Pleasure Practices with Sami Schalk: It's onesie season

How to zip yourself into fall comfort.

How to zip yourself into fall comfort.

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The nights are getting increasingly chilly and it’s time to break out your fall and winter wardrobe. At first, I was admittedly bemoaning the loss of long hot summer days, but I am now accepting that it’s time to get cozy and prepare for the long cool nights ahead.

Getting cozy doesn’t just mean being warm, but also being comfortable. As the seasons change and the natural world gets increasingly darker and duller, I like to be my own ray of sunshine by wearing joyfully bright, silly, cozy clothes. And my favorite cozy option of all? Onesies, baby, onesies.

What is a onesie, you ask? Well, you likely know the term onesie in association with infants: one-piece outfits that snap between the legs. Adult onesies are similarly one-piece outfits that zip or button down the front. You step into it like a jumpsuit or coveralls, zip/button up and you’re done. Many adult onesies come with hoods of some sort, some come with pockets, and my favorite onesies are basically costumes that look like animals or characters. Silly AF and a pure fucking delight.

So why do I love onesies? First, they are warm and comfortable. I buy fleece ones that keep me toasty all winter long and are soft to cuddle up in. Second, they are easy. If, like me, you get seasonal depression, it’s nice to have something warm to easily throw on to your body on a chill morning as you make breakfast—and if you work from home, maybe wear all day long. Third, they are silly AF which brings people joy. I wear my onesies a lot around my condo building when I get my mail or take out the recycling and occasionally for a random errand like picking up a curbside pickup order. Often people smile when they see me, for instance, taking out the trash looking like the Cheshire Cat—tail and all. Other people’s delight in my attire brings me pleasure. Onesies are an excuse to basically be in costume at any random moment while remaining warm and comfortable.

Last year while working from home and unable to socialize outside much. I got SUPER into onesie life, so I have a bunch now. Some would say too many, but can you ever have too many delightful warm outfits that make you giggle? I love that I can be a unicorn, Sully or Mike from Monsters Inc., or a leopard. I have six now and I truly wear them all. I even bought matching ones as gifts for my partner and friends. Honestly, I’m probably going to use the money from this month’s column to buy a Tigger onesie too. It’s just so friggin cute. How can you be mad at the cold when you’re dressed like a bunny dancing to the new Lil Nas X album and screaming "THAT’S WHAT I FUCKING WANT" at the top of your lungs?

You can find onesies all over the Internet and occasionally in stores, especially around Halloween. They are generally sized by height for average size folks, but for my fat friends have no fear! Torrid and Old Navy each carry plus size onesies seasonally. Most of mine came from Torrid except the bunny one which is from Old Navy.

So this month’s pleasure practice is to get cozy with onesies and other warm, colorful, silly clothes this fall. While I highly encourage onesies, you can also do this by putting on a furry hat, some bright wool tights (I recommend SnagTights), or a fabulously colorful jacket. Don’t forget to look in the biggest mirror you have while dressed as a sloth and say "I’m a badass bitch." I’m pretty certain you won’t be able to do it without cracking a smile. As always, tag me in your pleasure practice photos and let me know what you think!