Monday, January 19, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SLEEPWEAR: Pajama Party

New stylish outfits aren't just for bedtime anymore

Photos by John Locher. For a racier look, Kellie wears a camisole top ($11.99) and low-rise brief ($7.99) from Xhilaration, while Ed wears a sleeveless T-shirt ($9.99) and boxer-briefs ($5.99) by Merona. Kellie's Valentine-themed ensemble from Just So Sweet ($19.99) includes a long-sleeved T-shirt and and boxers. Ed's loungewear-styled long-sleeved top ($12.99) and lounge pants ($12.99), both by Mossimo, would be as much at home at the gym as they are around the house. Kellie pairs a hot-pink top ($16.99) and knee-length shorts ($19.99) from the Swell Collection for a casual but still stylish look. Cartoon characters take center stage in Kellie's Disney tank top ($9.99) and pajama bottom ($12.99) featuring Tinkerbelle, and Ed's SpongeBob SquarePants set ($7.99 for the pajama bottom and $9.99 for the T-shirt). Models Kellie Edwards and Ed Miller courtesy of the Alan Waxler Group. Fashions courtesy of Target Greatland, 8750 W. Charleston Blvd. Location courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas.

When you think about it, how dumb is it to get ready to go to bed by taking off the clothes you're wearing and then put on a whole other set of clothes that you're just going to sleep in?

We'll wait a second for you to mull that one over.

OK, it's probably not an original observation. But it is a time-honored incongruity that's no longer so incongruous, thanks to the increasingly popular American trend of wearing sleepwear at times when you're not actually sleeping.

Make no mistake: Grandpa pajamas -- the kind with long, striped pants and piping on the neck and sleeves and that stupidly misplaced pencil pocket -- should never be seen in public.

But today's fashionable, fun, colorful twists on the basic pajama not only are as comfortable as their veteran cousins, but stylish enough to wear around the yard, to the grocery or at the gym.

Many consumers today seek sleepwear that "serves double-duty," says Stephen Luetters, executive team leader for Target Greatland, 8750 W. Charleston Blvd. "You use it to sleep in, and people often wear it in public."

While you can go for silk or satin PJs that'll set you back 50 or 100 bucks, high-quality, stylish sleepwear easily can be had for about $20 a set, which enables PJ lovers to pick up several sets a year without feeling too guilty.

Pajamas are "a feel-good item," Luetters explains. "It's almost like a little kind of inexpensive thing you can do that's fun and makes you feel good."

Fun certainly is the watchword in the case of adult-sized sleepwear that features animated characters of the past or present.

In fact, Luetters says, "a lot of the characters that are available in the kids' department also translate over to adult sizes."

Men seem to be particularly fond of SpongeBob SquarePants, Homer Simpson and other such animated characters, Luetters says. "With women it tends to be more like Disney characters, Betty Boop and those kinds of novelty cartoon characters."

Also popular is sleepwear bearing such seasonal themes as skiers and snowmen for Christmas, hearts for Valentine's Day and fireworks for the Fourth of July.

"What's really been big for us this year are little three-piece sets tied together with a coordinating boxer, lounge pant and jersey top or tank top," Luetters adds. "They're a good deal and they come nicely packaged."

Men and women seeking something racier have plenty to choose from, too, all of it featuring styling touches that make it almost indistinguishable from their higher-priced boutique brethren.

"Obviously we carry a lot more of that for the ladies," Luetters says. "Ladies will tend to buy whole wardrobes of that kind of theme while men will buy them more for special occasions."

But even these racier pieces of sleepwear can do double-duty. For instance, the top of a two-piece bra-and-panty ensemble easily can be paired with a pair of jeans for out-of-the-house use.

"Women do that a lot, particularly with camisole tops," Luetters says.

Loungewear-styled sleepwear that recalls sweatsuits and athletic wear works similarly.

For example, pieces in Target's Swell Collection by Cynthia Rowley "look almost like stuff you have in the women's activewear department," Luetters says. "The only difference probably is just the lighter cotton fabric."

And, he adds, such casual-themed pieces typically have "a lot more detailing, like in the (women's) little half-pant ... so you can show off a little bit of leg."

"If you look at our sales, probably 75 percent of it is going to be more the loungewear, that kind of casual loungewear pant with a tank top or jersey," Luetters says.

"That seems to be what people go for most. Then, the kind of frosting on that is the racier, more body-conscious stuff."