Something’s been going on in the pajama market lately. If you visit a certain store or flip through a certain catalog, you will see styles that look nothing like the sleepwear set your parents had. They are not oversized and not in faded prints showing cartoons or corporate logos. These are garments made to the same standards for fit and fabric quality that you expect when shopping for regular daytime clothes. You know, the kind that you actually want to wear, rather than just allowing yourself to feel good about putting on whatever is handy?
This is not a trend that has happened overnight. But it has become almost impossible to ignore. For a long time, sleepwear was part of what often seemed like an interchangeable commodity line of products. And now, it seems, some of the best brands are actually treating the idea of pajamas as fashion (rather than merely as clothes for wearing at home). You can see the difference in countless ways that go way beyond appearance.
The Fabric Matters
Maybe the first thing that jumps out at you is the fabric. Lower-end brands often use whatever cheap cotton content blend is simple enough to crank out in a factory. And you can definitely feel it.
The fabric can feel nice, but often loses its shape in the wash. It pills and leaves you with a collection of sleepwear items that you dread putting on more and more over time.
Reputable brands make pajamas with fabrics that perform. For this reason, many brands gravitate toward bamboo-based fabric. This naturally regulates temperature while having a silky feel that is miles ahead of standard cotton. Others produce pajamas with long-staple cotton that retains a nice feel wash after wash. Still others cleverly combine different types of fabric, bringing together the breathability of natural fibers, with synthetic stretch components that have elasticity and structure.
Don’t overlook the weight of the fabric. Quality fabric has enough weight to drape and retain its shape. But it also isn’t so heavy that it feels like it constricts.
Construction Counts Too
Check the construction. Turn one of your good-quality pajama sets inside out, and you’ll see that it’s made with intention. There should be French seams—no raw edges here! Plus properly finished and reinforced “high stress” points (like pockets and button holes), and hems that lie flat rather than twisting and bunching after you run it through the wash.
Cut also matters when it comes to how well pajamas fit. Low-end brands typically use boxy cuts that fit most “average” bodies without any concern for how people actually move through the night.
Higher-quality alternatives take all body shapes into account. Same goes for creating cuts where sleeves are perfect length rather than getting in the way of your elbows, pant legs don’t twist awkwardly around your calves, and tops have room through your shoulders without being boxy.
And when there are buttons, they need to be legitimate. Who needs a button whose only purpose is to keep the garment from falling apart, maybe? You want buttons that are stitched in and properly anchored with enough thread and then have finished buttonholes.
None of this seems like a big deal until you wake up at 2 AM with a missing button!
Sleepwear in the Every Day
Perhaps the most exciting trend in the pajama market in particular is how blurred their lines with daytime clothes have gotten over the past several years. Some modern sleepwear lines can easily be worn for answering the door or going outside to get the mail, and even to make some incredibly convenient trips to the store without looking like you just rolled out of bed.
This has been accomplished through all sorts of cutting, stitching, and other design decisions that look like the designers are finally taking the idea of pajamas seriously as clothing rather than trying to devise an item that is nothing but a functional tool.
So, if you want to know which brands to buy pajamas online that are legitimate in their function as pajamas rather than just being clothing you wear in bed, you have options.
The styling looks more minimalist, with solid colors or subtle patterns rather than the goofy prints of yore. Rather than feeling like something made for a kid, the silhouettes look intended.
And interesting features like contrast piping, covered buttons, and pockets with a purpose have been used to offer visual elements that count, as opposed to those things that leave you feeling like you’re wearing something juvenile.
The Sleepwear Edition of Self-Care
Taking this approach to pajamas creates an interesting psychological shift when you crawl into bed at night. Putting on quality sleepwear seems to communicate a different message to your brain about how to regard this part of your day.
It can help prevent feeling like you’re treating yourself to sleep only once you’re too exhausted to stay awake any longer.
We’re not suggesting that you have to model on the runway in your bedroom! But there’s something to taking care of yourself every night in the same little ways over time that can make a big impact on how ready for sleep you feel.
This is especially true for work-from-home types who might have a hard time separating their focus on work from a long day spent in their own abode.
People report even feeling more put-together, even when no one else has to see them, after investing in higher-quality sleepwear.
Price Comparisons
Let’s get practical for a moment. Quality sleepwear doesn’t come cheap. And there can be some serious gaps when it comes to comparing what we’ve come to know as “basic” versus next-level sleepwear. You can find basic items in stores for 20-30 dollars; as mentioned, average next-level brands go for 80-150 (and more).
But what about comparing these price points over the long haul? The cheap stuff lasts no more than about 6 months before they’re unrecognizable from what they once were. Good quality products hold up for years (with reasonable care).
That means the cost per wearing can seriously drop. And then there’s comfort.
Consider how often you wear pajamas, 8-10 hours a night (or more?) making them one of the most frequently worn items in your life. So why not spend good money to assure they are comfortable? Think about smaller companies
As mentioned previously, most of the best potential pjs on the market today are made by smaller brands. They are not owned by massive and often domineering brands that have hundreds of stock-keeping units (SKUs).
These brands often have business practices that focus on quality as opposed to the promotion of the brand.
Ongoing feedback from industry insiders suggests that smaller brands are much less likely than major brands to use shoddy (and often subpar) manufacturing processes that lead to major issues with quality control. (The catch here? These smaller brands may not likely show versatility in size and product availability. You may not encounter them in every department store. And there may not be as many size/fit options)
Make Your Investment Count
If you’re serious about moving toward higher-quality sleepware but don’t want to spend a fortune, don’t feel like you have to replace every item in your sleepwear closet immediately! Why not pick one next-level product and wear it regularly over a decent period?
You should start noticing differences between this product and what you used to wear at night, from fit, feel, and patterning to how they endure different uses and abuse?
Make sure you choose a company that offers plenty of info about how they source their materials and where the items are manufactured, not some cheap labeling system that leaves you wondering if their product is nothing but well-constructed knockoffs (or undervalued imports with decent value). (Companies that do this tend to be focused on consumers who love their products rather than focusing on the bottom line).
And don’t forget to check return options. Fit can be highly variable when it comes to using pajamas as sleepwear.
And don’t think “better” has to mean “more expensive.” There are plenty of middle-range companies out there that produce superior (and considerably better-quality products) than what we may have previously deemed “basic.”
And this does not mean overspending. Be mindful of understanding what matters when it comes to top-quality sleepwear brands.