Making My Good Life

If there’s one thing I’m serious about, it’s sleep. Beds, pillows, sheets, I’m absolutely insane about them all. The state of my pillow is a common topic of conversation with my mom. I wash my sheets once a week but if it wasn’t ridiculously over the top I would do it every three days. I’m a total snob but I love it.

My newest foray into the realm of sleep is pajamas. Someone I follow on Instagram was talking about how they threw away all their non-matching pajama sets and now they only wear matching sets and how it feels so luxurious. I stored that away in my mind and thought that I would like to do that one day. Then I started watching New Girl and Jessica Day and her wild patterned pajama sets became my hero. That kind of dedication to sleep and comfort calls to me. I made it my mission to become Jessica Day with my pajamas.

And now, I’m going to share it all with you: what brands I like, what styles I prefer, if I think they are worth it. I will be detailing each of my sets and giving them a rating. So if you love being comfortable but put together like me, this one is for you.

Now there’s a couple distinctions of pajamas. There’s long sets, short sets, and nightgowns. Then there is the plethora of materials that these all come in. I have quite a few sets, but I don’t have them all. I have favorites and I stick to them but I do have an assortment so I can give my opinion on quite a few. Also most of my sets are patterned (preferably wildly) because why the heck not.

Long Flannel

Starting with the warmest and going from there, we’ve got long flannel sets. I know sleeping in flannel is a little divisive but I love it. This is for cold winter nights and sleepers that like to be nice and cozy. It’s toasty but so soft and comforting.

My number one pick for flannel pajamas is, unsurprisingly, an Anthropologie set. I wish that the most expensive set wasn’t the best but that’s the way it is. I’m going to say that I wouldn’t buy a pair when it was full price, but I’m not going to promise anything.

I’m not normally an orange kind of girl but I saw this set in person and fell in love. It is ridiculously soft and the pattern is just crazy with dragons and lions and people playing the piano. I also really like the contrasting trim on the collar and cuffs, it elevates the set for me.

I ordered a large in both the top and bottom which you had to order separately. I’m 6 foot tall so it’s hard to find things long enough without it being oversized in other areas. This set goes past my wrists but to about my ankles on the pants. It has a really long metallic ribbon drawstring that cinches in nicely.

This set might be my favorite I own period. It’s perfection, no notes. A+

I also own a Target flannel set as well. This set is about 4 or 5 years old. I got the set in a medium which isn’t the size for me. The buttons gap weird at the top and the cuffs are too short on my arms and the pants are too short. It’s definitely scratchier than the Anthropologie set but for a third of the price, it’s not a bad option.

My biggest note on this set is that the buttons come unbuttoned unexpectedly. It’s pretty inconvenient and always surprising. I need to get a Target set that actually fits me but until then, it’s getting a B- from me.

Long Cotton

After deciding to become a pajama aficionado, long cotton sets was the first area that I decided to investigate. Out of all the different materials, cotton pajamas probably have the widest and strangest variety of prints which I love. To be honest, I’m less sold on the comfort of cotton pajamas. Maybe it requires a certain amount of wears or washes to soften them down to the level that I want them to be at or maybe they are always just going to be too crisp for me but they are my personal most contentious category.

My first ever long pair of cotton pajamas was from the brand Printfresh. I had been getting Facebook and Instagram ads for this brand, and as the name would suggest, the prints are a stand out. The weirder the better I think. Their prints range from mermaids, fruits, camels, and unicorns. The prints that really catch my eye though are any prints with dogs on them. I absolutely love them. So in fall 2022 when their Must Love Dogs print came out, I was drooling. I was less enthused about the $158 price tag though so I decided to admire from afar. My birthday came around though and I got the set in a large as a gift and I was so excited.

That excitement turned to worry though. The set is pretty crisp which takes getting used to, but the thing that really is heartbreaking is that it doesn’t fit super great. Now, I’m 6ft with long limbs but relatively slim. I got given a large in the hopes that it would be long enough for me. Unfortunately, the large is not nearly long enough on my arms or legs but way too big on my waist and torso. There is a drawstring but it doesn’t cinch enough. So the pants are pretty loose and the cuffs don’t come down enough. Also, I sleep with my arms bent which creases the fabric like crazy and makes the cuffs even shorter.

So while I love the pattern a lot, the fit just isn’t right which stinks for it being such an expensive brand. I’ve seen that they do offer tall sizes now in some of their prints so that has potential but I would have expected the brand to have tall long before now and in all prints for the price point. That being said, I do want to give them another try and maybe get a short set from them. But just judging on the pair I own now, it gets a C-.

Another brand that I got influenced into seeing and trying was the UK based brand Their Nibs. I first saw them on a boutique website but I went directly to their website to order. Their prices are really reasonable for the print and material quality. I was pretty blown away. It does come from the UK so you have to take into account shipping costs and time but for me it was 100% worth it.

The long cotton set I ordered in medium is white with a light blue peacock pattern. Ordering a medium was pretty risky for me but I love how slim this set fits, especially in contrast to my Printfresh pair. It’s a little short on me but just seems oh so cropped. The cotton also just feels and looks pretty substantial. For a white set it is just barely see through, not nearly as bad as I was expecting. For me, this set gets an A.

Long Jersey

Here it is, the pajamas that started it all. I feel like jersey pajamas are the everyman’s pajamas. They are comfy, cozy, and stretchy. What’s not to love?

Perhaps the king of jersey pajamas is Target and the brand Stars Above. Everyone and their brother seems to have a pair of these. I have the light pink pinstripe set in large and admittedly, I love it. It is long and slouchy and super soft. I also really like that the drawstring is a satin ribbon, makes it feel just that little bit more fancy as does the piping details. For under $30, it’s just a dang good pair of pajamas.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some problems with it. While I love the pattern of the pair I own, I really really don’t think the other patterns are that good at all. They could do so much but some of them just look like 90s castoff prints. Also, the light pink set is fairly see through. I don’t wear that set around company. And because mine is so well loved, it has started to pill and lose some softness. But like I said, the price and access can’t be beat so it gets an A-.

Another king of the pajama game, albeit with a different connotation, is Victoria’s Secret. I am always looking at different brands and checking what patterns and options they have. I originally was looking at them for satin sets but I saw a great deal on their jersey set and went for it. I would not have bought this set at full price but the quality is definitely really good and worth what I paid and more, I just like a bargain.

What initially attracted me to the set was that it comes in long. I got a medium long and it fits perfect. It lightly touches the floor but doesn’t drag. the set also has pockets which was an unexpected nice touch. I also like that while the set is extremely soft, it isn’t so soft that it will pill. It’s just the tiniest bit slippery. The only semi downside to the set is that the drawstring is a ribbed ribbon and a little scratchy. I would have preferred a satin instead. Overall a really good set that I’m very happy with, A+.

Long Satin

Another elevation to my pajama collection was satin pajamas. Before I started my obsession into sets I was an athletic shorts and big t-shirt kind of sleeper so satin was uncharted territory.

My first long set was another Their Nibs set. I love the print so much, its pink with flowers and dragons on it. I mean dragons, what else could you want. Honestly, I’m pretty torn about this pair and satin pajamas in general. they are ever so slightly scratchy, like they’ve got a catch to them but at the same time they can get staticy. Also I had to get this set in a large since it was sold out in other sizes and the pants are just a little big and baggy on me even when tied tight. I just really don’t reach for this set normally. However, recently I wore them and it felt like the best pair of pajamas ever so I’m not sure if that was just a fluke or what.

So, because I’m conflicted about them, I think I have to give them a C+. Better than average but needs some work.

Long Nightdress

Nightdresses are similarly tough for me. They just remind me of when I was about 5. But my friend swears by them and gave me one of hers that didn’t fit anymore. It is another Stars Above pair in size large. The thing I love most about these pajamas is that they are made from a knit almost sweater material. It is insanely cozy. I also do like long sleeves and then short bottoms. The negative of this pair is that they do pill and again, I think I’m just not really a nightdress kind of girl. It’s totally personal preference, but I’m giving this one a B.

Short Cotton

This category just might be my breakout favorite category. Especially because I’m semi-conflicted and unsure about my long cotton sets, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about cotton short sets. Let me tell you, I absolutely love them. This is the category I’m thinking about getting another Printfresh pair of pajamas in.

My one and only cotton short set is again from Their Nibs. It’s a medium with vintage floral pattern with dark pink trim which I love. The bottoms have pockets but no drawstring, which since they fit me well is totally fine. The top is just the littlest bit snug on my shoulders but overall not too bad.

The reason I like these pajamas so much and want more sets is how perfect they are for summer. The cotton is cool and crisp but also still comfy. I like that it is not too slouchy or soft because that feels like it would be almost too warm. the cotton retains its shape and coolness which just suits warm summer nights and mornings so well. Love them, want more, A+.

Short Jersey

And for the last category (finally!) we get to jersey short sets. This type seems like it would be really popular and while I’ve seen them on the market like at Target, I think they are less popular than long jersey sets. Rightly so, I think.

I bought my pair from Nordstrom Rack’s own brand. They are about $30 and have a lot of different print options which I appreciate. I ordered two sets in long jersey and two in short jersey in different prints. I ended up only keeping one set out of all I ordered and that was a shorts set in large.

Honestly, for the price, they should be better. The fabric seems just really thin and will definitely pill. The bottoms have a really thin elastic band and no drawstring. They also are a strange length so I always keep my pair rolled at the waist. The strangest thing though is that the buttons on the top don’t start high enough so there’s just a really gaping, revealing neckline. It’s very strange. In contrast to cotton short sets I just don’t love how this set is so slouchy, the shorts fall down my legs and have no structure. Maybe I need to try another pair from a different brand, but this set is not it. It’s getting a D+.

Overall Thoughts

Wow this has been a journey. If you’ve made it to the end of this, I’m impressed. Like I said, I’m serious about my sleep. I hope through this you’ve thought about what makes you comfy and cozy and now you should go and treat yourself maybe with a new pair of your own! I know I’m really tempted to go and buy a new pair now myself.