The Style Files : Welcome The Pyjama Party! 

Lingerie-looking clothing, nightgowns and pyjamas are one of summer's major trends both on and off the catwalk. Burberry models wore spaghetti-strapped ivory silk slip dresses with sandals and nylon rucksacks. We saw pyjama suits from Dolce & Gabanna.  Celine showed a silk nightie with black lace trim was worn on the catwalk with flat shoes and hoop earrings. Kim Kardashian was recently spotted wearing that same Celine outfit and Zara (so if any of you are travelling do pick it up) has just put out a near identical version of said outfit ensuring its hyperbolic rise to “must have” status. 

Pyjama dressing may have the power to dethrone “sport-leisure” as the most easy-to-wear style. It's technically more casual than the ubiquitous activewear trend, think satin, boudoir-inspired blouses instead of jersey performance T-s, and smoking slippers over Yeezy sneakers. 

So does the trend of wearing our sleepwear out on the cocktail circuit mean the dress code is dead? Are we being overtaken by ubiquity of informality? Is this just laziness on a whole new level? Does no one dress for dinner anymore? Could this be the best thing that’s happened to fashion? 

Dress codes, some of which make no sense anyway as they are so obscure, are in the throes of  being ditched, by those in the fashion know, in favour of a kind of rampant individualism which makes for interesting people watching! 

The simple model of obedience in fashion is being turned on its head by some in the fashion set and they seem to have rubbished a system of dressing that offered security for all in favour of one that offers opportunity for the talented and creative, but that allows others to fail quite spectacularly. They have no rules and that shows confidence and style. 

If there’s one thing fashionistas worship even more than fancy clothes, it’s clothes that baffle the norms, proving that you have style chops. A perk worth daydreaming about especially if you’ve just returned from a two week gourmet holiday. Pyjama pants are a lot more forgiving than skinny jeans. Pyjama pants don't care if you had a Sugar burger for lunch. Skinny jeans will judge you, harshly. 

So how do you put the trend into practice without looking like you overslept and forgot to get dressed? Think more solid silks and satins, emerald green or black satin with rolled up sleeves and stilletos would work well, steer clear of prints, unless they’re big Dolce style florals. 

There is no harsher test for on trend dressing than trial-and-error in the fashion industry. Can you really wear pyjamas to a cocktail party? There is only one way to find out and maybe I should put my money where my mouth is. So if you see me out in pyjamas, no I haven’t just rolled out of bed or maybe I have... 

Text by Minoli Ratnayake