No-Pants Land: Pajamas Pave the Way for 2011 Fashion

Jan. 13, 2011 — -- First, Lady Gaga refused to wear them. Now, pants are pretty unpopular.

Normal pants, that is. Pants with buttons and zippers. Pants with pleats and pinstripes. Pants that feel as if they might burst open after the buffet.

When it comes to setting the trend for 2011, those pants pale in comparison to PajamaJeans, a sweatpant-jean hybrid whose infomercial has racked up more than 500,000 views on YouTube. Made with "DormiSoft" fabric, a "propriety blend of cotton and spandex" according to PajamaJeans.com, the bottom-coverers set themselves apart from their drawstring-waist, elastic-cuffs cousin with contrast stitching and rivets that make them "look like they were made by some European designer." (Another differentiation point: they cost $39.95, approximately the price of four pairs of Hanes sweatpants.)

PajamaJeans also come with a mantra: "So amazingly comfortable, you'll want to sleep in them!"

But should anyone want to sleep in the same article of clothing they might wear to run errands, mow the lawn or hope to be taken seriously in during a professional situation?

"It's the next level of lazy fashion," said Phillip Bloch, stylist to stars such as Halle Berry and author of "The Shopping Diet." "It's taking that velvet sweatsuit to the umpteenth degree. I mean, really, are we just that lazy that we can't wear jeans anymore?"

Perhaps. According to The NPD Group, a market research firm, active wear -- which includes leggings, sweatpants, leggings/sweatpants that look like jeans (aka, jeggings) and, therefore, PajamaJeans -- is a $25 billion business in the U.S. By contrast, the denim business rings in at $10 billion.