But a curious nugget of information in talking with some of the menswear stalwarts this week piqued my interest. While one historic shirtmaker, Hilditch & Key, has seen a free fall of shirt sales-its sartorial bread and butter-it can’t sell sleepwear fast enough. While its stiff, starched, handsome cotton shirts-outfitting the well-heeled City gent for over a century-languish unloved, the brand has sold out of pyjamas. Well, who doesn’t want to pull the covers over their head and hibernate ‘til it’s over?

Cotton striped pyjamas, £245, Hilditch & Key

British nightwear specialist Hamilton & Hare saw a steep rise in orders-up 124% from last year. At Turnbull & Asser, pyjama sales have doubled and dressing gowns have increased three-fold since last year. Boris Johnson’s announcement on Tuesday that draconian rules could be in place for six months, including that pubs and restaurants must shut at 10pm, means we won’t be rabble-rousing into the wee small hours any time soon.

Get ready for a winter of turning in early. Usually around this time of year, this column is devoted to back-to-work advice for sensible shoes and solid suiting; now it’s towelling robes and cosy slippers.

The good news is that as you’ll be spending more time on the sofa, the money you aren’t splashing on going out or travelling to work can be redirected towards some stellar nightwear to make the long nights in more bearable. I secretly rejoice at this, because a handsome pair of traditional pyjamas is a quiet joy of mine. If there’s no chance to dress up in a velvet tuxedo, you may as well enjoy the pristine piping on your PJs.

Yes, you could (and I do) slouch around in an old tracksuit and gym T-shirt, but there’s something pleasing about wearing an excellent pair of old-school cotton PJs that’s a private indulgence just for yourself.

Byron print pyjamas, £175, Desmond & Dempsey

Of course, sleepwear has become a booming industry, so a classic set is no longer the only option. Desmond & Dempsey specialises in vivid prints, some of which I’ve worn as holiday attire because no-one can tell the difference. Hamilton & Hare’s USP is that the fabrics-handcrafted in the UK-are sublime, with variants derived from Eucalyptus pulp and stretchy, substantial jerseys.

Magenta Maze silk dressing gown, £1,250, New & Lingwood

There are a few elder statesmen of the pyjama world that have been creating the kind of lavish silk gowns Noel Coward would collect, if you really want to bring the party to you this autumn. Winston Churchill was a fan of Turnbull & Asser’s elegant dressing gowns, and historic house New & Lingwood creates the most fantastically opulent dressing gowns with silks from a traditional Suffolk silk maker that has created the material in the area since the time of the Huguenots.

They have the price tags to match, but if you’re particularly eager to see out the virus in rich, jewel-tone jacquards, this is your moment. If we’re set for a drizzly old autumn of enforced confinement, with just the ambrosial balm of The Great British Bake Off and perhaps a warming glass of red for comfort, you might as well do it in nightwear that’s a cut above.

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