Love ‘em. And if anyone can get away with wearing a high school look, Angie, it’s you!

As a random aside, I’m wondering who does the stylized scrunching on garments for online catalog pictures like these. There definitely seems to be an art to ruffling up the clothes just the right way. I saw a documentary on food artists once, and I’m wondering if these clothes scrunchers agonize the way the food artists do over the perfect picture. Hmmm…

One of my favorite things about fall is the return to sweats as the standard at-home-wear (I used to wear flannel jammies, until the day the new neighbors knocked on my door…) My parents gave me a white RL set 2 years ago and they are wonderful!

When I wear these, it reminds me of my not-so-distant high school days. Plus, if I have something like this in the house, I’m tempted to wear it out just to run errands, etc. I’m not “mature” enough in my fashion sense to handle sweats, I guess!
I do have some lounge wear that I throw on first thing in the morning. We are still nearing the 80’s as a daily high here in TX so I really don’t need anything too warm, like some of you do.

Our babysitter came over the other night wearing the outfit on the left! She was prepared to lounge on the floor with our toddler. Funny.

These are very cute Angie. Funny, I could never imagine you in sweats, not even at home

I am personally so bad with loungewear, the only piece of it that I actually like is a pair of black velour sweatpants. Everything else is old or in bad shape, but nobody sees me in it anyway. I guess when I move back with BF I’ll invest in a few decent pieces, but for now I’d rather get some real clothes.

OK here is my question—-I have an American Eagle in my town and can run right out and buy myself a pair of these cozy sweat pants but—–do I dare? I am 49 and have 2 teenage daughters! If I promise to never be seen outside the house in these?

OMG they look so cozy. I don’t need the hoodie because I already have a black one from the GAP— but the sweatpants look so comfortable and warm.

I bought the sweatpants last year and they are wonderful. I may have to get another set this year. For the summer I got the VS sweat shorts and a short sleeve hoodie from AE although the hoodie doesn’t get much use in the dead heat of the summer. What do you wear under the hoodies? Just a cami? I guess if you zip it works but what to do in the summer when a neighbor comes to the door? Are bare camis acceptable then?

Do you prefer non-matching hoodie and sweatpants? And does dark on bottom and light on top help with hiding any lumps and bumps on bottom?

They do look very cozy and comfy, and I saw on the website that you can choose the pant length as well, which is always a plus.

Just curious: what do you wear on your feet while lounging around the house?-)

Super comfy looking! Angie, any advice on sizing? Do they run small?

Thanks Angie! Perfect timing. I was just thinking I need to update my loungewear. What shoes do you wear with these cozy sweats?

Oh I love this post b/c I LIVE in my comfy cozies. Especially walking the dog and playing on the floor with my four year old! I have three pairs of fleece soft and warm pants that I bought from Kohls that are actually great and my hoodies have come from Old Navy or Target and are not bad.

(thanks for the compliment, Meredith *blush*). You’re right about the super duper crumpled-clothes-advertising look. It’s fab and effective. Sort of gives the clothing movement. I’m glad it’s not me painstakingly trying to achieve that perfect crumpled look for the camera.

In Summer I wear knee-length sweat pants instead. I find robes uncomfortable and don’t feel good in flannel pj’s . I let Jasmine and Rosie out into the garden to relieve themselves in the morning and at night. Wearing sweats is a better idea because then I’m actually “dressed” when people walk by or neighbors sneek a peek. The hood is of utmost importance. I pop it on if its drizzling and chilly.

So Tanya, no princess satin gown and feathered slippers for me. I love my comfy AE sweats! They never, NEVER leave our property. These are for home only. I workout in pukka workout wear and walk the dogs in whatever I’m wearing for the day.

I layer and match a short sleeved cru neck T-Shirt and boy shorts underneath my sweats (no cami). But camis are fine, Patience. I also wear Haflinger slippers on my feet, Inge and Plumeria – with or without socks. Remember these? I have the cream “lamb” pair:

http://youlookfab.com/2008/01/.....-slippers/

Laura, AE sweats do run small – smaller than Lucy’s loungewear. I love the limb lengths. I often battle with pant and arm lengths being too short (which is sort of ridiculous because I’m only 5ft 6”). But you tend to lose length with a smaller size.

You see Stephanie! Chances are high you’ll look like your baby sitter or teenage daughter if you shop at AE and Abercrombie. Fortunately, this is not something that I need to worry about at the moment.

Debbie, these sweats are baggy – no lumps and bumps to worry about. They are so, so, so soft! I purposely like to mismatch my sweats but you can do as you wish. Why don’t you ask your daughters what they think of you in AE sweat pants? They’ll be a better judge than me.

The collegiate sweat suit thing is novel for me which is part of the reason I’m attracted to it. I did not grow up with this look and teenagers in other parts of the world do not wear sweats like American teens do. I guess I’m making up for lost teenage-sweats-wearing days.

Thank you Angie !

My girls (ages 19 and 16) talked me into buying some super comfy black collegiate sweats from VS last summer but I returned them thinking they were too young looking. But at that point I had not thought of ONLY wearing them around the house. Silly me.

Now I can get some in a fun color like teal!

I’m going to come across negative and grumpy, I’m afraid!

1) Sweats are the most impossible thing for me to find, because I need *petite* sizing – and I refuse to have sweat pants hemmed. It’s just plain silly. (I have, however, chopped them straight off with scissors – yeah, tacky but what the heck… )

2) With that said, I have had luck at ATL petite section – but their quality has gone wayyy downhill; they haven’t offered sweat suits in about two seasons now; and the ones I have purchased in the past don’t last very long.

3) I would not be caught dead in AE sweats, even for just lounging in the house – sorry Angie!! As you said, you don’t have teens in your house. I do. This is my DD14’s “uniform.” She lives in these hoodies and sweat pants!

4) I would not be caught dead in VS sweats either – specifically, their PINK brand that has words on the butt. Words on the butt should be outlawed. Even my teen DD’s won’t wear words on their butts. JUST SAY NO.

5) With that said, I was in VS the other day (looking for elusive teen-appropriate sweats with no words on butt) and did see some very nice lounge wear that was sort of a cross between sweats and jammies. Seemed very soft. I did not stop to try them on though.

6) Otherwise, I live in GAP cami and pj bottoms. Their XS is the perfect length, the material is super-super soft, and they often come in colors like black or brown (not just “PJ” colors). I sleep in them, and if the postman or neighbor rings the doorbell, I toss a hoodie over top. (My hoodie collection is mostly from ATL and RL petites.)

Those are some adorable sweats, Angie. If price is an issue, this option might not appeal, but Eileen Fisher makes some GLORIOUS loungewear. The softest cotton you’ll ever feel in sleek modern shapes. It’s mad expensive, but will last forever …

Shiny

I need the warmth though, that only sweats or robes ( I do not prefer robes) provide.

My house was built in 1920 and it is drafty in the winter. These AE sweats have nothing written on the behind thanks be to god.

For everyone interested – I just found this 20% AE code expiring TODAY!

20% off orders $50 or more
Use American Eagle coupon 49234198 [Exp. 11/11]

Plus if you spend over $100 you get free shipping.

Thanks Angie, that’s good to know (I must have missed the Haflinger post when I was reading through the archives a few months back). At the moment I have something similar looking from Esprit, but they certainly aren’t as sturdy, provide no support at all, and are not machine-washable.
(the lamb slippers are so adorable;-)

Ah good tip Plumeria, thank you!

I hear you loud and clear Shiny, and thanks for your point of view. I probably wouldn’t wear AE, Abercrombie or VS sweats if I had teenage daughters at home either! (I guess we’ll never know). I do try to keep the branding subtle and I too refrain from wearing sweats with writing on the buttocks.

Sweatshirt fabric doesn’t fray so you can actually cut sweat pants to length without hemming. Consider doing that instead, Shiny. You’re right that nice petite sweats are hard to find. Have you tried Macys and the Nordstrom girlswear department? I took my 5ft size 0P client there last season and she scored.

Sal, good to know. I’d love to see a link of the Eileen Fisher sweats you’re suggesting. Sleek is not a word I’d use to describe her merchandise so I’m intrigued.

Bobs your uncle, Debbie. Now you can lounge in warm sweats with your daughters approval.

Plumeria, you are on the ball. Thanks for sharing the info. (Hope you find fab slippers in Belgium, Inge).

My very favorite sweats are by Paul Frank. They are 100% cotton, so they don’t stretch as much, but they look and feel great.

Oh and my mom lives in juniors loungewear at home, and she’s nearing 55.

This is timely as the holidays are rapidly approaching with trips to see relatives.
Question: Would you ever wear these when visiting close relatives in place of a robe? If not, what would you wear when staying at a home where you will be sharing a bathroom? I don’t wear pj’s or gowns and just dress in whatever I’m wearing for the morning, but I’m going to need something just to get to the bathroom.

Hmmm… I am not too keen on the look of the store brand name being advertised on these sweats. I do wear sweats in the morning before I shower and dress, and at night to relax. But I prefer plain sweats. Actually, my favorite “lounge” shirt is a Tommy Hilfiger waffle weave l/s shirt I bought for my husband, but it shrunk. I was going to set it in the donate pile, then I thought–hmmm this looks pretty comfy. I tried it on, and then promptly cut a notch out at the neckline. I do need to get some new sweat pants though. I wore most of mine to paint recently and they all now have splatters.

Shiny, Target sells cropped pajama pants that may fit you like regular length pants. My friend, who is almost 5′ tall wears these all the time. Also, you are so tiny, you could even try looking in the kids department. I’d check out Gap and ON online–they have kids sizes up to 16. My daughter is a junior 3, and can wear Gap kids 16’s except they are too short on her (she’s almost 5′4″)

my at home sweats are fitigues, a company that went out of business last year. my husband called them the $100 sweats. i’m wearing some right now in fact.

on sweats out of the house, yesterday i was at neiman marcus and saw an older lady dressed nicely in a put together sweats outfit. what was funny was on my way out the door five minutes later i saw another put together older lady in the same sweat outfit but in another color. the first lady was near 70 years.

which goes to show that a nice sweats outfit (out of the house) is hard to find, hence these ladies had duplicate.

to joy:

yes, i would absolutely wear your lounge sweats when staying with relatives. that is my strategy and it works. i recently did this and only wished i had brought more than one pair to wear, i wore them so often. i would take a couple if you have them.

Problem with kids sizing is the colors. I don’t want fun colors. Maybe I’m boring! Or overly sensitive to looking too young – bubble gum pink and baby blue will do that to you fast.

Also I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but most of the kids’ clothes aren’t as well made (makes sense if kid is just going to grow out of them) and tend to use uncomfortable materials (pj’s, in fact, are all req’d by law to have flame retardant on them – which makes for itchy clothing).

Yep. Been there, done that! When I figured out how uncomfy kids PJ’s really are, I skipped them entirely and had my kids wear 100% cotton XL logo shirts instead (the kind you get for free at trade shows and such). Much more comfy and they looked cute in them.

P.s. At moment I am in sweats: earlier today this post inspired me to strip out of my street clothes and get comfy, since I’ve been on calls and stuck on the ‘puter all day long. I’m wearing petite sweats from ATL (several years old now) with my favorite Harvard hooded sweatshirt – an XS…. very very rare to find college sweatshirts in XS usually – but I scored!

This blog does inspire me to circle back to VS and try on the loungewear I saw there this weekend. And Gap might now offer petite sweats… haven’t checked in awhile.

P.s. I do have Target cropped sweats – and once posted myself in a photo of them (taking out the trash) and Angie suggested they were not the best length.

I love sweats for hanging around the house in the winter. II wear either a tank, chick T, or chick longsleeve under it depending on how warm it is. Angie, I’m sure you look adorable in your AE sweats, but with my pear shape, VS velour sweats are great. (I have other brands too.) They don’t have a logo on them. Shiny, you can choose the length! (I am 5′ 2.5″ and bought the shortest ones. After a few washings they are on the shorter side.) They have fun and boring colors. And they have great sale prices.

Joy, I would and do wear these when visiting relatives or friends instead of a robe. Have you got sweats you can wear?

Shiny, I’m happy that this post inspired you to go back to VS and check out those lounge clothes. I hope they work out.

Eva, glad to hear you’re lounging in velour style.

Angie, you have inspired me today to order a new set of loungewear, since mine is in such bad shape. Since I personally do not like logos and writings, I have ordered this VS stretch velour set, which should be very handy for the Christmas season with a lot of people in the house :

http://www2.victoriassecret.co.....rfnbr=4624

Great, Tanya! You and Eva are velour twins. Your loungewear looks yummy. Which colour did you get?

I got the balsamic color, which could be brown or burgundy, couldn’t quite tell. I liked the fact that the jacket didn’t have a hood, since hoods tend to interfere with my hair.

Ah ha. Hoods and long hair aren’t a good match. Nice colour, Tanya. Let us know if you love them so that you can inspire others.

Do you guys have any stores that stock bonds clothing? They are very comfie, and come in some nice, but not too lary colours. How I wish they came in multiple leg lengths though!!!

Angie, my only sweats are an impluse buy Jones New York Sport velour pants and jacket with hood from Sams Club. I’m really not a big fan of velour, probably because I wore it too much during pregnancies, but it wears like iron.
A lighter weight set would be nice for packing space.

I like the pants, but I don’t do advertising for any store. I am small at 5′4″ and 122 pounds and find the greatest lounge pants in the girl’s workout and loungewear section at my local Walmart of all places. Girl’s size 16 is perfect for me. The pants are the right length and the tanks are actually small enough for my size 30B chest. Some of the brands they carry are very well made and the fabrics are nice. The one drawback is I often end up with a deep rasberry or some other color when I would prefer grey.

Angie, you would look good in these, but then I thing it would be hard to be schulmpy with your chic haircut and willowy frame, regardless of how casual your outfit.

That should read “I think.”

Those sweats are very cute, Angie, and with your pixie-ish look you could easily pull off the college sweats look with no problem! I can’t shop at juniors stores myself because I run into fit problems–usually the pants or sleeves are not long enough or the tops have shoulders that are too narrow. I’m not a big fan of sweats for loungewear because I find them too hot, even in wintertime. I prefer yoga pants around the house, (I also wear them to work out), and I have them in several different weights of fabric–thin ones for summer, thicker ones for winter. For tops I usually wear T shirts.

Tayna, my VS sweats have a hood. (I don’t use the hood much unless I am chilly and too lazy to move, I just pop the hood up and it warms me up a bit.) I will have to look into the ones you linked. I have velour sweats in chocolate and royal blue (black from another brand). I love the basalmic color in the picture. Let us know if you like the color in real life. Oh, and they are on sale!

I also have ultra cozy micro fleese sweat pants. They are SUPER soft and warm. I love them in the winter.

I’ve never heard of Bonds Clothing. Looks interesting.

Joy, why don’t you find a great pair of lounging sweats. Sounds like they would come in handy. Off to the sale racks you go.

Good tip, Lissie. The girls wear department can stock the odd sweat suit treasure. (Thank you for the compliment both Lissie and Joelle).

Joelle, yoga pants are a great alternative if you like the way they feel. I’m glad they worked out as your loungewear alternative.

I’m impressed that you’re all taking your loungewear seriously. It’s a good thing!

I am an acknowledged cheap skate – and would never spend so much money on lounge wear. I live in jeans & t-shirts or sweatshirts (but I am in S. Calif. where it’s not so cold)… Even tho they are cheaper, I really do prefer interesting non-collegiate sweatshirts, such as the one commemorating a Plein Air Exhibit at the San Luis Obispo Art Ctr. (wine colored with a yellow landscape on it…) Besides, going in matching sweat suits or jogging suits has long gone out of style here in LaLa land…

I like those sweats. I actually prefer teen sweats to any other kind, because others look boring to me, and the sweatsuit look is all about looking fresh and ready to go to college. XD
I’m a mix of contrasts when it comes to loungewear – I wear sweats in winter and Chinese silk kimonos in summer.

Oooo, I love the idea of silk kimonos! This will sound like a stupid question, but where do you find “lounge sweats”?.. fitness wear? with the pjs? I guess there’s a whole world of lounge wear out there I’ve never explored..like yoga pants

Joy, you’ll find lounge sweats in any department store (active or sleepwear section). Also try Lucy and branded active shops. Gap, Anthropologie and Old Navy spring to mind and so does Victoria Secret. There are a whole slew of yoga and active wear online shopping sites too. Many options!

I love these sweats…I already have a pair of J. Crew lounge pants that I adore and have worn almost threadbare, so it might be time to upgrade! And yes, they are inside-wear only…especially nice for cozy nights at home with a book and my favorite tea.

I love sweats and I’m always looking for some that are comfy and cute. Yogawear is just too tight, and I have a pair of fleece that are horribly unflattering (but warm!) I’m going to check these out! And I, too, have an affinity for the collegiate look. Glad to know I’m not too old for American Eagle.

Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only gal in the world who couldn’t find sweats that top AEs! And this is coming from a gal who is also NOT a junior. I try to wear jeans around the house, so I won’t feel like I’m slumming all the time, but I always end up in my AEs at some point. I must admit that I wear them out of the house all the time, but I make sure I’m wearing make-up and freshly styled hair to offset. I just wish all their sweats came in different lengths (not just the aerie styles, which is a new thing anyhow). I’m 5′ 5″ so it’s not like I’m out of the ordinary!! I don’t understand where they come up with this 32″-33″ inseam. I must be below the curve! I’ve hacked off the bottom with my fabric scissors before and left them as is; no fraying or anything! Also, They stretch out one whole size for me, in fact the sales gals there confirm this phenomenon.

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