As a former star employee of National Jean Company, a denim haven for rich girls on the Upper East Side (and Long Island, of course), I knew that one day that encyclopedic knowledge of denim would finally pay off. You’re in luck, because I can leverage those core memories and mental indexing back to a time when pajamas and jeans were synonymous—when Pajama Jeans were born. If you’re of a certain age, you remember the commercials marketing the ultra-comfortable stretch-denim pant: “As soft as a baby’s blanket…wear them while working out!…looks like designer denim jeans!” Wow, do I get the nostalgic tingles thinking about watching that on a thicc television with an afternoon snack of Pringles and Capri Sun.
In the early 2000s, as jean silhouettes became skinnier, Pajama Jeans evolved into jeggings, which held court through the 2010s. The trend seemed to finally peter out in the last couple years as skinny jeans fell out of vogue. But like everything else Zoomers have chosen to weaponize against us Millennials (low-rise jeans, yoga pants, flip phones), they’re now resurrecting Pajama Jeans—now referred to as “sweatpants jeans.” OK, sis, that’s totally different [rolls eyes].
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If I seem salty, it’s only because the Zoomers are not entirely wrong. After all, we all wore soft-ass clothes for two straight years during that whole stuck-inside-during-a-global-pandemic thing, and our preference for comfort has certainly stuck. Rag & Bone is actually the one to thank for the ultra-comfy-jean resurgence, due in no small part to its Miramar Pant (a.k.a today’s version of jeggings) which purportedly “feel like silk.”
Rag & Bone’s 2023’s TikTok-approved take flips the script on the Pajama Jeans of the 2000s, having been printed with a trompe l’oeil, photorealistic denim pattern (distressing and all). Even better, the style is made of 100% cotton (miss us with that cotton-spandex blend nonsense), and can be thrown in the washer. Praise be! And compared to the scourge that is the return of low-rise jeans, how can we feel but relieved that TikTokers are going absolutely feral over them?
Sadly, unlike the OG Pajama Jeans, the Miramar pants are not $39.95 plus a free gray cotton crewneck tee. The price for (stealthy) comfort is hefty—starting at $99 and running all the way up to $275. Sure, Rag & Bone’s products come in a bunch of styles, including jumpsuits and shorts… but any of the regular jean styles will run you about $250. Admittedly, that’s not chump change for what basically amounts to “comfy pants,” but as someone who will gladly pay extra to forgo any discomfort, I would argue that these would easily pay for themselves in cost per wear.
Throw out all those pre-pandy jeans lurking in your dresser and embrace your new life as a comfortable queen.
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Rag & Bone
Liquid Miramar Pant (opens in a new window)
Rag & Bone