LOUNGEWEAR TO SUIT BOTH 'LAZY GIRL JOBS' AND DATE NIGHTS IN

Molly Goddard has often wondered: “Why do we dress up for strangers and not the people we love the most at home?” The co-founder of pajama brand Desmond & Dempsey believes everyone’s loungewear could benefit from a dose of thoughtful luxury—natural fibers, maximalist prints and silhouette-skimming cuts.

Goddard, an upbeat Australian, started Desmond & Dempsey with her British husband, Joel Jeffery, in 2014. The concept came to her when suddenly confronted with the intimacy of cohabitation, following the early days of their long-distance relationship. Goddard realized her nighttime attire needed a rethink. Flimsy summer sets had worked well in her home country, but “chilly Northern Hemisphere nights” in London demanded something more substantial.

With its fall collection, Desmond & Dempsey moves from lazy Sunday mornings at home to evenings in. Garments for women and men are printed with nocturnal blooms, owls and etchings of the Roman moon goddess, Luna, all created by a design team led by Jeffery’s brother Christian, a former Adidas designer. There are maxi dresses, pocketed trousers and a black broderie anglaise set that could just as well suit a “lazy-girl job” as a date night.  

“People want to dress up and go out and enjoy the fact that they can go out,” Goddard says, “so we wanted to play into that with more pieces that felt more specifically for night.”

“When the lights go down, you’re allowed to be a little bit more wild,” Jeffery adds. 

Yet comfort remains at the forefront of the founders’ vision. An elegant quilted robe, covered in a floral print and based on a 1950s men’s dressing gown, is the “warm hug” of the collection, Goddard says.

2023-09-14T12:37:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd