How to make your loungewear look good

The last six months have likely seen you take on many different style personas. From the beginning of lockdown where you vowed to wear a shirt everyday, shunning your hoodie and insisting on wearing (proper) shoes in the house. Then came a heatwave, where you ditched it all for your lightest shorts and T-shirt. And now, as the sun goes down on another summer, you wouldn’t be blamed for wanting to reach for your warmest, most luxurious loungewear and hunker down for the next few months at home. But before you get too comfortable, consider how you’re going to maintain an air of sartorialism throughout the cooler days. Need some help? Read on.

When buying loungewear, you want it to blend in with the rest of what you already own. Pick neutral colours such as blue, grey, white or black. While tie-dye and bright tones might be having a moment, we’re all about smart investments that you’ll still want to wear in a couple of years, so pick colour with caution. 

While it might be tempting to find the biggest, baggiest clothes you can, go for something slim to avoid an oversized (and instantly scruffy) silhouette. Tapered joggers, slim-fit sweatshirts and T-shirts that you wouldn’t mind wearing out of the house are good starting points. 

Other than the fit of your joggers or sweatshirt, the fabric will be the biggest measure of comfort. Pick pieces that you know will feel good on your skin, like organic cotton, cashmere, jersey and elastane for extra stretch. 

Sweatsuits might be big news now, but that doesn’t mean that matching joggers and a hoodie will always look good together. Put a little thought into loungewear pairings, so they work in the outside world as well as on the sofa. For example, a long-sleeved polo shirt paired with tapered joggers, or a slim-fit hoodie styled with your favourite loose jeans is just the right balance of lounge/casual to ensure comfort is still king when you are in the public arena.