Hot sellers: onesies are back as Britons try to save on energy bills

theguardian.com:

The onesie was a sales sensation a decade ago but now the all-in-one is making a high street comeback as this winter’s hottest trend is literally thermal fashion, a category that includes hooded blankets, heated ponchos and microwavable slippers.

With Britons desperate to reduce their energy use by keeping their heating off for as long as possible or turning the temperature down, retailers have risen to the challenge with stores packed full of warm clothing and gadgets before the lucrative Christmas period.

Lakeland, a retailer better known for its kitchen paraphernalia than fashion nous, has sold out of the first shipment of its £90 electric heated poncho although another consignment is expected in November. The retailer’s website shows 1,800 people have considered buying the jacket equivalent of an electric blanket in the past 24 hours.

With its research showing six in 10 consumers intend to turn down the thermostat, Lakeland is also selling £30 slippers with inserts to zap in the microwave and “keep toes wonderfully toasty for hours”. Another innovation is a £25 extra-long hot-water bottle that can be wrapped around the back or feet and is likely to appeal to home workers.

John Lewis said onesies, which are normally a popular Christmas gift, were already flying off the shelves with sales more than tripling last week as the new higher price energy bill price cap kicked in. In another sign of the times, slippers were the most searched for item in women’s shoes on its website.

“With the cost of energy such a concern, we are seeing customers spend with heat in mind,” Claire Miles, the head of category fashion at John Lewis, said.

“Onesies used to be bought as a lighthearted Christmas gift but this year they are being bought