Olivia Fowler

On The Way

By Olivia Fowler

Recently we were surprised to see someone shopping in the grocery store wearing flannel pajamas. They were also wearing socks with flip flops. It was apparent, after asking Google if pajamas are now daytime attire, that we’ve been out of the fashion loop.

People appear to be wearing pajamas to school and to shop across the nation.

Most people we’ve seen wearing pajamas out in public are in their teens, and so far, flannel or fleece pajamas are the PJs of choice.

We’ve seen a person of the male gender wearing Spiderman fleece PJ bottoms paired with a gray insulated underwear top. At least that’s what I think we saw.

Of the young women wearing pajamas out, plaid PJ bottoms seem to be preferred.

Not everyone approves of the new fashion. Some say wearing PJs to school is inappropriate, and some schools have rules against it.

On one hand, at least they are covered up. I prefer flannel PJ’s to the extremely low-cut waist in jeans that was a fashion must for several years. They were extremely unflattering to the female form.

You don’t need a horizontal line stretched across the widest part of your figure, and having rolls of flesh popping out every time a body bends or sits is not my idea of attractive.

If public PJs are the latest craze, I can hope we’ll see the last of males wearing their waistbands below their hip bones with four to six inches of underwear on display. The dropped straddle pants look impractical to me. Have you ever seen anyone try to run while wearing those? Same goes for untied high-top tennis shoes.

Maybe we just need a few fashion rules for the wearing of public PJs.

Now bear in mind that these are just suggestions.

If you wear PJs, you are required to comb your hair and wash your face before leaving the house. Also, for the sake of all those you may encounter, please brush your teeth.

Don’t wear PJs so long that you tread on the hem when walking.

If you choose to wear slippers out with your PJs, don’t wear the fluffy animal head ones. They don’t hold up and look dirty so quickly.

Then there are some gray areas in which I have no advice.

Should you wear the PJs that you slept in? Should you wear your PJs to work? Should you iron them? I’m not sure about that, but if I planned to wear the ones I slept in I probably wouldn’t iron them. If you pair them with slippers, should you wear socks? If it’s cold outside, do you wear a coat or jacket with them or should you put on your bathrobe? If it’s OK to wear PJs out, can I wear my flannel granny gown to the grocery store? It’s also sleepwear.

Should you wear a ball cap with PJs or a knit hat? What about mittens or gloves? If you’re wearing Superman PJs, should you wear a red cape?

Could you wear them to the prom if you wore a tie with them?

I’m pretty sure that by the time these questions are all answered a new fashion will have hit the streets. Who knows what the next fad will be? By the time we get around to noticing, it too will probably be gone with the wind.