I have some nice clothing that I wear for work or when I go out, and I also have even nicer clothing that I wear for special occasions. Part of what makes special clothing special is that I feel special when I’m wearing them. Up until a few years ago, if I was lounging around in the comfort of my own home, I wouldn’t dare wear nice clothes because I’d risk getting them stained, or worse yet, I’d feel far less comfortable. My usual uniform at home was a pair of comfy loose pants and my old concert tees. When I hit my mid 30s, my brain started to think about things differently, and as a result of that, so did some of my daily practices.

I’d once read an article talking about how life is too short to save the nice things for special occasions. The beautiful china you inherited from Grandma, that expensive candle that was gifted to you that you never burn, or that nice perfume you have that you only wear on special occasions. With the same mentality, I’d come home and head to the closet to get into my comfortable clothes. I’d look around to see all of these beautiful pieces of clothing I rarely wore and realized I’d been depriving myself. What is the point of stashing clothing away for special occasions that may never come, and what is the point of owning anything that isn’t something I’m comfortable in? So I began to eliminate things from my closet that weren’t comfortable to wear in the first place, and celebrated my every day life as if it were a special occasion. Having these things designated for special occasions on my meant I’d been depriving myself from celebrating my own life and existence. Now I have nice clothes I wear around the house and I wear the special clothes on days I want to feel special. To ensure these stay nice and I can continue wearing them, I throw on a pinafore apron to protect it when I’m doing something like cooking or washing dishes.

The Definitive Guide to Loungewear: My Favorites for Custom Orders and Affordable Options

Image from Etsy.com shop SarafinaDreams

Loungewear is equally important and I love wearing it, so I began to look for loungewear that would also be worth the splurge. If splurge is in your budget, Sarafina Dreams is an Etsy shop owned by the dress maker who goes by Janie. Janie only buys the best fabrics and makes every thing she sells with customized measurements to ensure peak comfort. The amount of time and effort that goes into her clothing, and the quality of the fabrics, is reflected in the price. That said, they’re also worth splurging on because quality pieces will last if taken care of properly. Unless your weight drastically fluctuates or you’re anticipating losing or gaining weight, these will last you quite literally forever. I could buy a cheap nylon nightgown from Amazon for $20 that might last me a year or I can buy one for $150 that will last a lifetime.

Images from Etsy.com shop SarafinaDreams

The Steals

Before moving onto the steals, I wanted to include the pinafore aprons I appreciate so much. They come in a variety of sizes which isn't always the case when it comes to aprons since they're typically a one-size-fits-all.

Knowing these are coming straight from Asia and that their sizing is usually a teeny bit off, to put it nicely, I ordered the 3x. While they're very large on me, they still do the job and make the aprons feel less restrictive. These wash really nicely with no issues. I've never tried putting them in the dryer and wouldn't advise doing that. When I remove them from the washer, I take them out and stretch out the wrinkles then air dry and voila.

I love having the pockets that I can put my phone or even some untensils into as I am cooking. Not having to tie the straps is a nice bonus, too, since they're a pain in the butt, especially when you're trying to put it on while cooking. Given the variety of colors and sizes, as well as the price

point, these are fantastic and I can't recommend having them around more. I have one for cooking, one for housework, one for gardening, and a few backups in case the other one get irreparably damaged. I've only torn one once and it was my fault entirely.

The Splurges

I've mentioned this in other reviews, but if you're not familiar, I am a middle-aged woman who is clearly going through a phase in life where both my hormones and the medication I take cause me to have hot flashes. As a younger adult, I remember watching my mother go through this phase and thinking, "it's not that big of a deal to feel hot sometimes!" Karma has paid me back tenfold for that sentiment. I live in the desert and summers are unbearably hot, so finding things that I can be comfortable in are crucial. One thing I learned throughout this experience is that material matters. The cotton gowns I mentioned under splurges are by far the most comfortable gowns I own, so I knew finding a cotton material would be key.

Polyester is not very breathable, so I tend to avoid that. The confusing part is that you will often see "cool-dry" or any number of other labels used for garments out of polyester. This is because the fabric is very lightweight and will not weigh down on your skin. But again, breath-ability is key so I tend to skip polyester for that reason. My favorite non-cotton fabric for breath-ability and softness are rayon, whether modal or bamboo, which is what many of these are.

1. Ekouaer Nightgowns for Women: V-Neck Short Sleeve Sleepwear Lace Trim Soft Short Night Shirts

   I bought two of these and they're at the top of my list for a few reasons. I purchased one gray and one in teal. They're the softest of the bunch, and only one of two styles that has a partial sleeve as the rest are all sleeveless. These cover up the most skin. As someone who is 5'2", this comes to right above my knees and is not at all too immodest for me to wear around the house. I'm not a prude, but I also wouldn't wear something all day every day if I felt it was showing off too much. If there are times when people are around then I'll throw on a pair of shorts underneath to feel better about it, but they're not at all inappropriate to wear around others, whereas some of the other styles are and I'll get into why as we move on. I love the lace trim on this. It's a minor thing, but adds a major change to it in comparison to a regular over-sized t-shirt. The other thing I love is the pocket that goes across the left chest. It's not sturdy enough to carry something like a phone, but is sturdy enough to carry something like a scrunchy when walking around the house in the event I might need one.

2. Ekouaer Womens Tie Dye Sleepwear Cotton Tank Top Sleeveless Pajama

   I am still trying to figure out why Ekouaer has decided to label this as "cotton," when it's LABELED as 95% rayon but is ACTUALLY 100% polyester. ??? (Talk about all over the place on that one!) This is one I initially would have returned had I made it within the 30-day return window because of the material issue and not wanting polyester. Aside from that little detail, I am bummed that this is no longer carried as it was my second-favorite on the long list of stuff I bought from Ekouaer. This is also the 'skimpiest' of the items I purchased which is probably why the fact that it's polyester is not as annoying and stifling as I expected the material to be. It has a unique cloud-like print and is quite comfortable. It has a nice stretch to it without feeling overly stretchy.

3. Ekouaer Women's Racerback Sleeveless Nightgown

   This one is currently running a 25% off promotion with coupon, and I am very tempted to purchase another one because they are ridiculously comfortable and are 100% rayon which means the fabric and nice and light with good breathability and also very soft. I purchased this one in gray and it's the darker gray color I really like. Here's the best part about this one: The straps are completely adjustable. Had this not been the case, it would have been far too low on my 5'2" frame and would be too immodest for me to wear around the house. However, I was able to tighten it to the tightest position possible and it makes it fit perfectly for me. The racerback is nice because more of the back is exposed and therefore it helps to stay cool when the days and nights are hot.

4. Ekouaer Negligee Sleeveless Nightgowns Nightly Chemise Sleepwear Racerback Sleep Dress

Had this one not been polyester, it would have made it much higher on the list. But, it's 95% polyester. I really like the racerback design again for the aforementioned reasons above, and this one comes up to right above my knee as well. It has a nice mesh-strip across the chest area but does not have adjustable straps. I am sad that this one is no longer available because I really ended up liking it after wearing it a few times.

5. Ekouaer Sleepwear Women's Chemise Nightgown Full Slip Lounge Dress Sleepshirt Tank Nightgown

   This one is no longer available, which is a shame because I quite enjoy wearing it and wish I'd bought more than one. It's another teal-style blue with some light piping around the pocket which is over the breast, same as the others on this list. This one is rayon (modal, specifically) and is overall one of the most lightweight and comfortable options on this list.

6. Ekouaer Women's Boyfriend Style Satin Sleepshirt

   What makes this 'boyfriend style,' you ask? It fits like an over-sized t-shirt. That's all. They are very over-sized with another helpful pocket over the breast area. One thing I do not like about this is how easily they wrinkle. I air dry the majority of my clothes and I do that for these ones, as well. However, when they're done, no matter how much I try straightening them before they air dry, they end up very, very wrinkled. It's inconvenient to steam-dry night shirts, especially if there are options available that air dry fine and look beautiful without having to steam. So, this is probably tied with the last on my list. I purchased one in black and one in moss green.

7. Ekouaer Nightgown Adjustable V-Neck Loungewear Sleepwear Cotton Sleepshirt Chemies Full Camisole Slip Dress

   This is another one that ended up no longer being available. The shell-print is ok-looking, but polyester material is very strange. I really like it, despite it being polyester, but it's that cheap material that, when worn a few times, ends up doing the very irritating pilling. It's a moot point since it's unavailable, but if it ever returned, this is probably the only one of them I would choose not to repurchase unless they were practically giving it away.

   A ROBE TO COVER THESE UP! (And a whole lot more options!)

   I am linking to my whole robe post. In the meantime, if you're looking to cover up for some more modesty, Ekouaer has one of my most favorite summer robes. This is made from 95% rayon and 5% spandex to give it a bit of stretch. I could do without the hearts along the fringe and edges of the robe, but I can easily overlook it for the comfort of this. Especially for the cost, it's a really comfortable, breathable and lightweight robe that comes to right below my knees. The sleeves reach the end of my arms despite it being listed as a 3/4 sleeve option. It comes with a belt to tie the waist as well as two pockets. (Am I the only one who doesn't understand robes without pockets?!) It has washed well many times and I continue to air dry it. Living in the desert means I can actually wear this robe about 8 or so months out of the year. I swap it between this one and one that is exactly the same but comes down to my ankles without the heart trim. The price point on the longer one is not aligned with the price of this one, however, so that goes to show what a good deal this one really is. At the time of this review, there is only a gray option available but mine is black.

I snagged most of these on an Amazon's Prime Day in 2022. I did order several with the intention of returning most and keeping only a couple, but like what happens a lot of times, I ended up getting distracted and forgot all about returning them until after the 30 days. So they are all mine now! I'll go through my favorites and least favorites and explain why I feel that way.

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