I lived my best life dressed down in an Oreo x Champion sweatsuit - Middletown Press

I became a dad a day after Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency. While I wouldn't recommend becoming a new parent as the first pandemic in a century ravages the world, I can say that I've taken advantage of this (pardon my French) unprecedented time to become reacquainted with myself. Oh, and my daughter too. 

I re-discovered my inner-chef, took up cross-country skiing, subscribed to a couple monthly subscription boxes, and spent a lot of time in sweats. As a leisure lover – nay, aficionado, I found that quarantine gave me the perfect opportunity to expand my repertoire of loungewear instead of going back to the restrictive jeans that imprisoned my lower half for up 12 hours at a time during the Before Times. 

Nourish Your Inner chef

cratechef.com

$51.00

For two years I've sampled sweats far and wide; chilling in Nice Laundry's delicious Lounge Pants during my days before transitioning over to a set of Outback Steakhouse pajamas for dinner. I've appointed Mack Weldon's Ace Sweatpants as my "business casual" sweats while busting out my old-timey union suit for the cold nights Maine is known for. I thought I had nailed down the formula until being pitched a new clothing line that merged the gold standard in athletic wear with a beloved cream-filled cookie – and no, I'm not talking about Hydrox. 

Outback Steakhouse Pajamas

Shinesty

shinesty.com

$29.99

To celebrate the 110th birthday of a cookie so American it probably knows someone who stormed the Capitol, famed athletics brand Champion just released a limited-edition apparel collection with Oreo that fuses leisure with… cookies I guess? Working with the somewhat-limited color palette of an Oreo cookie, this collection features reverse weave hoodies and joggers in a cookies & cream-style black-and-white colorblock, University Slippers emblazoned with an Oreo and finished with the signature Champion logo, and so much more. 

OREO® Reverse Weave Hoodie

Champion

champion.com

$80.00

OREO® REVERSE WEAVE JOGGERS

champion.com

$65.00

UNIVERSITY OREO® SLIPPERS, BLACK/WHITE

Champion

champion.com

$60.00

Like most grown men who have a Little Lord Fauntleroy inside of them, my affinity for leisure wear also comes with a deep appreciation for snacks. I love to treat myself with food like dates, tinned fish, carbon-neutral crackers, vegan ice cream (no pants-sh*tting for this guy) and of course: Oreos. Clad head-to-toe in Oreo-branded apparel, I could help but find myself surprised that the thought of combining fashion with this particular snack hadn't occurred to me earlier. C'est la vie. 

Climate Friendly Crackers

moonshotsnacks.com

$36.00

OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, 48 - 2 oz Snack Packs (4 Boxes)

Oreo

amazon.com

$27.06

Where some collabs of this nature skimp on quality in lieu of novelty, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the quality of my clothes. The tapered legs and ribbed cuffs of the joggers contributed to an all-around modern – dare I say edgy – fit while Champion's standard soft, brushed interior gave me the comfort I expect from the brands. Sitting clad in these sweats while I shoved Oreo after Oreo into my mouth-hole, I found myself comforted in these decidedly comfy clothes. This collab is all part of what I think is the penultimate Pandemic Look; a suit made of sweats that console the soul while paying homage to a snack that brings us back to a time before terms like "social distancing" and "anti-masker" made their way into our collective lexicon. 

Touted as "The Stuf dreams are made of", the limited-edition Champion x Oreo collection has a little something for everyone (who wouldn't wear a cookie-covered hoodie?!) and starts as low as $35 for this Heritage Short-Sleeve Tee.

OREO® HERITAGE SHORT-SLEEVE TEE, COOKIE ALL OVER PRINT

Champion

champion.com

$35.00