Pajamas

Pajama culture

I’ll admit that I’m fascinated by pajama culture. So many ladies I know are very into their pajamas and I’ve been dragged, very willingly to fancy or classic pajama maker destinations: nightshirt tunic dresses at Charvet in Paris, two piece sets sold out always at Schostal in Rome, cool Tekla oversized cotton sleepwear in Copenhagen and so on . I have to admit other than a classic Hanro tank dress nightgown I have never felt I understood pajamas really and I am curious about them.

Now let me say I do like a Prada style pajama look in silk. Pajamas worn outside the house, well I love this idea with the correct execution. But I started to think about what are my ideal pajamas and why not try to make them myself for a store holiday project. I wanted to do something different with this post and open up my chat and comments below for people’s opinions on pajamas. I started looking at some old references, Grace Kelly’s dressing gown in Dial M for Murder and siren nightgown in Rear Window and Audrey Hepburn in a long nightshirt in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

My first question is, don’t pajamas feel hot if you’re wearing pants and a long sleeve top? Or usually do people wear them separately or ditch the pants while they sleep? What fabrics do people like more? I always assume a nice cotton for pajamas, but maybe silk is better and more luxurious and more transferrable to wear outside. (I think I am veering toward something that can also be worn out.) Of course being a dress person I love a nightdress, but I understand this is not always a popular opinion. I have seen the classic style nightgowns but it can look so matronly sometimes. Of course there is a nice tunic style at Charvet but that seems more like vacation wear to me. People have said to me that cotton pajamas must be soft but also substantial, and definitely oversized to be comfortable. The lady at Schostal told me when trying on this summer that I liked a size way too small for me when I found a pair that I felt fit well. She said that I must choose a much larger size to be comfortable. For someone very into tailoring this is unfamiliar territory. I do like the idea of ease in the shirt and a dropped shoulder and again I start thinking about how it could be worn out.

Anyway, any thoughts on pajamas I would love to know and if you know a pajama aficionado please send along to them. So far I am looking at prints and stripes in silk and cotton and also of course classic navy and black but open to all suggestions! Have a lovely week!

xx Katherine