Columnist Susan Snyder: For this, we’re going undercover

Friday, April 16, 2004 | 8:20 a.m.

So, um, what are you wearing right now?

Does it look like you slept in it?

Better yet, do you sleep in it, and did you wear it to work today? Today is, or was depending on your schedule, National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, according to the PajamaGram Company. The business sends jammies and other nightie-night accessories on those occasions when a bouquet of flowers or balloons just won't do.

I love capitalism.

The company coined the name of the annual event to promote their business through desperately seeking newspaper columnists. And I couldn't help myself because I love saying, "jammies."

Although this rare and wonderful holiday has been around for three years, it's no wonder that most American workers likely haven't noticed it.

That's because the Casual Friday Syndrome of the 1990s opened a veritable Pandora's box of workplace fashion, in which pajamas would most likely be overlooked and in some cases an improvement.

Human resources directors can't be worrying about fleece feetie pajamas when 70 percent of their company's workers come to work looking like they are ready for the beach or are homeless.

The manner in which I dress so often says, "camping trip," that my co-workers wonder who died or where the job interview is when I wear anything resembling a suit.

First, however, they whisper, "Who is that, and why is she sitting at Susan's desk?"

According to an online survey about work attire by How Stuff Works, 1.1 percent of those queried said they wear pajamas when working from home, and 1.4 percent said they wear pajamas to work because they work in mattress-testing factories.

Surprisingly, 5.9 percent said they work in the buff. (No industry specified.)

Another online survey said 15 percent of all Americans iron their pajamas, except in Pittsburgh and Providence, R.I. where 22 percent are PJ-pressers.

I love the Internet. Ranks right up there with capitalism.

But what do we wear for jammies these days? Judging by two teenage girls who walked into Blockbuster ahead of us a week ago, drawstring pants and huge, fluffy housewife slippers are hot.

I tried to ask some of the folks playing slots at Texas Station what they wear to bed. But people pumping nickels into a video-poker machine don't want to tell a stranger what time it is, let alone discuss their sleeping attire. People are funny that way.

(I also was curious as to why some of the women in the casino Wednesday afternoon were toting canisters of kitchen utensils from machine to machine. But after five years in this town, I know the answer is likely something I wouldn't want to know anyway.)

As usual, Americans are a little behind the fashion curve. In China's Shanghai it seems wearing pajamas in public isn't a nightmare created by a bad Guangdong dumpling. It was all the rage back in 2002.

Shanghai residents often traded suits for nighties and pajama sets for post-work shopping and social outings, according to a report by Meeting Professionals International.

One Shanghai resident said having pajamas showed one's wealth. We can only hope that is all they showed.