Some Bests of 2020
There really isn’t much more to say at this point about how completely awful and shitshow-y 2020 was as a whole, and I would rather start with how incredibly grateful I am to have had a home, work, good health, and caring family and friends through it.
Of course, I can’t forget about all the stuff that got me through 2020, which I know is also the primary reason you are on this page. Listen, I am well aware of my dependency on stuff: I tend to sad ‘n bad feelings by curling into warm, cozy blankets; I toss romanticism about in my life by lighting my candles with scented matchsticks instead of using a regular Bic; and sometimes, I have to throw on my work pumps to get into lawyer mode when working from home. Material goods can keep me very happy for a very long time.
This post is called “Some Bests of 2020” because frankly, if I were to put together all the bests of 2020, the list would be endless. So instead, I’m limiting this today’s list to at-home clothing and sleep-related bests - just some of the things that gave me comfort in a time where it felt very much lacking. Hopefully, you find something here that serves a purpose for you. True to my enabler self, I’ve linked everything I could, so click around, browse, and prepare to treat yo’ self.
1- Pajama Sets that double as “Formal-ish” Loungewear
Gisele Pajama Set - Eberjey
You could not have lived through 2020 and not read or heard about Eberjey’s incredibly soft, relaxed, yet elegant, pajamas. I have more than a few sets, and three (yes, three) in black - I wear them all day long, paired with a black wrap Aritzia robe I’ve had for years. The inspo behind that pajama + robe combo? Benedict Cumberbatch. The image of Benedict in a black smoking jacket, cigar in hand, walking barefoot for Spencer Hart’s SS13 show has been seared into my mind all these years (side note: he has actually inspired a lot of my style choices - but more on that some time later). It was really too cool for school for me to pass up, I just had to recreate it. And you know what? I do feel as cool as Benedict looked in that Spencer Hart ensemble when I wear my black Eberjeys.
Now more on the PJs themselves - lots of pros for these, and basically no cons - you can wear them all year long, they wash well, and look cool. Also, if you don’t want the long pajama set, or would rather short sleeves, or shorts instead of pants (or like me, all of them), Eberjey has all the options, and that’s really what’s important isn’t it? Go get ‘em.
Party Pajama Set with Feathers - Sleeper
This one actually caught my eye around three years ago during a good ol’ mindless internet scrolling session - I saw feathers, and I clicked. I really can’t say why I delayed getting this set for so long, but something about being stuck at home this past year really had me feeling ready for parading around my apartment in something with a little more oomph.
This set is a bit more extra than your regular “fancy” pajama set - no silk, no prints, but the lush feathers and flat buttons really give this set the elevated-yet-fun edge you would want for a Zoom happy hour or, when the world allows for it again, hosting a chic get-together at your own place. I personally went for the single feather set, but you do have the option of getting the feathers on both sleeves and pants. And, if you’re extra confident, wear it out with some heels and a showstopper jacket - that’s exactly what I’m going to do as soon as I can.
2 - House Slippers
I have house slippers for every possible mood imaginable at this point - slippers for when I just want to be cozy, slippers that could double as perfect for a Sunday farmer’s market run, cool-athletic-girl slippers, and slippers that make me feel like I am in a Wes Anderson movie. It’s no secret that my “aesthetic mood” fluctuates quite often during a week, or even throughout a day, and having options for even the smallest of things is comforting for me.
My days usually start and end with a pair of Mayberry Slippers by Emu Australia. I have them in Teal, Black, and Natural, and they are the fluffiest, most comfortable pair of feel-good house slippers you can get your feet on. I sometimes slip into “daytime slippers” to give myself a semblance of routine, so putting these on at the end of the day is a signal for me to start winding down.
For the hours between my getting-ready-for-the-day and winding-down routines, I slip into my house slippers that are not actually house slippers - these beautiful intrecciato weave flat sandals by Bottega Veneta. Chocolate brown was the color of last summer/fall, Bottega was its main cheerleader, and these sandals are the marriage of both, hurling the best of luxury heritage into modern day. These sandals can instantly pull together even the most relaxed loungewear into effortless cool, and really are classic. Bottega also has padded and maxi intrecciato (the Lido) versions of these sandals, but they don’t cut it for me. Ultimately, a good pair of house slippers is really all about the feeling you get wearing them - because, who else is looking? The traditional intrecciato felt more of a genuine nod to the iconic Bottega history, and since I won’t be traveling anytime soon thanks to COVID-19, these sandals sometimes make me feel like I could look out the window into Piazza dei Signori, Vincenza. Unfortunately, I may have been one of the last people to grab these in the iconic Bottega brown, but they are still available in black on Farfetch.
Of course, not every day feels whimsical and beautiful enough to justify prancing around in beautiful leather sandals. For the days that I have to take a quick walk to the grocery store, or run down to toss all the recycling I pile up thanks to online deliveries, I turn to my trusted Alo Yoga It Slides. I actually picked these up on a summer day in Soho about two, three? years ago. I had come out of a gym session earlier in the day, with my 25-pound gym bag on me while wearing heeled mules. It was also unbearably hot, so much so that my feet were starting to feel super uncomfortable. That combination of discomfort prompted me to slip into Alo Yoga and grab these slides to find some relief and here I am, still wearing them to run errands around town - even in the snow and rain.
3 - The Post-Shower and Chill Robes
Robe life now feels like the only life left to live until indoor activities outside the comfort of my home become the norm again. Note, I am limiting this section purely to robes that I personally wear for “post-shower” or “morning chill” activities. I know, my days are sounding super intense right now with all this talk about “post-shower” versus “morning” versus “daytime.” Yes, I switch my robes during depending on my mood and what I have planned. It’s symbolic, the physical marker of me stepping from one scheduled plan to the next, even if it is as trivial as transitioning from my morning skincare routine to breakfast to afternoon reading. I’ve spent many Sundays these past few months lounging about with my hair in a towel turban, straight up spending an hour doing my body skincare routine in this Brooklinen Waffle Robe. It’s the perfect spa-like robe for all-year-round comfort, but not heavy-and-plush in the way that a winter robe would be. This is the robe I throw on right after showering, and usually the one I wear when taking my morning supplements and catching up on the news.
Once I’m done with my “early morning” rituals, usually around 10 A.M. on the weekends, I slip into something less “getting-ready-to-get-dressed” and more “all-day-to-bedtime.” This is the robe I usually wear on a weekend where I don’t have any real errands, when I want to feel like I can nap or curl up at anytime, but also feel dressy while doing it. Does that make sense? Anyways, it’s not even technically a “robe"- Lunya’s Organice Pima Long Cardigan is a dream come true. It’s lightweight, super soft, flowy everywhere except for the beautiful slim-fit sleeves, and really, and makes me feel six feet tall. Of course, I had to get it in both black and white.
4 - Loungewear
Let’s be clear about one thing: you can’t just dump loungewear into one generic category. It’s 2021, we live on the World Wide Web, and our choices in loungewear say so much about who we are as people. Loungewear, to me at least, is intimate: if I wake up in the mood to listen to Lana Del Rey all day long, simmering in misery over literally nothing but her sadness, then I must wear a drapey robe (this Long Azumi Kimono Wrap by Kim & Ono is a fave); if I wake up to a dark, rainy day in the fall, only knit sets will do (I love these cashmere cropped pants by Naadam and the matching boyfriend cardigan. You can find me in the walnut brown set here). This kind of loungewear is my idea of “formal” loungewear - when I wear something like this, it’s me saying, “come on in, join me for tea, a book, and a fresh slice of olive oil cake I just baked.” Formal.
Long Zumi Kimono Wrap
Kim & Ono
Of course, I have my casual days, and on those days, my go-to look is usually a hoodie, leggings or joggers, and if I’m going out, an oversized coat. Put all of that together, and BAM, I feel like a cool girl. Of course, that itself makes me a bit lame, but if I am in a hoodie, I mean business. If I’m in “Informal” loungewear, I’m saying, “I’m running at a hundred miles per hour today and nothing is stopping me.” But sometimes it’s as simple as me wanting to just get into something quick and chill.
I always joke that I basically have 90% of any black article clothing produced by Alo Yoga - an exaggeration, but I’m probably closer to that number than I would like to think. Honestly, Alo makes some of the softest hoodies I have ever worn, and leggings that scream “I workout and I look stylish” - they look cool, but not crazy in the way that makes people think that you just wear athletic gear “for fun” (IYKYK). Who can forget the hype over their Moto leggings in 2016? I have them in both the legging and jogger version. When I want to be super cozy, I pair the Moto jogger with this cropped hoodie or the lightweight Getaway hoodie, which is great for layering.
A good friend of mine also introduced me to a sustainable clothing brand called The Pangaia this past year. Their minimalistic designs are perfect for no-fuss days, and they use sustainable and recyclable materials, which make for incredibly breathable clothes. I found myself in their hoodie and shorts quite often over spring and summer, a perfect “informal” loungewear set.
5 - Throws & Blankets
During the first week of lockdown in NYC, I ordered this Luxe Faux Fur Throw by Restoration Hardware for next-day delivery. Even though I already had another well-loved RH faux fur throw, I decided that I just couldn’t get cozy without another one (variety, remember?). Undertaking a similar justification, I closed the year out by giving into the weighted blanket hype and got myself a Bearaby napper right before the holidays. It’s safe to say that I am on the bandwagon now and I am never getting off. Here’s to the incomparable happiness a good throw can give you.
6 - Bedside Fragrance
For all this talk of excitedly preparing for “the day” and running through wardrobe changes to suit my daytime activities, once the sun starts setting, I really just like to curl into bed with only the pressures of my blankets weighing me down.
Bedtime rituals are necessary for good sleep, and for me, blissful sleep is made complete only if I am enveloped by soft, calming scents. In the hour before I fall asleep, I like to feel like I’m already dreaming - I turn off all overhead lights, keep a few candles going, and usually play some Lana (Heroin is perfect for those hazy put-you-to-sleep vibes). I start my nighttime routine by switching the essential oils in my Vitruvi Stone Diffuser from fresh, exciting, and invigorating daytime scents to something more subtle. I love Vitruvi’s Velvet blend during the colder months - this one is musky, rich, and smooth, and it lulls the air until you feel like you’re floating between soft, velvety curtains. On other days, I use Quiet or Sleep, both of which are not as decadent as Velvet, but just as comforting and warm.
Once I get the diffuser going, I finish up my nighttime skincare routine and get my bed ready by misting some of my Jo Malone Lavender & Musk Pillow Mist over my pillows and throws. This mist is phenomenal - it’s sensual and musky, but instead of being weighty and heavy, it cocoons you in waves of calming and gentle luxury. Just having just the bottle on my bedside table every night is comforting.
I was lucky enough to pick the pillow mist up on a whim earlier last year when the Jo Malone counter at Bloomingdale’s had the lavender exclusives on display. Unfortunately, my bottle is on its last drops right now, and since the mist was a limited edition, it is gone. Maybe I’ll just have to start emailing Jo Malone every day to bring it back - if there’s anything I’ve learned from reflecting on the past year, it’s that there were at least some bests which deserve to stay with me into the next.
And here concludes my chaotic reflection on some of the bests of 2020.
-S.