These days, what’s fashionable doesn’t just involve a garment’s visual appeal. Nowadays, luxury consumers look for comfort just as much—if not more than—style.
That’s indicative of larger trends in the fashion industry. A survey conducted by the lifestyle marketplace Unbound finds that eight in ten people now prioritize how good clothes feel over style and even cost. These findings explain many recent trends in luxury fashion, including the rise of athleisure pieces that perfectly marry form and function and can be worn on multiple occasions. However, this isn’t the only kind of comfortable clothing that’s now being imbued with a touch of luxury.
Today, an increasing number of luxury brands are making loungewear—which comprises clothing typically worn at home—more sophisticated. Thus far, this strategy has met resounding success. Verified Market Reports reveals the luxury loungewear market is now a billion-dollar industry, and its value is set to hit nearly $3 billion by the end of the decade.
Why exactly is luxury loungewear suddenly so popular? Below, we’ll dive into how this kind of clothing gained traction among fashion enthusiasts with more discerning tastes—and, if you find it to your liking, what to look for in and how to style your own loungewear pieces.
Like athleisure, loungewear became more popular during the pandemic. With more people spending time at home and even switching to remote work settings, traditional and luxury fashion consumers alike began looking for fashionable pieces that simultaneously provided the comfort they associated with increasingly at-home lifestyles. That poses the question: why is loungewear still popular today, and in luxury circles no less?
The answer can be found in the mindset of the luxury consumer. When they appraise high-end pieces, they look for elegant designs, quality craftsmanship, and a sense of exclusivity. Today, however, they also prioritize wellness and self-care. More luxury consumers now value the ability to relax after a long day using sophisticated products and services that they feel uplift their well-being. A Market Research Intellect piece finds that these shifting preferences caused the luxury clothing market to expand beyond their traditional offerings—and into the realm of wellness-centered garments. The result? Luxury loungewear.
These pieces put a designer twist on more homey clothes, ranging from hoodies, cardigans, and sweatshirts to shorts, pants, and even full pajama sets. They’re made with the finest textiles and are put together with the utmost attention to detail, creating an unparalleled comfort that slots perfectly into end-of-day routines and signals that it’s time to rest and recharge. At the same time, they come in multiple styles and boast design features like convertibility, making them both more practical and suitable to wear both in and out of the home. With luxury loungewear, you truly get more sumptuous garments that provide a more sophisticated means of finding comfort through clothing.
The best loungewear is made with premium fabrics that are both visually appealing and feel luxuriously soft on the skin. Though silk may be the first thing that comes to mind, you’ll find that many brands offer loungewear in equally sophisticated fabric options like cashmere, 100% organic cotton, and beyond. For a good idea of what to look for, you can refer to offerings from the global luxury loungewear brand Barefoot Dreams, which is frequented by the likes of the Kardashians. The Barefoot Dreams cardigan options you’ll find on QVC use patented CozyChic and CozyChic Lite fabrications to create warm, buttery-soft knits that encapsulate the comfort of luxury loungewear. These come together to create wrap-style, generously cut garments that closely hug the body. Look for similar fabrics in your loungewear pieces to experience a level of comfort that doesn’t compromise elegance.
Quality craftsmanship is a cornerstone of luxury fashion, and loungewear is no different. Aside from coming in elegant, timeless styles, the pieces you look at should be lovingly crafted with every stitch—which will ensure that you can revel in the comfort of your new tops, bottoms, and sets for longer. You can find a great example of that attention to detail in Susan Fang pajamas. Amid the designer’s AW23 presentation at London Fashion Week, Fang noted that her team took great care to “[redesign] the classic pajamas into sleek and elegant pieces of loungewear that can be worn for both comfort and style.” The resulting garments boast lacey borders, drapery shoulders, detailed necklines, and even custom-made lace—showing how comfortable loungewear can truly be made luxurious if you carefully select pieces made with the utmost care.
Luxury loungewear combines the best of form and function, allowing you to step out into the world despite wearing clothes you’d usually only wear at home. To achieve that kind of style with your own loungewear, it’s essential to pick pieces with designs so versatile they’re suitable for virtually any occasion. The latest Fear of God loungewear collection perfectly illustrates what that can look like. Ranging from robes and pajama sets to socks, the garments in this new line start off strong by coming in classic, adaptable colors like Cement, Cream, and Black. The collection’s unisex options go further by leveraging streamlined silhouettes. From lounge pants with regular straight leg and side seam pockets to v-neck shirts made from warm cotton jersey fabric but come with a relaxed fit, these garments are so polished that you won’t look out of place as you head out wearing them. Instead, loungewear like this will fit right into your everyday luxury wardrobe.
With luxury loungewear available in different colors, it’ll be easy to craft aesthetics depending on where you’re headed. If you’re going out with family and friends, try injecting fun into the mix by selecting one accent loungewear piece in a vibrant hue and pairing it with other items that come in neutral or earthy shades. Looking to emulate quiet luxury as you relax at home or attend a more formal event? Go monochrome. Sleek all-black or pure white outfits can enhance the sophistication of your outfit and help you look more put-together, especially as they incorporate the more stylish design features that come with luxury loungewear. To add more interest to this kind of ensemble, try the next tip.
Loungewear often comes in sets for a reason: so you can layer the cuts provided by various pieces. For example, you can go beyond simply wearing a sweater and lounge pant pairing by topping everything off with a soft robe or light cardigan. You can even go beyond loungewear to add more contrast and dimension to your final look. If you want to add character to a loungewear brand’s slip dress, for instance, you can match it with a sleek leather jacket and your favorite heels or sandals. Whichever you choose to do, you’ll be taking full advantage of how luxury loungewear can seamlessly transition from being at-home clothing to something you can head out the door wearing.
The perfect way to enhance any loungewear item is with a little bling. Just look at how Emily Ratajkowski elevated her outfit when she was spotted running an errand: instead of changing out her creamy button-up cardigan and pajama-style pants for more casual outdoor clothing, she simply added a diamond charm necklace to her ensemble and went about her day. The resulting look was exceptionally polished despite using comfortable garments, and you can achieve the same aesthetic by pairing pieces of jewelry that complement both your skin tone and the color of your loungewear.