How to wear pajama pants to work

The latest acquisition in my collection of novelty pants is this silky paisley number. Calling it silky is perhaps a bit generous because, while it might have once been silky, age has reduced its rayon fabric to a very soft, almost flannel-like texture. With its loose fit and drawstring-tied elastic waist, this pair of pants looks suspiciously like a pajama bottom.

But is it? The brand (Solemio) seems to have been (their Facebook page indicates they might have gone out of business in 2016) primarily focused on ultra-trendy clubwear, not loungewear. Usually pajama bottoms aren't made out of rayon, and these pants are. They're also unusually long (such that I have to wear heels to keep them off the ground, even with them hiked all the way up to my waist), which would be highly impractical for clothes meant to be worn with slippers. I think it's more likely that these pants were much more glamorous at one time in their past, and have just been "broken in" to the point where they'd be best described as "cozy."

But once a dress pant, always a dress pant, is my philosophy which I only just invented now. So how do I wear these particular dress pants to the office and be assured that they won't be mistaken for the pajamas I forgot to take off when I left home in the morning?

To make any pair of pants look a little more professional, wear a button-down blouse on top. There's something so serious about a traditional pointed collar and a row of buttons down the front, that any outfit featuring them simply can't be construed as too casual.

Today I smartened up my flowy pants with a fuchsia sleeveless blouse (one of the many I removed the puffed sleeves from). I also took my own advice and wore pointed-toe pumps to look more sophisticated, rather than the round-toe mary janes that were my first choice. Finally, I had to do something about the drawstring. It is the rare pair of pants that can have a drawstring waist and still be taken seriously outside the bedroom or locker room, and this pair is not that pair! Fortunately, the fix was simple. I just tucked the drawstring out of sight into the waistband. With the blouse over the top, you can't tell it was ever there!

With these tricks in my employ, I feel like I was able to make these lazy-day pants look acceptable for the office. Someone who saw me in the bathroom told me she liked my pants. In fact, she said they were great, so at least they got one Stranger Stamp of Approval. What do you think? Would you ever wear pajama-like pants to the office?