• The one thing I want to change into the moment I get home is this room wear.

• A brushed, spec-dyed cotton check dress made for comfortable time at home

Coming home and changing straight into room wear to relax—with the shift in values brought on by recent concerns over hygiene, more and more people seem to be drawing a clear line between "outside" and "inside" (the home) in this way.

The person who planned this ZUTTO room wear project is one such person. With fewer opportunities to go outside, they've found themselves rotating through a small, carefully chosen selection of favorite clothes and inner wear. But there's always a fear of accidentally staining or wrinkling a favorite piece just after coming home, so "room wear" to change into indoors has come to play a bigger role. Sweatshirt-type items are convenient too, but they add to the laundry pile and take longer to dry—a real drawback. Slow-drying clothes aren't ideal during the unpredictable weather of autumn and winter, and in spring, when items need to be dried indoors to keep pollen off, there was a growing sense that something thin, warm, and easy to wear was needed for room wear.

This original room wear was planned around exactly that concept—"the room wear you want to put on first, right after taking off your outside clothes at home". It's a piece that brings a small, comforting sense of happiness the moment you slip into it.

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A shirt dress you won't be embarrassed to be seen in, even when receiving a delivery

What we look for in room wear is, in addition to being loose and comfortable, something you won't feel embarrassed in if you suddenly have to face another person.

One thing that's become more common lately is receiving deliveries. The doorbell rings just when you're settling in to relax, and you find yourself thinking, "Oh no, I can't be seen like this..." A well-worn T-shirt or sweatshirt may be comfortable, but it's not something you want others to see.

That's why we chose a shirt dress. Shirt-style dresses have long been bestsellers across many brands at ZUTTO. Simply slip it over your head and it covers you down to your feet, so you can feel at ease even during the chillier days of spring and autumn.

Details designed with wearability in mind

The brushed, spec-dyed cotton check dress is packed with design touches aimed at pursuing true comfort.

Take the hem, for example. Ordinary shirt dresses tend to have a straight silhouette that limits leg movement, but for this dress we added extra fabric to make walking easier. Not only is it easier to move in, but from the front it takes on a subtle mermaid-like shape, giving it a cute look as well.

The sleeves also use a split raglan design so your shoulders and arms can move freely.

While still keeping the neat, put-together look that only a shirt dress can offer, the front of the sleeve is set in with a vertical seam running from shoulder to underarm, while the back has a diagonal raglan seam running from the neckline down to the underside of the sleeve. This makes it comfortable and easy to move your arms when reaching for something on a shelf or doing housework. Because it isn't bulky, it also layers smoothly under a cardigan, hoodie, or stole in winter without feeling stiff.

Of course it has pockets too, and the cuffs are cut generously wide so you can easily roll up your sleeves.

Being lightweight and easy to pack, it's also handy to bring along on trips and works well for wearing at hotels while traveling.

A soft-toned, brushed cotton fabric that brings a sense of happiness the moment you slip your arms through

Choosing the fabric was an especially important part of this room wear project. Since we wanted to introduce it during a season when mornings and evenings are still chilly, being warm was essential. And since it's worn after taking off a spring coat or restrictive inner layers, a fabric that's as light as possible was ideal. Better still would be a material with a texture so pleasant against the skin that it makes you sigh with relief. It was with these standards in mind that we chose this fabric.

The fabric is dyed using a special hand-dyeing method known as spec dyeing, done by skilled artisans, giving it a distinctive vintage feel and subtle unevenness in color. It's the kind of fabric that starts feeling like a natural part of you from the very first wear, developing a texture you'll grow attached to over time. We prepared two elegant colorways within the check design. Both feature a large check pattern that's charming without looking childish—a coloring you don't often see in everyday clothing, one that feels distinctly suited to room wear.

Even though it's 100% cotton, it has a soft, fluffy, pleasant feel against the skin, and being lightweight, it won't tire you out even after wearing it for long stretches. The gentle brushed texture provides a faint warmth, so you can stay comfortable in just this one piece without needing to layer on extra inner wear or a jacket. This fabric is also machine-washable at home and requires no special care, so you can wash it freely without worry—making it easy to get through household chores without fretting over stains.
 

The moment you change out of your outside clothes and into room wear feels like drawing a line in time and resetting your mood—perhaps a necessary pause for those of us leading busy lives. We hope you'll choose this room wear as a companion for easing that tension, if only a little, and spending relaxed time at home.

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