases, lawmakers even called for it to be banned.
For instance, the ruling government in UAE intervened and banned workers from wearing pajamas at work in 2006. In yet another instance, it did not go down well with the supermarket Tesco in UK which banned customers from wearing PJs in 2010. More recently, US leaped a step further in proposing an ordinance in 2012 prohibiting people from wearing pajamas in public.
The word pyjama originally comes from the Persian word ‘Payjama’ meaning ‘leg garment’. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, jammies were first introduced in England as lounging attire in the seventeenth century but soon went out of fashion. Its journey from in between the sheets to streets worldwide began in 1870, and became popular thereafter.
The 1934 film It Happened One Night , featured a scene in which actress Claudette Colbert wore a pair of men's pajamas; it helped to popularise the menswear-styled pyjama for women. Later, pyjamas were adapted into fashionable dress in early twentieth century when avant-garde designers promoted them as elegant alternatives. French couturier Paul Poiret too launched pyjama styles for both day and evening as early as 1911, and his influence played a large role in their eventual acceptance.
Rise of jammies
Chief industry analyst with NPD Group of America, Marshal Cohen, wrote in a blog post that Flannel and silk pyjama bottoms are replacing sweatpants as daywear. “This gives casual wear a whole new meaning,” Cohen said, calling the look “the ultimate level of relaxed.”
Today even global fashion labels such as Alexander Wang, Céline, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana have made the dream of daytime comfort a reality by incorporating sultry silks, pretty lace trims and playful floral prints into their lines. From the catwalks of Paris, aisles of M&S to the pages of Vogue, the rise of posh pyjama has further embedded sleepwear into routine.
Early twentieth century saw the rise of PJ’s in the United States when modern women paired lightweight pant styled pyjamas with sleeveless blouses. Women flaunted their suave figures in capri, beach and hostess pyjamas. People in Britain also made fashion statements in lounging pants around later that century.
Movies too contributed in popularising jammies cutting across all geographical boundaries. The ‘dhoti-pants’ of the indomitable Tanu of Tanu Weds Manu became the talking point of Delhi University; Deepika Padukone’s pyjamas from Piku or her palazzos in Cocktail , became a rage after she wore them. Hollywood celebrities Jessica Alba and Miley Cyrus have been photographed wearing pyjama pants in public. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have also embraced the pyjama pant at their fashion label, The Row.
Now, swing back to 2016! College girls carry off colourful pyjamas with elan. The urban and trendy women of this day and age accessorize heavily to pull off semi-formal look. Their colourful attire and face beams with confidence as the skin underneath breathes happily. Style is about personal comfort, isn’t it?
Palazzo pants
Trend often resurfaces. I remember the trend of short suits in India which hit local markets in early 90s. My mother had stitched one for my birthday. A short kurti teamed with what we call today’s palazzo pants, refurbishing the old suit into a contemporary one. Unlike skin tight leggings, that decade reinvented pyjamas into palazzo which is a rage today. My local tailor also suggested me to go for a pyjama like bottom for the unstitched suit as it was more comfortable. I found even women in their 40s, loyalists of salwars , experimenting with the palazzo pants.
Roman designer Irene Galitzine had first introduced palazzo pants in 1960 for informal evening dress. They greatly influenced fashion during this time and continued into the casual 1970s. Palazzo pyjamas back then featured extremely wide legs and were often made of soft silk and decorated with beading and fringe.
Pyjama party ritual
Who can’t recall going for a pyjama party during the teens? The fad ritual continues even today where youngsters dressed comfortably in pyjamas stay overnight at a friend’s place to socialise. At one such party decades back I had forgotten to pack my PJs. Throughout my night’s stay, I remained in jeans and even slept in those distressed denims. I woke up the next morning as if I never really slept. Such was the discomfort. I could not concentrate the following day owing to restlessness and just wanted to go home badly and slip into my world.
Though how you choose your pyjamas depends upon your inner sensibilities. Designs on jammies redefine the original you. It represents a relaxed persona of your personality. Quite a different approach in comparison to selecting formal wear. Here, comfort and artsy patchwork decides whether you buy the piece or not. Images of sports, animals, cartoons, flowers, stripes, shapes and other motifs printed in bright colours are often found stacked in local markets. Women love to experiment with the colourful prints replacing the shades of grey, black and blue.
If god didn’t make these wonder wear, the whole earth would have been so restless. Gender No Bar. Not only it guarantees profound slumber but also gives a good start to the day. Get a pair and slip into these mood boosters to enjoy the serenity it bestows.
chauhan.priyanka01@gmail.com
