Lounge act: The secret delights of loungewear
Ottawa Citizen
September 17, 2005
By definition, loungewear is something one usually limits to wearing at home. Personally, I think it's a notch up from regular pyjamas, but still, if the delivery guy came to the door I'd answer it. Especially if he was cute.
I'm proud to say that I am now the owner of my first pair of lounge pants.
I bought them on a whim during my last marathon dig around ValVill (that's Value Village for the uninitiated) and I shudder to think that I almost left them there.
They fit perfectly. Low-rise, capri-cut, they were snug where they were supposed to be snug and loose where I wanted them to be. But they weren't exactly my colour.
And that's the challenge when shopping at places like ValVill. As with any used clothing store there's no hope of finding the same item in a different size or colour.
If they had been navy or grey I would have been convinced. But these were the shade of blue that is normally reserved for robin's eggs, painted skies and the bottoms of swimming pools.
Pretty -- but I hesitated, and then let myself be convinced. For $3.99 how could I afford to leave them behind?
Now they're my new favourite. They feel great. My children immediately noticed their towel-like quality and keenly observed that I could wipe my hands on them whenever I wanted. I never realized they could be used this way.
These pants are different things for different people. For my friend Kristina, they're dog-walking pants. For others they might be yoga pants, or for covering up at the pool. Someone might wear them to bed. Others might wear them like normal pants, but I wouldn't. These are my lounge pants, and exposing them to the world at large would be the equivalent of shouting out my bra size while standing in line at the coffee shop. It's just a little too revealing.
For me, this is what I pull on when I roll out of bed in the mornings. I change into "real clothes" after I've had my breakfast and brushed my teeth. They inspire calm and a zen-like tranquillity that is rare in the mornings, especially in a two-adult, two-child, one-bird household.
Who would have thought that a pair of pants could make someone feel so good? Is this some hidden quality of loungewear? I say we bring back bed jackets and other loungewear. I wonder if feathered slippers would look funny with my new terrycloth pants.
