Basic Loungewear

This post could also be titled “Clothes I Immediately Change Into When I Get Home.” I can’t remember when it started, but I know I didn’t always change clothes as soon as I got home. Maybe it’s happened gradually over time with aging. The clothes I wear to work and for going out feel so uncomfortable as soon as I walk through the door to my house – my belt feels slightly too tight, my feet feel restricted by the leather shoes I’m wearing, my bra straps have left permanent indentation marks on my shoulders. None of this stuff bothers me during work, but there’s something about walking over that threshold that immediately makes me think, “Must have stretchy waistband now!!!!”

Over the years and through minimizing my closet, I’ve curated a small loungewear collection. It might sound weird to edit what you wear at home when no one else is going to see you, but it makes a difference. I feel comfortable, not sloppy (notice how I said feel, not look).

Marie Kondo has a great section on loungewear in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She writes about how a lot of her clients keep items that they don’t want to wear outside of the house as loungewear even if it doesn’t spark joy for them. Because the items don’t ultimately spark joy, her clients end up never wearing them.

My loungewear sparks joy*.

I have three pairs of fitted sweatpants that I rotate between washings. I wear them about twice before putting them in the hamper. The ones I’m wearing in these photos are from Alternative Apparel and my other two pairs are from Target a couple of years ago. The Alternative Apparel ones aren’t cheap, but for the amount of times I wear them, they’re totally worth the cost. Plus they feel amazing and are from a socially responsible company. It’s a win win for everything but my wallet.

I also have two hoodies. Why two instead of one? For someone trying to be a minimalist two hoodies might seem excessive, but I need to have one while the other is in the wash. My love for hoodies knows no bounds; so much so that I freak out when I don’t have one to wear. Seriously. I owned one hoodie for about two years and would dread laundry day when I’d have to resort to a cardigan to stay warm (first world problems, I know). So I purchased the one in these photos by CHRLDR and my hoodie collection has been complete ever since. I can’t tell you how envious I am of Mark Zuckerberg – not because of his success and wealth, but because he can wear a hoodie to work. Ah, the joys of 24/7 hoodie-wearing!

Under my hoodie, I’m usually wearing a v-neck from Madewell or H&M that serve the dual purpose of loungewear and going out weekend wear.

Last but not least, I wear socks from Pure Barre, which is like wearing yoga pants when you’re not working out, but I have no shame! These socks are thicker than most athletics socks and they have grippies on the bottom so they don’t get soaked when you walk by your dog’s water bowl in the kitchen that is always inevitably surrounded by puddles of water. And they’re black, my favorite color 🙂

*If you think this statement is ridiculous or overused, please read or reread Marie Kondo’s books. There’s substance to this type of thinking and it’s not nearly as woo-woo as it sounds!

4 thoughts on “Basic Loungewear”

  1. Oh my gosh, Kitcath! This makes me want to get way better lounge-wear. I just tend to wear an old pair of Primark sweatpants/joggers, a Hillary tee and then my robe/dressing gown over everything. It is not tres chic like you. (I don’t care what you think, you look great too).

    And YES to those Pure Barre socks. I have one pair that I wear all the time AND I’ve never been to a class — at least you’ve been to at least a bunch. Yours are legit.

    My loungewear sparks joy too! Stretchy waist bands forever!

    xoxox,
    Lar

  2. I totally get this Cath, I love my loungewear too! I have one pair of fitted dark grey sweat pants from rtiuals with a matching top that zips up. The top is also often worn outside on the weekend or on holidays as it’s nice looking, just not something I’d wear to work (our office is casual, and I have seen people in similar clothes, but I just don’t feel “right” wearing sweats to work).
    My second “set” are purple and pink starred fleece PJ bottoms I got in Scotland Christmas 2015 (can’t remember the shop, but it’s on par with primark and begins with an M) and an oversized light grey wool cardigan from rituals that is crazy soft.
    I don’t know pure barre, but I do know the miracle that is knobbed socks, best invention ever! I alternate between wearing those and my birkenstock pink clogs.
    Lastly, you should get your dog a road refresher water bowl, it’s designed to be used in the back of a moving car. Depending on how sloppy the dog is there can still be some splashage, but should be minimal. My friend has one for her dog, and while I have a cat I got a small one for his extra waterbowl in the livingroom so that it wouldn’t be knocked about by the roomba.

    1. Oh my gosh, I have got to check out the road refresher water bowl. That looks genius. I don’t think it would completely get rid of the puddles because Toby walks away from the bowl as he’s still drinking 😀
      I wish we had Rituals in the states, they have the best stuff!
      If only it was acceptable to wear sweats to work!
      – Cath

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