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Pajamas play an important role in my life: they are the clothes I do my dreaming and writing in; the clothes in which I do the most cuddling of my son and have long, leisurely talks with my husband. My pajamas get more wear than my exercise clothes for sure (and my “going out of the house clothes” do the least time of all).

When I heard about a new brand of pajamas, Jijamas, a small company out of New Jersey, founded by husband and wife team Gustavo and Courtney Sanchez, who claim their pajamas are “quite possibly the softest pajamas you’ll ever relax in,” I knew I would have to take that challenge.

When the Sanchez’s daughter was a toddler, unable to pronounce the word pajamas, she instead came up with the whimsical sounding “Jijamas,” which is not only the name of the company, but the way the whole family has referred to their sleepwear ever since.

Having watched his wife promptly put on her pajamas the moment she gets home from work, Gustavo knew that the color palette of these items should promote relaxation, and they did away with any buttons, which, frankly I’ve never understood in a pajama. If it doesn’t slip on over my head, I’m not sleeping in it.

When I chose my Jijamas, I was happy to select from a refreshingly non-girly palette of either navy blue, black, or gray, or pastel shades of pale green, lavender, pink or beige—stripes or stars the only design elements. No frilly lace, no barely-disguised lingerie.  Jijamas are either long sleeved, or tank style on top, with pants, roomy without being baggy.

Click thumbnails to enlarge.

Wow, I thought, this pajama company gets me! My pajamas are for sleeping comfortably in, working from home in, and hitting the occasional drive through. You know what? Jijamas has me covered there, too.  Because if I have to get out of the car in them, I’m pretty sure no one would look twice except to wonder why I was wearing socks with sandals.

“We wanted something that wasn’t so pajama looking, a little more lounge wear, which is where the style came from,” says Gustavo.

Courtney added, “I asked, can I drop off the kids in these? Can I go the mail in these? These sort of border on clothing, so you can kind of get away with wearing them [in those cases].”

And get away with them, I do. I take the garbage out and get the mail in mine, and I’m very seriously considering going to the library and doing my grocery shopping in them, as well.

Despite a silky and almost stretchy, jersey-knit quality to the material you usually feel when synthetic materials are involved, Jijamas are made from 100% Pima cotton often used in newborn onesies—which is where the Sanchez’s got the idea in the first place. When their first child was born, relatives sent Pima cotton clothing for the Sanchez’s newborn.

“I told Gustavo, I want pajamas for me that are this soft,” said Courtney.

Jijamas review slide

Pima is a cotton found in Gustavo’s native Peru—with tougher, thicker fibers, so the cotton can be stretched and washed more times to give it the resulting softness and less shrinkage. But Jijamas go the extra mile here, too: they have two sizes: For women who are 5’5” or shorter, or 5’6” or taller. Then, they make each size a little longer, so that after they are washed and inevitably shrink, as all cotton does, they still fit. They also dye the individual cotton fibers before they’re spun into cloth, as well, so the colors don’t fade over time.

For the immediate future, only women can enjoy Jijamas, since the company is small and new, but they are looking into expanding into children’s and men’s pajamas in the future.

I ordered a design known as “The Shooting Star” in navy blue with pale blue stars on the pants, a night sky. Other styles include The Therapist, The Lighthearted, and The Soulmate—all of which describe how I feel about my pajamas at various junctures in time. My top is plain navy, with no buttons, long sleeved, with lavender clamshell edging at the sleeves. When I scooped them out of their packaging, my fingers slid across their surface in wonder.  Yes, I thought, stroking my pajamas (which I’m sure my husband found a little odd), this is how cotton is supposed to feel—like lambs and baby hair.

I immediately pulled them to me like an old friend and when I slipped them on, I actually hooted aloud. The pants did not stop just above my ankles like all the other “long” pajamas I’ve ever bought. I have grown so used to “flood” length PJs that I buy dozens of knee socks to counter the freezing gap at my lower leg. These pajamas were actually a tad too long before washing, covering my foot.

Now, in the rare moments when I have to put on grown-up clothes and leave the house, I leave my Jijamas folded neatly on my bed, and quickly slide back into them at my first chance. My pair have been washed and dried a minimum of four times and they’re the perfect length, softer than ever, and I’m pretty sure I’ve caught my husband eyeballing them with intent to steal.

Jijamas make great presents – for others or for yourself. Get them here.

Also, to find out more about how to win a pair of Jijamas by participating in our Sweatpants & Coffee Jijamas Pajama Party event, click here.

 

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