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pjs, jimmy jams & jammies!
Which ever way you decide to spell the word - pajamas, pyjamas or even pijamas – the origins remain the same. The word originally derives from the Persian word Payjama meaning ‘leg garment’ and men were the first to start wearing them around 1870, after the returning colonials brought them back from the East.
By the 1890s, the night-shirt for men was being replaced by woollen and silk pyjamas and, by the 1930’s, they had become a key part of a man's wardrobe. Men could wear their cotton and silk Pyjamas around the home as it was considered elegant evening attire.
{view our mens pjs}
Until the turn of the century it had not been thought proper for women to wear pyjamas, who still preferred the more feminine nightdress. However , Coco Chanel's lounging pyjamas, worn in the evening, and the beachwear versions, worn on holiday, started to convince women that pyjamas were in fact a stylish alternative to nighties. Pyjamas continued to grow in popularity with both sexes, and for women came in a more tailored style, with a tunic top and narrow legs. From the start of the 1930’s, pyjama legs started to be cut wider and looked like a skirt. This eventually gave way to "palazzo pyjamas", which were launched in 1960 by the fashion designer, Princess Irene Galitzine. And just like they do today - men almost exclusively wore pyjamas, in cotton twill, calico and flannelette and decorated with pale stripes and checks. Wikipedia states that, “in many English-speaking nations, pajamas/pyjamas are generally considered to be loose-fitting, two-piece garments worn chiefly for sleeping, but sometimes also for lounging. More generally, pajamas may refer to several garments, for both daywear and nightwear, derived from traditional pyjamas and involving variations of style and material. Pyjamas are often worn with bare feet and sometimes without underwear (shock, horror!). They are often worn as comfort wear even when not in bed, and are also sometimes worn as a fashion statement.
{view our womens sleepwear}
Take a look around you next time you find yourself at Coles or Woolies after 7pm at night. Its not unusual to spot the stripes and checks coupled together with uggies and a holey t-shirt (better the shirt holey than the pj pants, no?) Get this – In China, it is not unusual come late afternoon or evening, for adults to wear their pyjamas in public around their local neighborhood – just hanging around in your pjs – as you do!
Pyjamas are a necessity in many countries (especially cold!) and when our beloved nightwear is featured in the likes of Vogue Magazine – it seems they will never go out of fashion.
Long live the humble pyjamas!
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