I know I just talked about loungewear recently, but now I wanna talk about sleepwear, too!
There’s a fair amount of overlap between these two categories, but there are some notable differences. Loungewear is the sort of thing I’d mostly wear around the house, but would have no reservations about sporting to the store or a local café if I needed to, or wearing on a casual Zoom call. Sleepwear, on the other hand, tends to be a little slinkier, a little skimpier, and not exactly grocery store-appropriate. It must also be comfy enough that I can toss and turn in it and not wake up a sweaty, tangled, wrinkled mess.
Now that we’ve got that distinction sorted out, here are some sleepwear items I’ve been eying lately…
Remember when the word “mask” could refer to stuff that didn’t remind you of the global health crisis we’re all facing?! (Gulp.) I think silk eye masks are the best type of mask (fight me, N-95s… just kidding) and don’t know what I would do without them. One entire wall of my bedroom is a window, which ordinarily I love, but it can be tricky when I’m trying to squeeze in some mid-day zzz’s. There is just something about the pressure on my eyes, and the total blockage of light, that helps me sleep so much more easily and peacefully.
I probably already have too many masks of this sort, but this pink silk one by Emily Au is calling to me nonetheless. There’s something so delightfully meta/Dada about napping while little illustrated eyes cover your actual peepers.
This mask would be best paired with a black silk slip, pale pink striped thigh-high socks, and a white noise machine. Mmmm.
Excuse me, this matching pink satin robe and nightgown set is far too cute to exist. What I love about this is that it makes coordination effortless, so you can have your glamorous Cat on a Hot Tin Roof moment without needing to spend hours getting ready like Elizabeth Taylor did!
I also love that each of these items could be worn separately, depending on the situation. I can imagine falling asleep in just the nightgown and then slipping into the robe to go make breakfast and coffee in the morning… or wearing the nightgown during a hookup and then throwing the robe on to walk my date to the door. So many possibilities!
I would pair this ensemble with shiny black stiletto heels, hot pink lipstick, and big hair for an over-the-top selfie photoshoot… and then I would kick off the heels, blot the lipstick off, tie my hair back, and curl up for a nice comfy snooze, draped in stunning satin. Ah, heaven.
Sometimes you just wanna feel like a cartoonishly hot babe, and this cotton Lola Bunny nightgown from H&M is just the thing for those moments. It’s essentially an oversized T-shirt, which are the best thing to sleep in anyway (particularly when borrowed from a beau). I like that the design is juuust presentable enough that you could throw on some leggings underneath and maybe a denim jacket on top and you’d be fine to pop by the store or answer the door.
H&M also makes one of these bearing the NASA logo, and I love that juxtaposition. Imagine the kind of person who would own both of these. They seem like they’d be awesome to hang out with.
I’d pair sweet Lola Bunny with black cashmere socks and a pale lavender sleep mask. Bunny ears optional.
I’m absolutely losing my shit over everything made by Prayers and Plans, a Black-owned luxury loungewear company. However, this midnight-blue silk slip might just take the cake. The cut is so sexy yet so simple, and that color is just… va-va-voom. Silk can be so amazingly vividly hued; there’s a reason I keep gravitating toward it in this post!
I love when nightgowns are designed with actual sleeping in mind, rather than just being optimized for visual sexiness (there’s no shame in that, it’s just not what I’m after when I talk about sleepwear specifically). There’s enough looseness in this slip’s design that it seems like it’d be comfy all night long. Plus I’m pretty sure that if I had a one-night stand with someone and woke up to see them wearing this in bed the next morning, I’d have a hard time leaving…!
I’d pair this with… ideally nothing at all, honestly. And it looks like it’d actually feel fine when worn naked, unlike a lot of more lingerie-leaning slips that can scrape you with lace and poke you with seams.
I’ve always loved Yokoo‘s quirky collection of handmade knitwear (they made an absurdly warm raspberry cowl I’ve treasured for a few winters now) and I know from experience that these items are the best accessories for wintertime naps, especially before your landlord turns the heat on in your building (le sigh). The Pembroke Cowl is HUGE – like, almost Lenny Kravitz huge – and can be custom-made in a wide array of autumnal and wintry shades just for you. This scarf in the “warm blueberry pie” color has been calling my name for years now…
Yokoo’s scarves are also the absolute best for cold winters in general, especially if you’re someone who uses your voice professionally as a singer, podcaster, etc. (I used to have a voice teacher who insisted I should wear a scarf EVERY time I left the house, to “protect [my] throat,” and I don’t quite go that far, but…) I remember it feeling very comforting when, in winters past, I would sometimes wake up from a nap in my Yokoo cowl while sick with a cold or a flu, and head out the door immediately to go pick up medicine or soup without needing to first change my outfit.
For naptime, I’d pair this massive grey scarf with a long black modal slip dress, and (if it was really cold) black cashmere gloves. For bonus points, pull the scarf up over your eyes to act as an impromptu sleep mask!
What sleepwear are you craving these days?