The challenges of working from home (and not looking like a sloth)

Were you one of those families who had to change out of your 'good' clothes when you got home? We definitely were - as soon as we got back from school, we changed into our 'round home' clothes. As a consequence, even now, as a fully fledged grown-up living 10,000 miles from my 'home', I am still constitutionally incapable of wearing my good clothes when I'm at home!! It doesn't matter if my good clothes are super comfy things like my secret pajamas Monetas, I still feel weird waltzing around the house in them. But I work from home a lot (especially so at the moment as I'm on sabbatical which means I'm home all the time!), and I am utterly sick of wearing my sloppy old track-pants and grotty clothes. They make me feel sluggish and sloth-like in them (and not terribly attractive)! 

They are awfully comfy though. 

So I've been pondering on whether there's another option - a 3rd way if you will - between 'good' clothes and 'round home' clothes. Surely it's possible to make something that is as comfy as track-pants, which looks tidy, and is cute enough that I don't have to get changed if I want to pop to the shops or a cafe for a mid-arvo coffee, but which isn't the same as what I'd wear if I were going to the office? (This is starting to seem like an insane distinction, isn't it?). And all the many many patterns I've been buying lately have been trying to meet this challenge. Cute-ish but comfy. To me that means:

 - stretchy or loose-ish

 - but with a bit of shaping - just not tight/fitted

 - preferably no fastenings (because they just make everything feel more structured)

 - easy to sew/wear (non-iron, obvs)

 - warm (!!!! My house is old, and we have a lovely sunny living room/conservatory, but my office is upstairs on the cold side of the house and even in summer, it's frackin' cold up there. My hands often go numb while typing, though my partner attributes this to my reptile blood rather than the lack of heating!).

I've bought a bunch of patterns lately to try and deal with this: 

• the Anima pants: Damn these pants. I've made 2 versions, each more fugly than the last, and I have now decided that this is NOT the pattern for me. I so badly want to like it, but it looks crap on me. My legs are too short maybe? Perhaps you need to be willowy to wear them? I am very much not willowy, being much more shrub-like in appearance.
• a Fen dress: I'm on the fence about this. It looks pretty sack-like, which it's meant to, and it does meet a number of my criteria, but I'm not sure if it's 'me'. My test version was made in horrible cheap poly-cotton with sod-all drape, so I will try again on this. But maybe you need to be willowy for this too? 
• an Opal cardigan: My first version of this was completely hilarious! It's now been refashioned into a skirt (see below). The second version I quite like (even if it is too long), although the neckband stretched when I overlocked it and now it won't sit flat. I'm going to need a well-placed snap fastener I think...
• the Washi dress: I bought this pre-April pledge, and largely against my better judgement. I love the 10,000-odd versions online, but I'm terrified of looking preggers in it. Nothing worse for the self-esteem than a dress which makes people give up their seat for you on the tube! I'm waiting for some fabric to arrive to make a test version, so we'll see where we stand on that soon.

So mostly those are misses, and I'm still waiting for the 'hit'. In the meantime, I have discovered that the Colette Mabel is pretty great. I already had one version which I used to wear to work, but, I've been wearing it round home with tights or leggings and I think it might be a win. I still feel a bit fancy wearing it at home, but perhaps I just need to adjust my own mad clothing mind-set a bit?! I've now made 2 more versions of Mabel (one out of the original Opal - can you imagine how mad that fabric was in an oversized boxy cardigan?! Bahaha!). Both versions have been worn around the house and out in public. 

Grey Mabel with Merino Astoria. Worn with grubby slippers and dodgy pony-tail for my authentic working-at-home look! Original black Mabel which is impossible to photograph (it's flocked jersey). Worn here with the grey Opal that I like, but you can see the neckline issue. Still, fine for slouching over things. This mad orange and pink fabric is what I made my first Opal in. Um, wtF was I thinking?! Cute as a Mabel tho! Also I rediscovered a super light-weight version of Moneta that I didn't like when I made it (because it stretched a bit and just isn't as nicely fitted as the other ones)  and I find I quite like it for 'round home'. Plus it goes brilliantly with my brogues when I pop out! And an unblogged drama-dress in that gorgeous merino jersey my aunt sent - it's lovely and warm around home, and the fit issues don't matter so much (clearly the belt and heels are not worn when I'm mooching on the sofa!).   Previously unloved Moneta Drama Dress*

So I'm getting there slowly, but I think this will be an ongoing challenge. I might even try and make this issue part of my Me Made May pledge - ultimately, my me-made wardrobe needs to work for me and my lifestyle, and I'm not wholly sure it's doing that yet.

What do you guys wear when you're 'round home'?? Do you always change out of your good clothes when you get home?

*drama dress - this started as a Wren, failed majorly, was unpicked (have you tried unpicking zig zag stitches from wool jersey?? ARGH the blinding rage!!) and was resewn as a sleeveless Moneta (because I didn't have enough fabric left for sleeves). I still ended up with fit issues in the bodice that I've never had before with Moneta, but at least I finally managed (after a good couple of weeks of rage and unpicking and sobbing and worrying I'd ruined a really lovely present) to get a wearable dress.