Erling Haaland Makes A Case For Pyjama Dressing
Spain may have won the World Cup, but Erling Haaland won over millions of people with his personality.
The Norway striker’s combination of towering 6ft 5in frame, athleticism and distinctive looks turned him into one of the tournament’s breakout stars. While some initially found his appearance unusual, that quickly became part of his appeal. The result was extraordinary growth on social media. Haaland started the tournament with 40.6 million Instagram followers and now sits at 75.9 million, a gain of 35.3 million followers.
After Norway’s quarter-final exit, he returned to one of his regular summer stops at the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria celebrations before heading off on a well-earned holiday.
While many of his football contemporaries have spent the off-season in Ibiza, Mykonos, Miami and other summer hotspots wearing little more than board shorts, Haaland has been making a case for the pyjama-inspired trend.
Marc Jacobs tried to make it a thing, and Ryan Gosling offered a loose interpretation of it at the Cannes Film Festival, but it has traditionally been embraced by women. Think Margot Robbie in pink Sleeper during the Barbie press tour, Billie Eilish in Gucci, Beyonce in Louis Vuitton, Gigi Hadid in Morgan Lane, and Jessica Alba in Dolce & Gabbana at the My Bloody Valentine 3D Los Angeles premiere.
Could one of football’s biggest stars change that?
Haaland has already worn two looks from the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2026 collection, each taking a different approach to the trend.
The first, a pale-blue embroidered pyjama set, leaned too far into sleepwear for my taste. It genuinely looked as though he had rolled straight out of bed, and that presentation undermined what was otherwise a beautifully crafted look.
The second outfit worked much better. By wearing only the striped pyjama-inspired trousers with a simple white vest, Hermès Izmir sandals and one of his many Hermès bags – a HAC 40 in Alezan Togo leather with palladium hardware – he broke up the head-to-toe pyjama effect. The styling made the trousers feel like relaxed resortwear instead of sleepwear, creating a much more wearable interpretation of the trend.
I know plenty of you were never on board with pyjama dressing in the first place, so neither of these looks is likely to change your mind. But if anyone has the influence to bring the trend into menswear, Erling Haaland has a better chance than most.
Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2026
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