The Vine: November 9, 2007
Hi Sars,
I am wondering if you or any of your readers have any ideas about where I could find a nice plain pair of cotton pajamas…you know, the “old man” kind that has the long-sleeved button shirt and pajama pants? I’m short (5′) and…plump, so I’d probably need plus-sized ones and if they come in “petite” length, that would be great too. But, if they don’t, I can get them hemmed or just roll them up or whatever.
I do want just regular cotton, not silk. I’ve already looked at The Avenue, Lane Bryant, Wal-Mart, Old Navy, and Torrid.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
I guess I could deal with flannel if I can’t find regular cotton
Dear Guess,
I love the men’s PJs myself, plus my dad kicks it old-school with the nightwear, and he’s had jays on his Christmas list enough times that I know just where to send you: department store men’s section. A Macy’s would have, like, an entire wall of them in every fabric, color, shirt style (button-down or pullover), and length (you can get the shorty sets too, although probably not at this time of year). And if you don’t have any of the big department-store chains near you, try the websites.
Other traditional men’s outlets — Jos. A. Bank, Hickey-Freeman, that sort of store — would have them, and you might even find them at an Army Navy, but you can find a better selection and price at a Lord & Taylor or something.
Men’s stuff is usually sized by waist number; with pajamas, it’s done S/M/L, but they’ll still have a waist-size number on it as a guideline.
Readers, any other thoughts?
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
Vermont Country Store is the place to go – pages and pages of old fashioned pj’s – go to vermontcountrystore.com. Also the source for Mallomars.
Land’s End has some nice cotton pajamas that come in plus sizes. The only thing is the tops don’t button all the way down. Just rounded neck with a small buttoned opening.
I’d try the Vermont Country Store (www.vermontcountrystore.com). They have all sorts of old-school jammies for men and women. Plus, their catalog is all old-timey (b&w, drawings instead of photos, etc) and they have some WACKY stuff from the olden days so it could be just plain fun to poke around.
http://www.sleepyheads.com has a gazillion different styles. Some of them are pretty fancy, but I’ve seen some that are nice and plain.
Double check Old Navy. Every year I get my husband the “old man pajamas” (that’s what he calls them) at Christmas time. Granted, he is 6’3″ and they fit him well, but I’m much shorter and they are just kinda long on me. I’ve found some for him at Target around this time of year, too, and they were cotton ones.
If you REALLY want old school, try the Vermont Country Store catalog. The whole thing is a bit of an anthropological exercise (Horehound candy? really?).
Both L.L. Bean and Land’s End have good, classic men’s PJs, too.
I had actually thought about the men’s section, but I was afraid my boobs would overwhelm a men’s shirt. I guess I could always get off my lazy ass and go try some one. lol
Land’s End?
Looking in the men’s sleepwear section on their website, they’ve got this: http://www.landsend.com/pp/BroadclothPJTop~118378_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::JCC&CM_MERCH=IDX_00001__0000000035&origin=index
Target carries Nick and Nora. The other brands they carry tend to be a bit low-waisted, if that would bother you.
I’ve seen cotton poplin pajama sets at Target — usually made by Nick and Nora, but sometimes their house brands. Looking on the Target website, I can see a few poplin pants, but mostly flannel sets: http://tinyurl.com/2eszxr
Right now, it might be a bit too late in the season for cotton poplin, so perhaps she’d have better luck just searching online.
Victoria’s secret has some options, like this one, which has several inseam options: http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=3F-172274&page=1&cgname=OSSLPSETZZZ&rfnbr=3356
Try Nordstrom. Their men’s pajamas are pretty nice. They have separates and sets, and there are usually more in the stores than are on the website, assuming you have a store near you. If not, try http://www.nordstrom.com.
Good luck!
I agree with Sars on the Macy*s bit, but I’d add Target to that list.
Last year I bought men’s pajama sets for three different couples for Christmas, and there was a decent selection of sizes and colors.
Lands End has cotton flannel; LL Bean has cotton flannel and “sateen.” No regular cotton, though. Maybe in the spring?
I’ve had good luch with men’s pajama BOTTOMS at the Jockey outlet — comfy, quality, AND cheap! I’ve not looked to see whether they have tops (I’m a men’s-pj-bottoms-and-women’s-Tshirt gal.
Karen Neuburger does a “boyfriend” style pajama (button up top, collar, just like guys stuff) in plus and petite sizes. You can find it at http://www.karenneuburger.com.
The Vermont Country Store, which can be kind of spendy, has them, as does LL Bean (also a little spendy in this department, but the stuff lasts FOREVER and their return policy is awesome). I have also had decent luck at Target – particularly this brand they carry called Gilligan & O’Malley. Right now the website is showing a couple of sets like this that might be what you’re looking for. You might also have better luck in the all-cotton department, especially if you want cotton-but-not-flannel, when they start putting out the spring stuff. Failing that, Sars is right that the men’s dept is probably your best bet.
There are these at redenvelope.com which are a bit pricey, but then there’s always that ultimate in old men’s stores, Land’s End. They’ve got a crazy variation on grampa pajamas.
I will die if the html doesn’t work.
Land’s End has a great selection is reasonably priced. Plus, you can see the items for real at Sears and if they don’t have it in stock at the store, they’ll ship it to you for free. You may have to buy the pieces separately, but it’s fun to mix and match that way.
http://www.landsend.com/cd/frontdoor
Garnet Hill has pajamas, although they are a little pricey. Another place that probably has them is L.L. Bean and Eddie Bauer — they may be flannel this time of year but they may have regular cotton, still. I could’ve sworn I saw some on the sale rack at Target, too.
I don’t know if they currently have them, but I’ve found some nice menswear styled pajamas for us short girls (I’m 5′ too) at Eddie Bauer’s website. They have them in petite lengths & I believe they have a pretty wide range of sizes.
Hope that helps!
I love men’s pajamas – you’re right about the Men’s floor of any department store. My favorite are the flannel ones made by Botany 5000 (yes, the same people who dressed every actor, game show host, and tv personality from the 50’s to the 80’s) – the small fits a 5’4″ woman perfectly.
Last year I got three pair at Kmart, Joe Boxer brand. They were “girls pajamas” because of the print (last I checked, most men weren’t wearing purple PJs with little dresses and coat hangers on them), but they were the pants/button down top that Guess is looking for and came in plus sizes and are Super Awesome and comfy. It looks like they still have them: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_027B799562230001P?vName=Clothing&sbf=Brand&sbv=Joe+Boxer
Gaiam.com has a bunch of nice pajamas – including plain, striped cotton, jersey and flannel and they are in women’s sizes!
Specifically:
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/94-0593_MSTR
Nick and Nora make cotton pajamas in women’s plus sizes. I’ve found them on the Target website before, as well as amazon. I doubt you can find a petite, but I’m also short and find that longer capri pants often look like pants on me, with my short little legs.
Target: Nick & Nora or Gillian & O’Malley brand. I found cotton, woven, not flannel or knit, button-down tops & capri pants with elastic + drawstring bottoms. I’m petite (5’4″) so the capri length look like high-waters on me. They are comfy and perfect but they shrink in the washer & dryer by a full size, so buy up one.
I was going to suggest Land’s End or LL Bean, but this time of year it’s all flannel, all the time. Even the catalogs are made of flannel (or so it would seem). So if flannel ends up being the way to go, you can’t beat the Bean for the snuggly jammies!
you CAN find these for women, but it’s harder. Some of the larger department stores carry them, and there are some pajama specialty shops that carry them, as well.
But the men’s department and then some fancy hemming is probably the best bet.
I picked some up at Target, in the men’s department last year. They’re comfy and actually kinda’ cute (light blue and white and yellow striped). At the time I was coming in on a 24 and the 3x still fit fine. Now that it’s getting colder, it may be a bit harder to find the straight up cotton.
Lands End Mens XXL, usually they have flannel and regular cotton. I’m 5’4″ and plus size, and these are great (long, but great).
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com
The best purveyor of old man gear I know.
Department stores are definitely good–as are the Christmas sales. I purchased pajamas for my dad the last couple years and they’re often super on sale at Christmas time.
When I got done coaching a junior high lacrosse team, the girls banded together and got me seersucker pajamas and a spa robe from this place: http://www.urbanezen.com/pajamasrobes.html. It looks like it has both men’s and women’s PJs and they mail-order, so that could work. I know that Talbot’s also used to have PJs, but they may not anymore.
I’ve had decent luck at J.C. Penney over the years for all my short-self jammy needs.
I was totally going to suggest Macy’s before I read your answer (or really, any old-school department store). I used to only ever wear men’s-style pajamas, and back when I was going to college, my mom and I discovered that the ACTUAL men’s pajamas sold in the men’s department were significantly cheaper than the women’s pjs that were just styled to look like mens.
I’m not sure that the reader is _actually_ looking for men’s pj’s, but I’d second the department store thing. If looking for women’s pj’s, I know I found some of that kind around this time of year in a department store a couple of years ago. Check around the Christmas displays, because they’ll often have sets there for gifts.
Target also has a selection of ladies PJs, mostly in flannel, in this style. The prints can get a little cutesy, but otherwise I’ve been pretty pleased.
I’ve seen some pretty ones at Dillard’s in the ladies section. There’s a frou-frou brand called Eileen West that are sooooo soft, but I’ve seen lots of lower-priced pjs there, too. And I was fairly impressed by the offerings in the plus-size section.
When I was at Macy’s just this week, there was an ENORMOUS display of this type of PJs in the women’s section. I assume it’s because they’re starting to haul out the Christmas stuff, so I would guess that other department stores would have something similar.
Nordstroms used to have a great selection of cotton/flannel women’s jammies and nightgowns. I’m still using mine, so I haven’t hunted in a while. You’ll probably have luck at most department stores, though.
I like “men’s” jammies, too. I’ve seen/bought them in the women’s section at large-ish department stores like Macy’s, Hecht’s (which is now Macy’s), Dillard’s, etc. Usually they’re in flannel, rather than a cotton poplin.
And IIRC, you might look at an LL Bean or Land’s End catalog.
There seem to be enough pyjamas in North America that you’re not going to end up buying by mail order from the U.K., but for sheer unapologetic oldfashionedness you might enjoy a little Internet visit to http://www.pukkapyjamas.co.uk/.
I actually have a pair of blue flannel pj’s that are long sleeved and big, and they were from victoria secret’s. I’ve had them a couple years, so I don’t know if they still have that style.
I’ll throw in another vote for Penneys. :) Try the mens section, they had quite the selection
Like Beth said – if you want women’s pajamas that just *look* like men’s PJs, I’d try Victoria’s Secret (I have them myself!!!) or Nordstrom’s (and if you’ve got one near you, Nordstrom Rack generally has a huge cast-off ladies’ PJ/robe section).
I tried to reply to this post when it was fresh – but my two attempts disappeared into the interwebs.
For mens pj’s, any of the above mentioned places would work – Target, Mervyn’s and Kohl’s would top my list. (I’m in CA, not NY)
Checking out JCPenney online I noticed ladies jammies in that style – though flannel, not light-weight cotton.
I’m with Go Amie; Victoria’s Secret does have some really cute old man-style PJs.
Chiming in again. I think an important part of this search is knowing the right terms for the kind of fabric you want. A search for “plain cotton pajamas” isn’t really going to get you anywhere online. I’m guessing that cotton poplin is what you have in mind, but cotton sateen (mentioned in a post above) is also nice — sort of a softer, smoother version of poplin (I know it sounds like satin, but it’s not the same at all).
If you want to splurge, The Cat’s Pajamas (http://www.thecatspjs.com/shop.html) has some fun prints in plain, non-flannel cotton — scroll down the page about halfway. I’m also about 5′ and plump (though smaller on top than on bottom), and the small size is fine if I roll up the sleeves and legs a bit. If you’re, er, “happier” on top than I am, you might want to try the medium size.