How 1 Designer Makes the "Vacation" Wardrobe Work All Year Long, Because That's the Dream

Designer Stevie Howell's got chic, no-fuss dressing figured out. That much is obvious from a glimpse at her latest lookbook, which she dubbed "pajama party in paradise." Pajamas as actual clothing that looks chic without even trying? Yes, this SF-based artist, printmaker, and arbiter of luxury loungewear definitely has the secret to looking cool with minimal effort and is helping her customers do the same with a lineup of her beautifully printed robes, pajama tops, and silky trousers.

It's the stuff that you might pack up for a dreamy vacation, though there's no need to stop wearing it when you head back to reality (hint: these pretty pieces are also entirely functional). So, while Stevie's lookbook casts a sunny picture of the clothes on the beaches of Oahu, HI (if the shoot looks like a blast, that's because it was with her sister and Vogue contributor, Lawren Howell, styling and her niece and nephew jumping in to model), you could wear any of these pieces just as easily in your normal life. I picture adding the robe to broken-in denim and a bodysuit or taking the pajama top from lounge mode to dinner out with heels and jeans.

That's exactly how Stevie intends you to wear her pieces and wears them herself. "I love the short pajamas (for both in and outside the bedroom!). In this current transition time I have been wearing the top with jeans, but when it gets a little warmer, I love wearing the set. They are cotton poplin that gets softer with each wash."

And if you're on the hunt for something that screams "vacation" no matter where you're headed (even, say, running errands), Stevie has just the thing. "In any hint of warm weather, I throw on the Frida Dress. It is my favorite vacation piece. I find it has just the right ratio of covered to exposed skin. The silk/cotton is lightweight and really easy to travel with. It looks great when it's been pulled out of a beach bag and thrown on over a wet bathing suit or dressed up with some jewelry for dinner."

How's that for the days it's just too hot to get dressed? And, of course, to make packing when you finally do get that vacation a cinch, read on for a glimpse at the lookbook right here and all the ways to style the easy, breezy pieces like a pro.