Pajamas. Does anybody really wear them?
Apparently so, and the COVID-19 pandemic helped boost their sales. According to CNBC.com, online sales of pajamas surged 143% in April of 2020 compared with March, Interestingly, online sales of pants fell 13% during the same timeframe, as people turned to video conference calls where their lower halves were not visible. Some of that may have changed as the pandemic passed. Some.
I have learned that the word pajamas is no longer popular, kind of like davenports (couches), slacks (pants) and wallets (billfolds). The proper term, I have discovered, is sleepwear. I am sticking with pajamas.
At our home, pajamas don’t exist. Now before you start thinking that I am offering too much information, you should know that an old T-shirt and boxer shorts are my choice while Jolene layers in sweatpants, wool socks and a hooded sweatshirt. And sometimes a parka. Sleepwear? Ha!
Was there a time when married adults dressed in pajamas? Mike Brady from the 1970s TV show “The Brady Bunch” seemed to always don a freshly ironed set of long-sleeved, light-blue pajamas. And Carol Brady wore a matching blue frilly nightgown that bared her arms but covered her ankles. It worked for them, but so did the wide-collared silk shirts, the bell-bottom pants and the white belts.
Coco Chanel apparently deserves credit for introducing “lounging pajamas” in the 1920s, according to thepajamacompany.com. These replaced the traditional long nightshirts and nightcaps.
Pajamas have come a long way. Before 1950, they commonly had a “drop seat” to make it easier to use the bathroom facilities. I tried that style a few years ago. I wouldn’t use the word “easier.”
And did you know that the footed pajamas were designed to protect people’s feet from bed bugs and termites? Yikes.
To be honest, I tried many pajamas through the years, but they all seemed to end up in a tangled mess by morning, and I looked like I was in a straitjacket. Unless, of course, the gal in the parka is restraining me. Regardless, I am sticking with my current sleepwear choice. Sweet dreams.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115