You don't need much to be comfortable and chic: jeans, a T-shirt and not much else. Fashion changes, and adapts to the times at Covid, with "fashion not fashion", also for the home.
Among the many words we have learnt during the 2020s, (mainly related to the global Covid pandemic), there are two that acquire an almost positive connotation and that encapsulate a clear state of mind (of feeling good).
Specifically, with the Anglophone terms "Cozy & Comfy", we want to indicate a certain emotional state, which reflects one's home environment as a welcoming place (Cozy) and which translates into a style of clothing that is essential and above all comfortable. (Comfy)
The two words are often accompanied together and can be translated by the following traits:
Accommodating, Romantic, Comfy, Comfortable, Casual, Relaxing, Enveloping, Cozy, Being Natural, Feeling Comfortable, etc.
Therefore, those who dress Comfy are likely to live in a Cozy home, with the aim of achieving the highest possible comfort. However, it must be stressed that this choice is often also dictated by the emergency situation, caused by Covid, which unconsciously gives rise to certain assumptions about the new fashion trend, which derive mainly from the:
lockdown, the economic crisis, Smart working and the consequent reduction of usual movements, which lead to involuntarily adhering to the new (precisely unplanned) fashion and lifestyle style.
So let's see why the Cozy & Comfy style is winning everyone over with pyjama, slippers and large cups of tea. And, above all, understand whether this "unfashionable fashion" will still be a trend in the coming years.
When Pajamas are Cool
“Eliminate the superfluous, emphasize comfort and recognize the elegance of the uncomplicated."
(Giorgio Armani)
Let's face it. Three years ago, if we had been told that wearing silk pyjamas would look Cool, like the protagonist of the Cult series "Sex and the City" does in a well-known INTIMO commercial presented in 2018, (where she even walked around casually in the streets of New York), we wouldn't have believed it much.
Because the idea of dressing in comfort, is a clear message of those who expressly stay at home, excluding other hypotheses, such as: going shopping or having an aperitif with friends or at least not in real everyday life. But as times change, so do fashions. In fact, more and more people are naturally and unashamedly wearing inappropriate clothing, even if only for short trips.
The strength of this new trend, expressed by the iconic testimonial, Sarah Jessica Parker, comes first and foremost from the world of influencers, but also from actors, models and singers, who are seen on various social networks without retouching and in "very casual" outfits, to communicate their unified message that: "We live normal lives like you".
Behind the false goodness of some celebrities, combined with the shrewdness of others in doing business through social media, if there is a fixed point in feeling truly Comfy for life, it lies through the motto of LESS is MORE.
As the great Giorgio Armani reminds us in his book "I cretini non sono mai eleganti" (Cretins are never elegant), in which he recommends "avoiding everything that is obvious, everything that is considered unbridled luxury, in order to discover a more secret, more reserved, less widespread luxury", we agree that eliminating the superfluous by focusing on comfort enhances the elegance of simplicity. And so being Comfy Chic can be synonymous of elegance, if you like.
Home as a cosy and safe haven
“Home. The last refuge, open all night".
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911.
Over the past year, our routine has changed, but so has our fashion. We have moved on from the quick idea of a simple and comfortable outfit (perhaps with a sporty look) to a more precise and sophisticated concept. Those who pay attention to fashion trends study and combine the best outfits with the accessories of the moment.
So, it will be increasingly difficult to part with the idea of feeling comfortable and cosy, especially these days.
And as we mentioned above, in the desire to achieve the greatest possible comfort, feeling comfortable with certain casual outfits becomes a priority; and the same attitude is also reflected in the domestic environment in which we spend most of our days, (now because of Covid) namely in our homes. We thus recreate all the emotions of protection and loving-kindness that we don't often find outside, (and that we want to keep as long as possible) so that the HOME is our haven of peace, from all the chaos of the outside world; a Cozy place as a magical place, consisting of small rituals of "daily personal well-being", which literally pamper us, with:
quilts, hot tea, candles everywhere, TV series, comfort food, slippers, good reading, warm baths, pijamas and tracksuits and much more.
Here's a short list of 3 Cozy Blogs that we recommend you check out, to browse around on the topic or maybe steal some interesting TIPS to use when creating your own C&C style.
Cococozy: Californian designer, Coco is one of the top 30 influencers named by Forbes magazine, who loves to provide design and style inspiration, with a personal and sometimes humorous approach.
Goop: actress Gwyneth Paltrow's website, launched in 2008, is about cooking, home, fashion, travel and wellness (for body, mind and spirit).
The inspired room: everything you want to know about home decoration and more.
The natural effect but with make-up
“A beautiful woman is a thousand times more attractive when she comes out of the arms of Morpheus than after a thorough grooming..”
During the 1990s, the first examples of today's Comfy style were already being seen, although the time was not yet ripe for this style to be labelled 'iconic'. Among the most popular items were high-waisted jeans and slip dresses in one block-colour. How could we forget the black biker jacket, crop tops, amphibians, and especially sweatpants.
But studies by New York University and Fashion Institute of Technology have confirmed an imminent return to the fashion of the so-called Nineties, but updated into 2021 and where the key word is undoubtedly: naturalness. Looking sober and watery, without a hint of make-up (even if there is make-up, and how), having your hair messed up, dressing in an apparently casual way, is in fact the heart of the so-called "Non-Fashion Fashion", which focuses on the essential (always in combination with the obligatory mask).
But let's see which are the most comfortable garments of the moment:
The Sporty Look & Anorak: If you're not sporty, it doesn't matter, because the sporty look appeals to all ages, even the lazy. Sweatpants are by far the most popular item for 2020 with Parka and certainly the most popular items for 2021... so what do you think?
The Crop Top: The super short top is so popular that even those who don't have a flat stomach are starting to wear it with a certain ease, with a maxi cardigan on top. Long live freedom!
The Maxi Sweatshirt: a masculine garment, it is also loved by women. Wear it at home and everywhere with a pair of black leggings and white trainers. Top!
The Sneakers and Slippers: If there was a road sign with directions on what to wear as an accessory, it would surely say: "Only ultra-comfortable shoes are allowed here, thank you." And how can you argue with that statement.
Pyjamas & Co: for those who are not ashamed and want to be daring in the greyness of today's uncertain times, sometimes the boldest choice is also the most appropriate; and without thinking too much about it, we recommend a nice slip dress with a leather jacket and boots, just like the rock models of the 90s (Kate Moss, among all).
The Mini Bags & Maxi Sunglasses: the contrast of accessories is another trend, which can be found in many platinum magazines lately. The minimal shoulder strap with giant glasses are super sought-after, even if they don't really suit everyone. But that's okay.
Will the future always be Comfy & Cozy?
The year that has just begun does not seem to be any better than the previous one, so making predictions about future fashion is very difficult. At the moment, the whole sector is in sharp decline and lacking in new ideas, other than those taken from the past (see the 90s). We could also say that the fashion industry is adapting to the new rules of life, dictated by the pandemic, even recommending 'life-saving' garments with a futuristic imprint, including:
masks, gloves, suits, military amphibians, flood-proof trousers and full-face helmets.
Once again, comfort is the obvious choice. But will this also be the case in the future? Choosing to dress comfortably and simply in order to respond to various external difficulties (from viruses, lockdowns and nature) is all well and good, but one gets the impression that we will never go back in fashion either: of that dear old fashion that amazed, transgressed with its shapes and colours against the rigour and greyness of the modern world.
As in the case of the talented stylists Rolf Ekroth and AI Riders on the storm, there is a single, clear glimpse of the uncertain future in which we live that should make us think; even if from the positive perspective of reuse and sustainability, fashion seems to look in only one direction.
We wonder then if comfort (as it is presented), is it an individual freedom of expression or just a pure necessity, in response to the economic and climate problems that the very world we inhabit also obliges us to respect?
For 2021, the Haute Couture bible Vogue has admitted that "living in comfort" is now a fashion style in its own right. And in response to the thousands of readers who love the new trend, it proposes its alternative to the most popular garment in Covid times, namely sweatpants, with a selection of no fewer than 15 skirts, dedicated to all women who want to enhance their femininity while remaining comfortable in the same way as trousers.
Here's another example of how fashion is meeting the changes taking place, and that is responding to the needs of the moment and people's wallets, which are, frankly, increasingly deflated. And about that we are asking if is there nothing about the real Inspirational World Fashion that is portable and comparable for us mere mortals and visible in very next future. We really hope so.
While we are thinking about the whole "to be comfy or not to be" thing and "fashion not fashion, which is more fashionable than real fashion", I came up with a nice evening plan in the meantime, just like:
sipping a nice hot cup of tea in my tracksuit, waiting for my great sushi ordered on the App, watching my favorite series on Netflix and then posting it all on social to share the Comfy & Cozy experience with my virtual friends...
What do you guys think?
OP Recommended Book:
"I cretini non sono mai eleganti" (Italian edition) by GIORGIO ARMANI.