Nightgowns and Nighties

As Dickens somewhere recounts with infinite zest, we have all had the mortifying experience in a dream of making a public appearance clad with woeful inadequacy in our nightdress. This is a situation interesting to consider in relation to the period in which the dreamer is caught out in her nightdress. For instance, in The Lady's Pictorial of August 30, 1922, there appears an illustration of a garment described as "a nightie carried out in the finest linen lawn trimmed with embroidery and lace." Entirely sleeveless, with a rather ample "V" neck, enfolding the body with an effect decidedly negligee-like in appearance. This nightie (or nightgown) is not calculated to make love appear ridiculous nor is it intended to make a fool of the wearer.

Quite the opposite in fact, dressed like that today, going through Grand Central Station in London, most women would draw attention as fashion icons rather than embarrassingly caught in public in their nightwear.

Nightgowns, traditionally have been works of art. Around 1926 nightgowns reached from shoulder to ankle. By then it had become the thing to use only silken threads as fine as gossamer for the upper part. The scantier the garment was over the shoulders the more beautiful it was considered. Even white muslin nightgowns, mill shipped in small lots to those sections of the country where steampower had not yet penetrated, had parted from one-time elaborate collars.

Nightgowns today are fashion items. Incredibly delicate, ranging from the painfully simple to the overtly elaborate, trimmed with lace, comprised of thin struts and delicate ties and bows they are designed to recreate a past that was arts-inspired, beautiful, daring and yet also iconoclastic and revolutionary.

Nightgowns, as we see them now are manufactured to resemble evening dresses; to copy the most flattering aspects of classic styles. They are fashioned to make the figure appear at its best. Since they have become formally decorative they are longer than before. Cut on bias lines, molded to the body. Many could almost be worn as evening gowns – not entirely out of place in something like the UK hit TV show ‘Come Dancing’.

Dickens may have correctly identified our fear of being caught outside in our nightwear, exposing a part of our innermost self, but with the nightgowns of today such a fear is mitigated by the fact that save for some slight consciousness of the thinness of the material, a lady need not be disturbed by dreaming that she appeared in any of today’s exceedingly graceful, sweeping creations in the dining room of the Savoy at High Tea time.


Pink Tatty Teddy night dress From Debenhams , bear, cute, debenhams, frill, front, girl's, girls, hem, kids, little, love, nightdress, nightie, nightwear, pink, print, tatty, teddy, topped... £10.00	Peach flower print nightdress From Debenhams , &, bright, comfort, contrast, cut, debenhams, eyecatching, fabric, gifts, jersey, lace, ladies, neckline, nightie, nighttime, nightwear, peach, pink, presence, soft, stretchy, supreme, topped, toys, treats, trim... £10.00	Crêpe Baby Doll Nightie and Thong Set From La Redoute , 1%, 13%, 75, 86%, adjustable, cm, cottonlined, cups, elastanekeep, elastic, fire, gusset, la, lace, lingerie, nightie, polyamide, polyester, redoute, sexy, straps, thong, triangle, tullelined... £10.20
OPI G01 PINK NIGHTIE From Garden Pharmacy , care, g01, garden, nail, nightie, opi, pharmacy, pink... £10.50	REDOUTE CREATION Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , 10%, 90%, adjustable, band, bottom, cups, elastane, fabric, fire, hem, knee, knit, la, lace, lingerie, nightie, nighties, nightwear, polyamide, redoute, slits, soft, straps, stretch, triangular, trimmed... £10.50	REDOUTE CREATION Dotted Tulle Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 30°, 90, adjustable, anglaise, broderie, button, cm, cotton, decorated, dotted, fire, flared, gorgeously, hem, la, lightly, lingerie, neckline, nightie, nighties, nightwear, redoute, shape, straps, tulle, washable... £11.00
Long Satin Nightie From La Redoute , 17%, 2%, 81%, elastane, fire, la, lingerie, nighties, nightwear, polyamide, polyester, redoute... £11.40	Baby Doll Nightie and Thong Set From La Redoute , 4%, 96%, adjustable, baby, bow, bra, centre, cleavage, contrasting, cottonlined, doll, elastane, elasticated, enhance, fire, front, gusset, la, lingerie, nightie, nighties, nightwear, opening, padded, polyester, redoute, satin, sensual, set, straps, tea... £11.90	Sequence Nightie From Grattan , asymmetric, front, grattan, hem, lace, nightie, viscose, washable... £12.72
SOUS-ENTENDUS Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , 1%, 28%, 71%, adjustable, baby, bra, bust, collection, comfortable, crochet, cups, delicate, doll, double, draped, draws, effect, elastane, embroidered, fabric, feminine, fine, fire, front, guipure, inspiration, la, lace, lingerie, lovely, nightie, nigh... £13.50	2pk cat nap nighties From Bhs , bedtime, bhs, fro, kids, nightie, pack, pretty, set... £14.00	2pk rabbit nightie From Bhs , 'hop', bed, bhs, cute, kids, nightie, pack, rabbit... £14.00
REDOUTE CREATION Frilled Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, anglaise, broderie, cotton, effect, fire, fresh, frill, gorgeous, hem, la, lingerie, narrow, neckline, nightie, nighties, nightwear, redoute, straight, straps, striped, trimmed, voile... £15.00	SOFT GREY Short Jersey Knit Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 90, baby, buttoned, chest, cm, combining, comfort, cotton, doll, edging, fire, gathers, jersey, la, lingerie, modern, nightie, nighties, nightwear, placket, redoute, rolled, summer, yolk... £15.00	REDOUTE CREATION Flared Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 90, bottom, bust, cm, cotton, embroidery, fire, hem, jersey, la, lingerie, little, narrow, nighties, nightwear, offset, patch, pocket, pouch, redoute, seaming, shoulders, soft, straps, summer, tie... £15.00
REDOUTE CREATION Maternity and Nursing Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 5%, 90, 95%, bag, bust, clip, cm, cotton, drawstring, elastane, elastic, fabric, fastening, fire, gathers, jersey, la, lingerie, maternity, mumtobe, narrow, neckline, nightie, nursing, redoute, rounded, straight, straps, supporting, tie, viscose,... £15.00	REDOUTE CREATION Soft Drape Nightie in 4 Colours From La Redoute , 5%, 90, 95%, adjustable, beautifully, care, closefitting, cm, comfortable, cotton, draping, elastane, fashionable, figure, fire, knit, la, lace, lingerie, machine, my, neckline, nightie, nighties, nightwear, redoute, shows, soft, softly, straps, ultra,... £15.00	REDOUTE CREATION Printed Nightie with Narrow Straps From La Redoute , 100%, 90, bust, buttoned, cm, contrasting, cotton, drawstring, edging, embroidery, fire, hem, la, lingerie, nighties, nightwear, piped, placket, poplin, redoute, side, vents, vneck... £15.00
Sequence Nightie From Kaleidoscope , asymmetric, front, hem, kaleidoscope, lace, nightie, viscose, washable... £15.66	Ivory satin spot chemise From Debenhams , &, adjustable, bridal, chiffon, debenhams, front, gifts, neckline, nightie, nightwear, pleated, presence, print, sections, shoulder, spot, straps, toys... £16.50	REDOUTE CREATION Satin Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 93, accentuated, bust, cm, darts, embroidered, fire, hem, la, lace, lingerie, nightie, nighties, nightwear, polyester, pretty, redoute, satin, straps, vneckline, wear... £17.00
REDOUTE CREATION Satin Nightie, Length 90 cm From La Redoute , 30°, 90, accentuated, adjustable, cm, feminine, fine, hemline, la, lace, lingerie, machine, nighties, nightwear, pleats, redoute, satin, stitched, straps, trimmed, vneck, washable... £17.00	PEANUTS Shoestring Strap Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 88, adjustable, cm, contrasting, cotton, fire, front, fun, jersey, la, lingerie, motif, nightie, nighties, nightwear, print, redoute, shoestring, straps, summer's... £17.00	REDOUTE CREATION Nightie and Wrapover Top Set From La Redoute , 100%, 5%, 93, 95%, adjustable, bust, chilly, cm, cotton, embroidery, fastening, feels, fire, grey, jersey, la, lingerie, marl, narrow, nightie, nighties, nightwear, redoute, slip, straps, summer, teamed, tie, viscose, wear, wrapover... £17.00
REDOUTE CREATION Soft Drape Nightie in 3 Colours From La Redoute , 16%, 30°, 84%, 90, adds, adjustable, cm, cups, delicate, drape, draping, elastane, elegant, firefeminine, knit, la, lace, lingerie, lining, machine, nightie, nighties, nightwear, polyamide, redoute, sexy, shoestring, side, slits, soft, straps, stretc... £17.00	MR MEN LITTLE MISS Striped Nightie From La Redoute , 35%, 65%, 88, cm, cotton, drawstring, fire, jersey, la, lingerie, nighties, nightwear, polyester, racer, redoute, waist... £17.00	HELLO KITTY Racer Back Jersey Nightie From La Redoute , 100%, 88, bow, chest, cm, contrasting, cotton, fire, hem, jersey, la, lingerie, little, motif, nighties, nightwear, printed, racer, redoute, satin, strap... £17.00
La Redoute en Plus Glamorous Printed Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , 24%, 76%, baby, bra, braided, bust, contrast, doll, double, elastane, fire, front, guipure, hem, knit, la, lingerie, neckline, nightie, nightwear, polyamide, print, redoute, seaming, slips, slits, spaghetti, straps, trim... £17.02	SOFT GREY Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , adjustable, bra, centre, chest, crochet, fire, la, lingerie, narrow, nightwear, redoute, slips, smocking, straps, yoke... £17.40	Green embroidered long nightdress From Debenhams , &, alluring, combines, comfort, cut, debenhams, decorated, ease, elegance, embroidery, feminine, floral, fresh, front, gifts, green, ladies, nightdress, nightie, nightwear, pastel, presence, pretty, toys... £18.50
Baby Doll Nightie and Thong Set From La Redoute , 100%, black, cleavage, collection, enhance, fire, flirty, front, intense, la, lace, laced, lingerie, neck, nightie, nightwear, plum, polyamide, redoute, sides, stretch, thong, tie,... £19.00	Short Satin Nightie From La Redoute , 17%, 2%, 81%, elastane, fire, la, lingerie, polyamide, polyester, redoute, sexy... £19.00	REDOUTE CREATION Nightie and Wrapover Top Set From La Redoute , 100%, 93, adjustable, bust, cm, cooler, cotton, fire, gathers, jersey, knit, la, lace, lingerie, longsleeved, nightie, nighties, nights, nightwear, pretty, print, redoute, set, shoestring, slip, straps, summer, trim, vneckline, wrapover... £19.00
REDOUTE CREATION Knitted Nightie From La Redoute , 10%, 30°, 90, 90%, cm, cups, demure, dots, elastane, fabulously, fire, knit, la, lace, lingerie, mix, nightie, nighties, nightwear, polka, polyamide, provocative, redoute, retro, soft, stripes, triangle, trim, washable... £19.00	Printed Nightie From Boden , beauties, boden, bold, cotton, designs, fire, girls, meet, nighties, nightwear, pure, safety, sleeping, standards... £20.00	Tinkerbell Nightie and Eye Mask PJ Set From Truffle Shuffle 80s Clothing Ltd , 80s, blue, clothing, dreams, dust, ensure, eye, eyemask, fab, fairy, frill, hem, interrupted, ladies, land, mask, neck, nightie, padded, set, shuffle, sprinkling, strappy, strikes, supercute, sweetest, tie, tinkerbell, true, truffle, tshirts... £22.00
La Redoute en Plus Baby Doll Nightie From La Redoute , 18%, 82%, baby, doll, elastane, fire, la, lingerie, nightie, nighties, nightwear, polyamide, redoute... £23.98	Byron Dress From Hush Homewear , byron, cotton, dress, fit, gathers, homewear, hush, interest, neck, nightie, panel, perfectly, pure, sewnon, stitching, summerwear, tonal, wardrobe, worn... £25.00	Twin Pack Nightie From Boden , boden, fresh, girls, hope, nightwear, prints... £26.00
ELLOS Nightie From La Redoute , 17%, 40°, 83%, adjustable, bust, elastane, embroidered, fire, front, la, lingerie, narrow, nightie, plus, polyamide, redoute, seaming, shoulder, straps, wash, women... £29.00	Alice Nightie From Hush Homewear , 3button, bust, bustsleeves, closure, comfort, contrast, cotton, coverage, homewear, hush, neck, nightwear, placket , pointelle, ruche, sacrifice, seam, soft, style, trim, you’ll... £30.00	Wolf In Grandmas Clothes (Adult) From Angels Fancy Dress , 100%, adults, angels, arms, bad, big, bushy, cap, chest, clambered, costume, covers, cut, dress, ear, excluding, fabrics, fit, fur, garment, gingham, gown, grannies, hands, head, hood, laugh, left, lower, mask, mop, night, nightie, package, pair, part,... £40.00
SILK NIGHTIE From Hush Homewear , adjustable, contrasting, design, four, hem, homewear, hush, lacetrim, nightie, nightwear, past, pure, seasons, shoulder, silk, straps, we... £50.00