What Is Loungewear?

Loungewear is clothing made to be comfortable at home while you are awake. That is the whole definition. It is cut for sitting, moving around the house and answering the door, rather than for sleeping in or for exercise.

The word covers a wide range, which is why it gets confusing. A cashmere set and a pair of joggers are both loungewear, and so is a cotton camisole with wide leg pants.

What makes something loungewear

• It is designed for being upright. Shaping, a hem that falls properly, a defined shoulder.
• It is comfortable enough to sit in for hours. Soft waistbands, nothing rigid.
• It looks deliberate. The test most people apply is whether they would open the door in it.
• It is worn at home, or on the short trips that start and end there.

Loungewear and sleepwear are cut differently

Sleepwear is designed around a body that is horizontal for eight hours, so it runs lighter, roomier through the hip, with seams placed away from pressure points. Loungewear runs heavier and closer, because it is doing the job a jumper would do while you are awake.

The two overlap more than they used to, and a light set with real pockets often does both. There is a fuller comparison in loungewear versus pajamas.

What loungewear is not

Athleisure is the one most often confused with loungewear. Both are comfortable and neither is formal, but athleisure is built on performance fabrics designed for movement, while loungewear is built for stillness.

Is there a loungewear dress code?

Not a formal one. When an invitation or a hotel mentions loungewear it usually means comfortable clothing that is still presentable: a matching set, a knit and soft trousers, something you would be photographed in.

The practical reading is comfortable but intentional. A set reads as loungewear. The same pieces mismatched read as getting changed halfway.

What makes a good set

• Natural fibres. Cotton and linen breathe, which matters when something is worn for hours indoors.
• Real pockets. The difference between a set you wear and one you look at.
• A hem that falls. Weight and drape are what let a set hang properly rather than cling.
• Sold as separates. Most people are not the same size top and bottom.

Our own cotton sets are sleepwear by cut, with deep side pockets and a wide leg that falls properly, which is the loungewear half. The evening does not divide neatly into awake and asleep, and the clothes do not need to either.

Common questions

What is loungewear?

Clothing made to be comfortable at home while you are awake. It is cut for sitting and moving around the house rather than for sleeping or exercise, and it is usually soft, unstructured and matching enough to look deliberate.

What is the difference between loungewear and sleepwear?

Sleepwear is cut for a body lying down, so it is lighter and roomier with seams placed away from pressure points. Loungewear is cut for a body upright, so it has more shaping and heavier fabric. The difference is in the pattern, not in the room you wear it in.

Is loungewear the same as athleisure?

No. Athleisure uses performance fabrics designed for movement and perspiration, usually with stretch. Loungewear is designed for stillness and warmth at home. They look similar, but the fabrics are chosen for opposite jobs.

What is a loungewear dress code?

There is no formal standard. In practice it means comfortable but presentable: a matching set, a knit with soft trousers, something you would be happy to be photographed in. Matching is what makes it read as intentional.

Can loungewear be worn outside?

For short trips that start and end at home, yes, and that is how most people wear it. A set in a plain colour with a proper hem reads as an outfit. A looser weave that clings does not travel as well.

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More: loungewear versus pajamas, pajamas or pyjamas, and what to wear on a long flight.