Bloggers are always getting accused of sitting around the house in their pajamas spouting off opinions. I suppose this is because you can't take the opinions of someone wearing pajamas too seriously. What these folks don't realize is the glorious history of the pajama and the qualities which make it the ideal form of clothing for deep and penetrating thought.
When talking about pajamas I don't include pajama 'tops'. Those weird button-down pseudo jackets are a stylistic and historic aberration and aren't properly part of pajamas at all. They're something a marketing guy added on in the 1950s to raise the price of the pajamas for sales in department stores. A good cotton t-shirt does a way better job of topping your pajamas. Traditionally pajamas are just the comfy, cotton drawstring pants. The term originates long ago in India where pajamas or pyjamas were loose-fitting hemmed pants which tied at the waist. Because they were so comfortable this style of pant spread all over the east and was eventually brought back to England by the nabobs who returned from colonial service and brought their favorite pants with them. They caught on fast in America as well where people were getting awfully tired of the work and humiliation involved in wearing longjohns - pajamas broke the tyrrany of the butt-flap.
What made pajamas the international clothes sensation of the 19th century was their versatility and comfort. Pajamas were not designed or intended exclusively for sleep. They're multi-purpose, designed to wear all the time for work, sleep or lounging about munching melon and sucking on your houkah. Easy to put on, easy to take off. No need for a belt or suspeenders. The ultimate in practical legwear. Those qualities account for the recent pajama renaissance and their popularity among bloggers. It's easier to think great thoughts when you're not constricted by heavy fabrics, zippers, belts and the need to avoid wrinkling a fine fabric. Admittedly, some Victorians looked on pajamas as a bit decadent, but they couldn't resist the tide of change, and by the 1890s they were ubiquitous, favored by the intellectuals of the Roaring 90s, the perfect clothing for informal wear while reading Oscar Wilde. From there on, into the 20th and 21st centuries pajamas have been a fixture of the leisure wardrobe.
When you go out to buy some pajamas to blog in be aware that not all pajamas are created equal. While there are many fine pajamas out there, watch out for imposters of inferior quality and materials and keep in mind that price isn't always an accurate measure of quality. There are certain characteristics you want to be sure your pajamas have. They should be made of 100% cotton as they have been down the ages. Cotton breathes, it doesn't mind being wrinkled, and it's soft and skin-friendly. They need a good, loose fit in the leg so you can sit in the lotus position in front of your monitor. A drawstring is a must, but the modern innovation of an elastic waist is a big plus. Another very desirable feature is pockets. You need someplace to keep the remote control, some snacks and a copy of Chariman Mao's Little Red Book.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Anita Campbell
Nice job! This is so funny.
2 - Aaman
Too bad boxer-blogging isn't taking off - this could be the second boxer rebellion
3 - Eric Olsen
it's too damn cold around here for such things
4 - Dave Nalle
It was so cold earlier this year that I was wearing my flannel PJs under my blue jeans. Great way to keep warm.
Dave
5 - sydney
I blog naked.
but when I used to wear pajamas, I liked the tops best. Sorry DAve, yet again I can't agree with you. I swear I'm not trying to be like this. :)
6 - Dave Nalle
Man, how can you like those tops? They're so stiff and artificial.
Dave
7 - DrPat
What you really want in the winter is pajama bottoms (mine have a design of cardinals on snowy branches, and they are flannel, Dave, so I totally agree).
Then on top, you want a silk smoking jacket. That has the pockets, and you can leave it open for the buccaneer feeling, or close it tight for warmth. Plus, it also has a strong tradition of opinion-mongering attached to it. I mean, we took Hef seriously, didn't we?
Sydney, I don't think we wanted to know that you blog naked, but doesn't your butt get a grid from the chair fabric?
8 - sydney
Ya I admit the tops were never comfortable but they had style. Like a button up dress shirt for bed. It was a cool idea.
I would mostly wear the tops with a pair of jeans on beneath. And that was liek my smoking jacket. just wear it around the house and whatnot..
9 - Dave Nalle
I think sydney has a 'Hef Complex'. I prefer a more informal approach to blogging, and the PJ tops put me too much in mind of evening wear.
Dave
10 - Angela Chen Shui
Dave, I loved this! Fabulous, fabulous! I couldn't tell when last I've worn pj's...
11 - Dave Nalle
No PJs? We may have to kick you out of Bloggers International #505 for being out of official uniform.
Dave
12 - Mark Saleski
c'mon dave, there's something to be said for 'commando-blogging'.
;-)
13 - Scott Butki
I think you should do a syndicated fashion column for B.C.
14 - Dave Nalle
I was going to make this an ongoing series, until I started on "Vests: Better Than a Man Purse" and ran into all sorts of horrible problems. I've purchased about a gazillion vests of all weights and styles, and none of them is perfect - every one had some irritating defect. Then I discovered that many of the best ones had been discontinued by the manufacturers or replaced with new styles. It got very frustrating to try to tie the ones I was going to review to what was actually available in the marketplace. Plus it started to get insanely expensive. Orvis vests were bad enough, but then I discovered the entire vest niche market in England where you can buy vests for $500 or more - really nice ones - and it started to drive me mad as well as becoming manifestly impractical to do a comprehensive review. But perhaps I'll return to it, or try something simpler, like pocket t-shirts.
Dave
15 - elvira Black
Dave, this is a great overview. I have to admit though that I'm a disgrace to the blogging community because I find pajamas too constricting and warm--even the summer line would be too much for me. NYC apartments are overheated in the winter and blazing hot in the summer, so I opt for a battered T-shirt, which also serves as sleepwear. But perhaps pajama bottoms would be more practical, since now I have to hurriedly don a pair of jeans to answer the door when the Chinese or pizza delivery man arrives.
I did go on a pajama buying spree a year or two ago at Macy's, and women's pajamas are a whole other world. The patterns are usually reminiscent of what a girl would have worn as a small child--little sleepy crescent moons in a starlit sky, cuddly bears, and other undignified patterns. I wore a pair once and felt foolish.
"Pajamas broke the tyranny of the butt-flap"--indeed! Just as video killed the radio star. I'll have to give the whole pajama thing another whirl so I can hold my blogger head high.
16 - Dave Nalle
Elvira, I find myself tempted to wear PJs when I go out on errands, and have to resist. If I weren't a slave to convention I'd go out daily dressed extremely strangely. But I would think that in your situation a lightweight cotton PJ bottom would work even with the heat going. Have you considered mens pajamas? They're much less constricting - a lot of women wear them.
Dave
17 - Elvira Black
Dave, considering some of the unconventional couture you find on the streets of NYC, I doubt if I donned a spiffy pair of PJ's that anyone would blink an eye. I've always loved men's clothing anyway--it's always better made--so that is something to consider...
18 - Dave Nalle
Mens clothing may be better made, but I'm always seeing womens items in the stores which I find far more visually appealing, especially cute vests and jackets with embroidery and such which I wish they were making for men.
Dave
19 - Scott Butki
I do sweats and t-shirts. I haven't owned a pair of pajamas since I was a teenager.
I'd always pictured David in spiderman underoos so this item is a bit of a shock.
20 - Dave Nalle
Technically sweats are basically just pajamas for outdoor wear. They have all the same characteristics as the originals.
If only thye made Spiderman Underoos in my size...
Dave
21 - Natalie Davis
I have to agree with Mr. Nalle's assessment of pajama tops, but pajama bottoms? I wear 'em everywhere. (Though I am in sweatpants and my "Solidarność" T-shirt right now.) People have given me strange looks at the supermarket or the post office, but screw 'em. Dress codes are for mainstreamers.
As to the matter of vests, so what if they are labeled "women's"? If you like it and it fits, why not wear it? If a man wears it, it becomes a man's vest.
Reminds me of a conversation I had last week with my 9-year-old son's best friend. There was something on TV where a man was wearing a skirt (not a kilt). He was horrified by what he saw, and I had to explain that convention was one thing, but people had the right to wear what they choose. If a guy wants to wear a skirt - or a cute embroidered vest- more power to him. (Naturally, the kid looked at me as if I were insane. Heavy sigh. It's hard work trying to enlighten the conformist masses...)
Power to the pajamas!
22 - Dave Nalle
A solidarity T-Shirt? What, was Che in the laundry?
As for skirts and/or kilt, they do hold a certain attraction, but I've worn a kilt and found it distressingly drafty. I don't think I could wear one regularly for the same reason I don't wear boxers.
Dave
23 - Scott Butki
Ok, I did not need to know that about you.
Just glad I don't know waht you look like so I dont have to imagine you with briefs instead of boxers.
24 - Dave Nalle
Did I say I wear briefs?
Call me Mr. Commando?
Dave
25 - Scott Butki
I figure if you notice draftiness in a kilt and you don't like boxers then surely i'd have something on under the belt to make sure there isn't way too much draft.
The more I write about this the more I think I'm scared to meet you one day.