Cotton long underwear (tops and bottoms) is very suitable for cold dry conditions, such as in unheated homes , vehicles or workplaces, or in case of fuel shortage, failure of heating plant etc. I would also wear cotton long underwear for outdoor work or gardening etc were there is little chance of geeting wet.
There are some very important caveats that should go with this advice. The biggest one is - don't perspire. If you aren't going to be exerting yourself and don't perspire when you sleep, cotton can be acceptable.
In my case, this is never true. I sweat freely at slight exertion and sweat heavily in my sleep. Cotton longjohns are no-go for me since I load them with moisture almost no matter what I do. (I can't even sleep in my own bed in cotton because I am so damp.)
The book COLD COMFORT (don't have it handy to name the author) about 20 years ago explained to me why I was cold at the end of a warm day while jeeping in the Colorado mountains. Changed my outdoor life for the better.
I wear 100% cotton and poly/cotton BDU pants for outdoor stuff but for cold, I have the longjohns to wear underneath. Both type BDU pants are better than jeans since neither hold as much water. Even the 100% cotton BDU pants because they are fairly thin. (but I always wear polypro shorts underneath)
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