Let's talk about your house dresses

Is this a thing for you? A kinda comfy or sloppy dress that you wear around the house for lounging or cleaning or whatnot to maintain some pretense of being clothed?

Mine are:
- This black dress slip from a thrift store that I like so much I wore it to a party and it was a pretty big lol '90s mistake, I mean I'm not Courtney Love so it looked like I forgot to wear the rest of my clothes. But it's comfy and it actually gives me a waist.
- An H&M dress with a wacky print on t-shirt cotton, which has armpit holes so low that I can't wear any bra with it. So I wear it around the house braless.

1) shitty forever 21 teal jersey, knee length, cut to a very low v in front and back, my boobs frequently fall out of it so i have to wear a tank or bra under it if i want to go outside (only to walk the dogs, would not wear this dress in public otherwise, no bra inside) got it for free from a coworker in her closet purge

2) ankle length black cotton jersey piece of shit donna karan thing my mom got at the maxx and gave to me because she tripped over it. basically a comfortable loose black cotton worm suit.

house dresses are great!
i have a few! all of which i used to wear more in public, but...
- black tank short dress, cheap cotton knit, attracts too much cat hair to warrant taking off
- red strappy dress with empire waist that is now a bit too big but still comfy
- cheap light cotton h&m strappy dress that is just too billowy and waist-less on me imo

i realized also that during the heat of summer, "sleeping dresses" aka short, strappy "nighties" (what a bad word, i don't know, but is "nightgown" any better?) often double as house dresses, in my house

I have some dresses but more "house skirts" which are invariably pull-on knits with elastic waists and some drape so I can sit on the stoop outside and still be decent. This way I can always have a clean T on, or a climate-appropriate top on, and wear the same skirt for a couple of weeks without needing to wash.

i wore my housedress to the beach yesterday and it was v comfortable

Haha oh I'm a pretty pretty picture, shuffling around my apartment in a long draped skirt, a men's Tshirt on top with the sleeves rolled to my shoulders, and really old Crocs as house slippers, and some kind of drink in my hand. I can't wait to someday have a porch and sit on it in this get-up and chain-smoke and embarrass all my neighbors.

Right on, LL! The kind of housedress that's, like, calico and zips up the front and has patch pockets is my favorite kind, it's so blue-collar grandma, but I'm just out of them at the moment. But the "little knit dress" kind is good for things like the beach.

hahaaa aw no way since you are not truly slovenly
but the word "stoop" made me imagine a classier version of such a scenario
xp

i realize that i am not really a "cozy clothes" person...

We've totally had this convo before. I am a big fan of the house dress in summer. I have three strapless smocked maxi dresses from old navy that I use as summer house dresses. I also have a couple cotton tunic style trapese short dresses that serve this purpose as well. My favorite though is a crazy cotton thing that looks sort of like a mumu and has a crazy Indian looking print on it. It's awesome.

What I really want though are a couple muumuus from the vermont country store. I am totally serious btw. I love these:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Clothing/Women&aposs/Dresses_&_Muumuus/Abstract_Print_Muumuu/59186
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Clothing/Women&aposs/Dresses_&_Muumuus/Patchwork_Muumuu/53013
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Clothing/Women&aposs/Dresses_&_Muumuus/Ceylon-Print_Muumuu/45250

I might get one.

My mom had this great white dress with embroidery on it that she wore around the house when I was little. She got it in Mexico so the embroidery was this sort of style: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1076/3173711130_58bb6ca0e9.jpg but it was muumuu shaped. It was awesome.

ooh yes, that is pretty
i like the patterns on the mumus and have seen people looking great while wearing dresses like that but i don't know if i could wear one myself! at least not in the city...

Oh no I wouldn't wear them out either. The muumuus would be for inside only.

I can't wait to someday have a porch and sit on it in this get-up and chain-smoke and embarrass all my neighbors.

haha, i kinda do this already, especially now that some former neighbor deposited two worn couches on the sidewalk outside of my building. i have this knee-length blue and white plaid converse dress from target that is my fave housedress. Runner-up is this lavender slip that i bought at the antique flea market two years ago. I think the woman who would wear this as a slip would have to weigh like 300 pounds. Anyway, I wear this outside and smoke with no shame, because it is a) hot and b) i live in oakland.

You'd look pretty normal in my nabe in a muumuu but you might need the matching headwrap.

haha! oh and also, there is today's number - the Peg Bundy dress - black and white leopard print that was once form-fitting but has since lost its stretchiness

Hell yes I have house dresses.

I have one that is like a mumu but sleeveless - wait it is this! http://www.serenecomfort.com/La-Cera-Soft-Easy-100-Cotton-Sleeveless-dress-Blue-Paisley-Print-P2289C86.aspx - that I bought specifically to be a house dress. I'll wear that out of the house if I'm only going a short distance (wore it to vote in the last local election, actually) but not if I'm going somewhere with the intention of seeing people.

My other one is a cotton knit maxidress from Old Navy that I bought to wear as a dress for real, but it's an ugly gray so now it's a pretty sweet house dress (I sleep in it sometimes, too). I don't wear that one out of the house because I'd have to put on a bra and pin the v-neck together a little bit and if I'm going to do that, I might as well put on clothes.

In the winter, I wear these same dresses but with house pants and my favorite house cardigan. I have a whole house sub-wardrobe.

The kind of housedress that's, like, calico and zips up the front and has patch pockets is my favorite kind

I love these.

I know!! Sadly at some point I found that the two I own didn't have room for my hips anymore. Both of them were vintage and cut straight up and down with bust darts. I need a little more hip ease these days.

I have a whole house sub-wardrobe.

Oh, so do I. I had to stop myself from buying house clothes when I realized that at one point I had more house clothes than I did regular going outside clothes. What can I say? I like to be cozy and comfortable.

i rationalized the purchase of so many pairs of black leggings in that they could be house clothes and outside clothes

Most of my house clothes are demoted regular clothes, eg jeans worn through with thigh biscuit holes, oil-stained t-shirts.

That is my reason for purchasing all leggings! I can be loafing like a slob one minute, then throw on a dress that is too short anyway over my slobwear and be "dressed".

Laurel, just search Vermont Country Store for "house coat."

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Sleepwear/Women&aposs_Sleepwear/Robes/Snap-Front_Ruffle-Trimmed_Duster/59796

FYI If we ever have a thread where we talk about all the old lady nightgowns we have from Vt.CS I'll be posting in it a lot.

Most of my house clothes are demoted regular clothes, eg jeans worn through with thigh biscuit holes, oil-stained t-shirts.

― chupacabra seeds (Abbbottt), Thursday, July 5, 2012 4:16 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Most of my shirts are this too but I can't wear jeans around the house so it's either a dress or leggins/yoga pants which I don't really ever wear outside so will have purchased specifically for house clothes status. It's a complicated business.

My favorite item of house clothing is my official sweater for the 2001 Sydney Paralympics Judo team, given to me by my husband's uncle who was the coach of the paralympic judo team. It's HUGE - reaches my knees and it's practically a dress so let's pretend that that's my housedress :D

omg those nightgowns are something else

I have two in this exact construction:

http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/5870433/il_570xN.249834002.jpg

That's too cute to be a house dress.

Well, not for you. But for me. Also I like to be able to splay across the couch like a filthy slattern and that's too trim for proper splaying.

would wear - though ideally with a fuller skirt for more efficient splaying, as carl says

We are Team USA gold medal splaying champs.

I want that dress Laurel posted!

bought some great long islamic shirts from an islamic charity shop in London some years ago. tend to wear one of those with tracksuit bottoms around the house.

Carl OTM re splaying. I need to be able to move around in watever I'm wearing. While adorable, that looks like it would be confining. I am currently wearing my strapless smocked maxi dress house dress. It is so comfortable.

That's why I stopped wearing my gingham ones, tbh. More splaying required.

Notice the girl wearing it is about 23 and has no discernible hips, so

I'm splaying like a champ in my gray house dress right now.

wearing this dress: http://shop.maryink.com/product/lily-of-the-valley-dress
with this print: http://shop.maryink.com/product/llamas

House skirts! I have those. Sometimes I change into them at work when I am leaving and get asked "do you have plans? are you that hot?" I just hate wearing pants.