Pyjamas

In recent times the good people of Gisborne have been divided and angry. It’s not the issue of water ownership which threatens the peace of this normally unflappable community, or whether local farms should be flogged off to Chinese dairy giants. Even escalating rate bills hardly raise a sweat, let alone the likely commencement of fracking operations beneath their feet. The cause of so much heat under collars is whether people should be allowed to wear pyjamas in the CBD and in particular in the supermarkets. The fashion has been initiated by women but bets are on as to how long it will be before men sew up their PJ flies and join in.

Letters to the Gisborne Herald, mostly unsigned, are split between the ‘Disgusted’ variety and the ‘I Love my PJs’. In favour of parading their nightwear in public are shoppers who ‘plan to go back to bed as soon as the supermarket shop is done’, and others who say they ‘can’t afford dry cleaning so they live in their night clothes’. Some honestly admit to being more comfortable in pyjamas and don’t care about the opinions of others.

Angry pronouncements against public PJ wearing include accusations of ‘laziness’ and ‘unhygienic behaviour’. One writer suggested that pyjamas will import lice and bed bugs into food shops. Someone else argued that if people wanted to wear PJs in public they should ‘go to Dubai or London’. Another person fumed that ‘even in Nepal people dress nicely’. ‘Where is your pride?’ the writer asked.

Both sides have deeply entrenched views. We are reminded of our human rights by one and our dignity by the other. The anti-PJ camp has urged the District Council to issue a ban on the wearing of pyjamas in public, and for offenders to be fined. To implement this it is suggested that the council would have to introduce pyjama police patrols, a prospect which has neutral residents worried, concerned that collecting mail from the box at the front gate while wearing night attire would put them at risk of arrest.

Pro-PJ wearers appealed to the mayor to go public in his PJs. His spokesperson said that what the mayor wore in his parlour was a private matter. Pressed further the spokesperson denied that the mayor would be attending a forthcoming Winceyette industry expo in Beijing.

But have the mayor and the city fathers missed a trick? The upshot of this brouhaha begs the question, has Gisborne, a geographically remote city in need of new jobs and desperate to grab the attention of entrepreneurs and investors, struck gold by stumbling upon a new fashion trend? Notwithstanding any claims from Dubai and London, could the wearing of PJs in public be the next worldwide daytime fashion phenomenon and a boost to Gisborne’s fortunes?  It’s fair to say that local folk are not renowned for their sartorial elegance. Until recently the more popular default modes of dress were board shorts and tees, very low slung jeans or ill-fitting track pants, worn with gum boots or bare feet. Based on this evidence, pyjamas as haute couture have little competition to fear.

The other morning as I strolled through the CBD, I saw a man wearing a dark grey, bespoke suit, a silk tie and black polished Oxfords. This degree of elegance is a rare sight in Gisborne and other people noticed him too. Surprised, I looked around for a funeral cortege but there wasn’t one. Perhaps he was a visiting lawyer or an investor looking for opportunities. The man was very smart and I wondered if he’d ever been to Nepal. He stood out among the informal crowds like a sore thumb and was easily outnumbered by pyjamas. I hoped he had noticed.

Yes, fashion is a fickle business and the craze for wearing daytime pyjamas may not last until nightfall. Slick suits may even make a comeback if that man hangs around long enough. The best locals can do now is call a truce between the two sides and hope that the pyjama wearing squabble may be turned to Gisborne’s economic advantage by some courageous entrepreneur.

 In the meantime I’ve decided to hold off sewing up my PJ flies, just in case.

(A version of this article appeared in the Guardian Weekly 2012)