Men’s pyjamas that are worth getting out of bed for

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The Italian Job is tailor-made for watching in the downtime after Christmas. And while Michael Caine’s immaculate suits made a profound impression upon me at a tender age, it was Noël Coward who stole the show. There’s just something hugely entertaining about an imperious master-criminal ruling the roost from inside “the nick” while wearing a purple paisley dressing gown.

And so it’s while hibernating at home that I find myself hankering after Coward-worthy loungewear. The great playwright would undoubtedly despair at the dreary (and frequently frayed) pyjamas that constitute most at-home dressing these days.

Why do we feel that we can get away with slouching about the house in washed-out T-shirts and threadbare old boxers? It’s a depressing state of affairs and, at Christmas, grossly unfair to one’s loved ones who bear witness to these sartorial degradations.

Loungewear should instead be a thing to indulge in and enjoy — not only because your immediate family will appreciate it, but also because it’ll help you to feel good, according to Tom Leeper, creative director at New & Lingwood. “There’s something incredibly satisfying about wearing loungewear that makes you feel special,” he says. “We spend so much time at home and in bed, so why not feel good while you do?”

New & Lingwood’s loungewear certainly feels special to wear. Founded as a gentleman’s outfitters in Eton in 1865, the house creates traditional PJs from truly indulgent materials. This season, you’ll find matching shirt-and-trouser sets in soft-brushed cotton and sand-washed silk finished with contrasting piping. The brushed cotton pyjama sets have dressing gowns to match.

In fact, New & Lingwood’s gowns have become something of a cult item — albeit for big spenders. In silk jacquard or patterned velvet, with quilted lapels and whopping turn-back cuffs, they’re things of old-school beauty, handmade at the brand’s Jermyn Street flagship store from specially commissioned British or Italian fabrics. Brushed cotton robes start at £595, while the most elaborate silk-and-velvet numbers come in at £3,500.

“You can wear them around the house, of course, but we also have clients who wear our gowns as eveningwear,” says Leeper. “They’re a great alternative to a smoking jacket.”

Of course, not everyone reading this may be quite so Present Laughter in their tastes. For modernists interested in loungewear that’s a little more down-to-earth, David Gandy Wellwear has just collaborated with Hackett London on a 12-piece loungewear capsule. Gandy, a former model, launched his brand of versatile basics that specialise high-end fabric technology in 2021 (you can buy a hoodie, for example, aimed at helping post-workout muscle recovery, or T-shirts featuring anti-bacterial nanotechnology).

This collaboration with Hackett London offers an understated and cosy take on loungewear sets. These are less Noël Coward, and more Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (sans crutch). Most pieces are made from a super-soft blend of cotton and modal, and everything in the collection — from the breathable waffle-knit henley, to the separates in navy or charcoal — is treated with an aloe vera extract fabric finish that’s pitched as both moisturising and anti-inflammatory.

While Wellwear’s collaboration with Hackett comes in an understated palette, there are plenty of options out there for lovers of colour. Berlin-based brand Tom Àdam was established by 27-year-old Tom Vitolins in 2015 with the ambition to encourage us all to “embrace loungewear as an act of self-care”. Its pyjama sets, which feature mood-boosting candy stripes, can be broken up and worn casually out and about.

In tencel or linen, its pyjama shirts work well as lightweight overshirts thrown over T-shirts and chinos. You can opt for classic drawstring trousers with your shirt, but the shorts sets are best sellers. “They’re almost like skate or surf shorts,” says Vitolins. For those who gravitate towards patterns more than stripes, British brand Desmond & Dempsey offers short-sleeved Cuban pyjama sets that are both playful and chic.

To writer and creative director Tony Sylvester, proper loungewear “is a demarcation between private life and public life”, and a way to “change your headspace” when you come home of an evening. During lockdown, Sylvester began to make made-to-order slippers for close friends, a project that has evolved into AWMS, a brand offering limited-edition runs of clothes and accessories inspired by mid-century designs such as cricket sweaters, short-flight berets and sculptor’s smocks. Slippers are still a mainstay of the AWMS collection, whether tartan Albert slippers, striped mules, opera pumps, or leopard-print Grecian slippers inspired by those worn by composer Paul Bowles at home in Sri Lanka.

“Slippers like these are more versatile than you think,” Sylvester says. “They’re meant to be relaxed and leisurely but, at the same time, they have historic associations with eveningwear so they can be quite formal. You can wear them around the house, or out with battered up old jeans or combat trousers, then you can also wear them with your tuxedo.”

So, go for it gentlemen — treat yourself and save your loved ones from the horror of tatty loungewear. After all, pyjamas are for life, not just for Christmas.

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