Turning tips into memories

Best pyjama and loungewear brands

By Rebecca Gonsalves on 16/3/2020

Loungewear is a relatively new name for the sort of cosy, comfy clothes many of us change into the second we're back home after a hard day. And while once that might have meant a borrowed-from-the-boyfriend sweater and pyjama trousers, the increasing Instagrammification of our everyday lives means that the style stakes have been upped.
Not to mention the fact that the rise in working from home means many of us don't wear a traditional business wardrobe, but still need to be ready for a video call at a moment's notice.
From cosy to cool, read on for the Culture Whisper guide to the loungewear and nightwear brands that will see you through the dreariest, darkest winter days.

Chinti & Parker

Oh to live in Chinti & Parker's world, where cashmere track pants, sweaters and cardies are 'essentials'. Spun from the softest yarns in neutral shades, the easy to wear pieces of the 'essentials collection' provide a gentle counterpoint to the colour pop pieces for which the 10-year-old brand is best known. Bright or basic, Chinti is timeless luxury to a tee.

Hanro

Finding casual men's basics that are logo-free, pared-back and relatively affordable is all but impossible. Luckily Hanro is on hand with a well-made range of soft and strong separates, sleepwear, underwear and base layers with nary a reindeer print or neon pattern in sight.

Equipment

There's something deliciously decadent about swishing around the house in a pair of silk pyjamas, and Equipment makes some of the best on the market. Heavyweight silk ensures warmth while the classic-with-a-twist styling is perfectly suited to slinking. Pair with a messy bun and a freshly mixed cocktail for full effect.

SIRPLUS

There's lots to love about British brand SIRPLUS which uses surplus fabrics (see what they did there?) to make the sort of modern casual menswear that is perfect for the grown-up man about town.

And it also offers arguable some of the best dressing gowns in the city for the grown-up man about home too: choose from punchy Liberty prints or more low-key wool versions, and pick up a matching pair of boxers to complete the look.

Baserange

Baserange might be best known for its sustainable, transparent approach to redesigning the contents of our underwear drawers with comfort in mind. But the brand has also brought a fashion edge to the world of comfort wear, with kaftans and shirtdresses, jumpsuits, trousers and more in a range of punchy colours.

Toast

When Toast launched in 1997 with a capsule range of pyjamas and robes for sipping coffee on a lazy Saturday rather than actual sleeping, its founders inadvertently created one of the first loungewear brands. Little wonder, then, that the appealing idea of lived-in comfort continues to this day. With a focus on rich textures, jewel-like colours and hand-block prints there's a real sense of luxury to smock dresses, robes and comfortable trousers.

Plümo

Loungewear needn't be sleek and chic: there's plenty to love about more homespun and creative styling too. Plümo has that aesthetic perfected thanks to its eclectic approach to sourcing that combines a hint of heritage, a touch of Scandi-style and plenty of artisanal influences.

Mahabis

Of the 'do one thing well' school of thought, Mahabis are sleek, warm, comfortable and hard-wearing. What more could you want from a pair of slippers? There are also 'outdoor' versions too, ensuring you'll never make an embarrassing slip-up on the school run again.

Scamp & Dude

While Scamp & Dude's unisex kidswear is undeniably cute, the London brand has funky sweats for adults pretty much sewn up. A palette of soft neons and animal prints combines with classic shapes and high-quality materials to ensure your down-time is comfy yet cool.

The recent foray into sleepwear with pyjamas and robes for children and adults has us even more excited to hit the hay.

Desmond & Dempsey

For a brand that's all about relaxing, there's a real dynamism to Desmond & Dempsey's eye-catching printed pyjamas –whether you wear them for day or night it's nigh on impossible not to feel like you're living your best life in a pair. There's a certain amount of swagger and sexiness to the revamped classics for women and men, while for a more wholesome take you can add matching children's styles: twinning is, after all, winning.

The White Company

Flicking through The White Company catalogue is always an exercise in dream-weaving thanks to the rustic elegance of its interiosr styling. But, while a muted interiors scheme calls for quite a commitment to a stain-free existence, happily the brand's clothing expands its palette to include not only a more forgiving range of greys and blacks, but plenty of machine-washable fabrics to boot.

Hush

Founded in 2003 by an Aussie expat experiencing her first northern hemisphere winter, it's little wonder that cosiness is at the heart of Hush's offering. Since then the brand has expanded to fill almost every wardrobe need for the modern, stylish woman, with plenty of items that can do double duty: kimono robes can be layered over pyjamas, knitwear or skinny jeans and a T-shirt for instance. While pyjamas come in everything from classic navy jersey to bright prints, making it an ideal one-stop shop.

Yolke

From softly faded florals to lashings of leopard print, there's plenty of visual appeal to the offering from Yolke, which combines pyjamas and robes in cotton or silk with fashion-forward slip dresses that work on their own in the summer and layered with knitwear for the cooler months. Throw in a matching eye mask or super sweet mini-me pyjamas and you've got all the ingredients for a stylish sleepover.