The Pajama Dress Has Failed Me.

Guys, things are not always easy. Today, something I thought could never happen, did. My pajama dress failed me.

"What do you mean?!" You say in shock. "The whole point of the pajama dress is that it looks like work clothes but feels like pajamas!"

I know. I never thought this day would come. But I woke up this morning feeling out of sorts, and pulled out a pajama dress because I needed something comfy, but also work appropriate because I've been giving oral exams and therefore felt like I shouldn't wear actual pajamas. On went the dress. On went the leggings. On went the loose head covering that never gives me a headache. But somehow I was still very uncomfortable.

So I have surrendered. I am now wearing joggers from Old Navy (they're so soft!), a t-shirt that says "Be the Person Chris Traeger Knows You Can Be," and a Yale sweatshirt from when my older sister started college, which was, let's just say, a number of years ago. I feel much better, at least physically, and I'm working on letting myself feel grumpy on the grump days, without judgement. I'm also planning to make my first ever loaf of sourdough today (I've been making bread since I was a kid, but never sourdough), because fresh bread almost always helps.

When I have to get back on Zoom, I'll probably just throw on one of the head coverings I wear to exercise. I still have to give another exam today, but hopefully my student will forgive me my sweatshirt. These days, we just all have to do the best we can.

I bought these slippers on crazy clearance a bunch of years ago because I guess nobody realized that it's fun to have pink slippers, and they're honestly one of the best purchases I've ever made, except that the laces refuse to stay tied.

On that note, we have inadvertently become a shoe-free house. Y. hasn't been outside in 55 days, which is extremely strange, and while I go for a walk almost every day, I take everything off as soon as I get home, just in case. So I've started wearing slippers almost exclusively, and I have to tell you, I don't hate it. These slippers, by Ugg, somehow make my feet warm but never sweaty, and although they don't have the festive pink color anymore, I recommend them, especially if your house or apartment runs cold, as ours does.

Anyway. The outfit in this picture is not from today, obviously, but instead is from a week where I decided I should get dressed for Shabbat, even though I wasn't leaving the house. It's an old Boden favorite, from I think three (???) years ago, and I love the color and that the fabric is both structured and stretchy. I liked how the colors complimented my head scarf nicely, and it was a gesture of hope that one day, we will dress for outside again. Until then, slippers and sweatpants for all, at least some days.

Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?

Answer: because on this night, I wore shoes!

It's been a strange Passover thus far. Usually, there is a frenzy of cooking, cleaning, turning the kitchen over to be kosher for Passover way in advance, and going to the grocery store every single day. We had planned to be with my in-laws for the seders and then with my family for the last days of the holiday, but instead, here we are in our house. In that way, this day is just like all other days.

This is my question pose.

Anyway. I usually love the seder because I can make everyone listen to me talk about Judaism and read to them from the Talmud and stuff, and THEY CAN'T STOP ME!! (evil laugh.) I got to do some of that at home, but my husband Y. is happy to have me do those things so I feel less like I am forcing him and somehow that is less fun? Maybe there is something wrong with me.

Anyway. We don't use electricity on Shabbat and holidays, but luckily my family started their (virtual) seder almost an hour and half before the holiday officially began, so we got to join them for the beginning. Y. has a projector that he is obsessed with, so he set it up and we projected the seder on the wall. In this way, it WAS different from all other nights. (See what I'm doing here?)

The view from another station at the seder.

You might notice there are three seats at our table, instead of two. Did we have a clandestine seder guest??? No, we set an extra setting to remember the people who were alone, and who we wished we could have at our table. Although over the course of the three days of the holiday (first two days of Passover + Shabbat), our poor invisible guest found that her silverware was increasingly invisible as well. Sorry, invisible friend.

This was the set-up at our pre-seder. You will notice that people are projected on the wall because we are fancy.

There's a tradition to wear new clothes for holidays, and also, because Passover often comes at the start of warmer weather, more or less, it's an excuse for new dresses. I did not buy a new dress this year, but I DID have this one, which I had been wanting to wear but it was winter and then we stopped leaving the house. It's from Boden, but I got it at Century 21, where apparently they have things from Boden at about 50% off! Too bad stores are closed forever now.

We are already drowning in hair and we're only a month in so it will be interested to see how this will end.

I was worried it would be a bit much when I first saw it, with the ruffles in front, and the belled cuffs, but I think it just works. The busy pattern actually hides some of the details, which makes them less overpowering. I paired it with a fascinator (my first fancy hat in many weeks) and plain sandals. I vaguely thought about putting on heels, but I have limits, people.

So that's the story of our seders. If you celebrated Passover or Easter, how did it go? Did you wear pretty clothes, even though you stayed home?

Until next time!

Dress: Boden, via Century 21 (still in stock in some sizes in black, or similar here)
Sandals: Born (similar here)
Hat: Bella's Hats and Fascinators (she usually does pop ups, but she's taking online orders now. Her stuff isn't cheap, but it is beautiful.)

Hey Guys, Remember Me?

Apparently it's been a while since I blogged? Like, more than three years? So, um.... hi everyone! Remember me? It's Rachel, your friendly neighborhood blogger.

A lot has happened since I was here last! I got married! I moved! (Only nine blocks, but in Manhattan, that's a whole different neighborhood.) I got a PhD! I got rid of a lot of clothes and got a lot of other ones! After I got married, I started covering part of my hair, which means new accessories! So you know, a lot to report.

I have mostly brought the blog back due to popular demand. To you, my few but persistent fans, I appreciate you and hear your cries. Here we are.

I also brought it back because what weird times we are living in! I'm going to try to keep the blog as corona free as possible, because this should be frivolity, so consider yourself warned. But of course, what does it mean for us to get dressed when we aren't leaving the house? I will try to answer this question to the best of my ability.

Ok, down to business. Whether one who is lucky enough to work from home right now needs to put on real clothes is a matter of real debate right now. Apparently, stores have seen a spike in orders for tops, but nobody is ordering bottoms. We can thank Zoom for this reality.

I've been trying to get dressed every day, for the sake of my mental health. However, comfort is paramount. Especially because I spend a lot of my time at our bike desk (more on that later), which means I can't wear anything too constricting, or else I can't pedal. So let's discuss what I call the pajama dress. Everyone who wears dresses should have at least one, but ideally, you should have infinity because they're the best.

What is a pajama dress, you ask? It is a dress that looks like clothes but feels like pajamas. This usually means some sort of stretch fabric, nothing too constricted, and it should not be too short, because then it is hard to sit down.

This dress is the Abigail dress from Boden. It is possible that I have four of them. I feel that this choice is justified, as it is super comfortable and it HAS POCKETS.

Look how happy I am about my pockets!

You will notice that I am not wearing shoes. While I get dressed every day, I feel strongly that there is no reason to wear shoes. Instead, socks or slippers depending on the temperature in our apartment. My socks are all neon because I have switched over to Darn Tough socks, which are the best, but also very pricey, so I buy the ones on clearance, which are always colorful. I say, embrace the color.

This is my festive headscarf. I don't cover all of my hair every day--sometimes I only cover some of it--but on days when my hair is crazy/ I haven't showered/ humidity all day, this can be a fun option. I recently learned about the magic of a giant scrunchy, which makes it look like I have sooo much hair. (I don't, I have a normal amount.) But don't worry, the curly hair is still there and will reappear in a post soon.

How's everyone holding up? Do you have a pajama dress? Do you just wear regular pajamas all day? Are you happy we're back? Leave me a comment below!

Dress: Boden
Sweater: LOFT (old, but similar here)
Leggings: Old Navy
Socks: Darn Tough
Scarf: Wrapunzel