Cool and Glamorous… Housewyfe? A Pre-Vacay PJ Search

As I got ready for a recent trip to the Palm Springs area in California, I realized that I needed different jammies.

Now, I’m not precious with my clothing. Despite my love of capes and cape-adjacent finery, I tend more to the practical than frivolous.

My current pajamas consist of a long-sleeved, knee-length nightgown that I pair with black leggings for warmth in the winter, and two long-sleeved and legged sets that say respectively, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (with penguins!) and “Fa-la-la-llama!”

Spring temperatures in Palm Springs promised melting heat, so I needed to find something new. Something with short sleeves. Something I could pair with shorts or long enough that I didn’t have to worry about it.

Off to the local Goodwill for a pajama treasure hunt!

A while ago, I decided to go to Goodwill or other thrift/consignment stores for my clothing. The sheer mountain of fashion waste driven by the fast fashion industry boggles the mind. By going to thrift and consignment stores, I’m reducing that pile by at least a couple of pieces and relieving an enslaved child from doing a couple of seams in those sweatshops.

Remember Lesbian Law #2: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! And Lesbian Law #25: Never participate in any system which uses, promotes, or enforces slavery or minimally paid working conditions unless it is you choosing to make your own clothes, grow your own food, or any other self-sustaining practice.

This means you, Jolene! Put Grandma’s blood diamonds back in the safe!

So I headed over to the thrift shop and dug through the racks. In my short and round size, very few options revealed themselves. The nightgown area consisted of a mere foot of rack space for all sizes. Pretty bleak.

Frankly, I was surprised to actually find one. The idea of second-hand nightgowns would definitely put off a less hardy person.

A hot pink sleep shirt with “Sexy Queen” emblazoned in gold ink at the bottom hem would definitely suit in Palm Springs! I grabbed it and kept looking.

And that’s when I found my caftan. Black and brown leopard spots covered the white background with additional bright lavender and blue flowers swooshing their way across the polyester. Lavender edges and neck completed the look. The whole thing was seamed from just below the armpit to the bottom of the gown for modesty, leaving a good foot of fabric on each side to flow freely. A little underboob band with ties ran across the upper quadrant.

Definitely cape-adjacent.

It had to be mine!

For only $9, I took both nightgowns home. On Sunday, my mother-in-law came over, and I modeled my precious find. The caftan clung to my body when slipped over my t-shirt and shorts, so I decided to do some amendments. My mother’s old seam ripper removed the side seams. Then, I tacked those free-flowing edges in several spots so it wouldn’t whoosh up in a sudden wind gust and reveal my entire body like Marilyn Monroe’s skirt over that infamous New York grate.

Though Steph would take it better than Joe DiMaggio.

The first morning in the Palm Springs region, I popped it on and headed out into the living area. The heat pounded my body, but the caftan allowed the teeny breeze to brush my skin through the loose sides and thin fabric.

A full-length mirror sat at the end of the hallway, displaying the glamour of the late 60s and 70s shimmering around me in loose folds of fabric.

All I needed to complete the look was a cool cocktail. A morning cosmopolitan would do the trick—pink, fruity, and even a little cranberry juice for a healthy breakfast.

Nah! Too much work! A mug of tea accompanied my writing muse at a table by the pool.

From the Palm Springs area to a winery in Temecula and finally a quick excursion to Huntington Beach, the caftan kept me cool and fashionably concealed.

And it promises the same for each warm morning that envelopes my little, Southern home over the next several months.

I wonder if I can find one for the winter.

Fa-la-la-CAFTAN!

Image by LA Bourgeois