The Wall Street Journal - 28.03.2020 - 29.03.2020

D2| Saturday/Sunday, March 28 - 29, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

can also be styled off the

shoulder for a romantic, be-

yond-the-boudoir look. Said

brand founder and CEO Nell

Diamond, who wears this

piece while working from

home: “I love the idea that

you never have to prepare for

your nap—you can just take

one.” So go ahead and recline

already. Nightgown,$100,

hillhousehome.com

THE OFF DUTY SLEEP ISSUE | STYLE & FASHION

such rebellious designers as Paul

Poiret and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel,

evening pajamas were usually fab-

ricated from silk or satin and took

the form of a wide-legged jumpsuit

or a top-and-palazzo-pants pairing

and perhaps a robe. The eccentric

actresses and socialites brave

enough to deploy such outfits

didn’t wear them between the

sheets, but to entertain or, as a

1931 issue of Vogue advised, out to

the theater—if one was enough of

an iconoclast. Although plays and

parties no longer fly in this period

of social distancing, elegant PJs

can still infuse a night of hiberna-

tion with a sense of occasion.

Whether you wear them out or in,

draping yourself in decadent PJs has

always projected a transgressive at-

titude. “You’re saying, ‘I’m not going

to play the game the way you want

me to,’” said Ms. Sauro. These

louche sets signify an uncorseted

freedom, which is perhaps why de-

signers like Halston and Stephen

Burrows revisited the style during

W

HEN EVENING
pajamas first
slinked their way
into the fashion
lexicon in the
early 20th century, they sent shock
waves through polite society. “They
were seen as scandalous—flat-out
scandalous,” said Clare Sauro, di-
rector of the Robert and Penny Fox
Historic Costume Collection at
Drexel University. Introduced by

BYKATHARINEK.ZARRELLA

On Day 20 of self-isolation, it might be time to mix up your look. We suggest

a ritzy, retro evening-pajama set—accessorized with marabou pumps

The Pajama Dame

Are they slippers so chic they can be

worn as shoes? Or shoes so comfort-

able they qualify as slippers? We re-

main somewhat clouded when it comes

to the raison d’être of this whisper-light

silk footwear by New York label the

Row. But rest assured that whether you

slide on these bohemian steppers to

shuffle about your abode or to dash

across the street to grab milk for your

(sigh) instant Starbucks, you’ll be able

to derive strength from their beauty.

Embroidered and beaded using couture

techniques, the Italian-made pair will

spark joy even when they’re just sitting

pretty at the foot of your bed, all ready

to go for more exciting outings. Slip-

pers,$1,450, therow.com

There’s something inescap-
ably elegant about the term
“nap dress,” which is how the
team at Hill House Home re-
fers to this only slightly
granny-ish, Victorian-inspired
nightgown. Fashioned from
cotton with loose smocking, it

Retire Like

Grandma

Throw a beaded cardigan

or a blazer over this bare

pair. Lace-Trim Pajama Set,

$396, caminyc.com

Sets That Set a Mood

A trio of options sure to

bewitch roommates,

including cats and dogs

For an over-the-top option,

try this bright duo. Floral

Silk Pajama Set,$490,

oliviavonhalle.com

A modern classic, ideal

with a twisted updo.

Feather Trim Pajama Set,

$320, the-sleeper.com

Debate This

Footwear’s Purpose

3

2

GETTY IMAGES (TOP); F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS (NIGHTGOWN, SHOES)
LOUNGE LIZARDCountess Edith di Zoppola wears a pair of Elsa Schiaparelli’s evening pajamas in 1931.

(^1) the hedonistic Studio 54 era.
Modern women have also adopted
the dressy pajama as a comfortable
alternative to gowns for evening
events (remember those?). “It’s an
easy thing to put on instead of a
dress—it’s a bit like a tuxedo in a
way,” said New York stylist Kate
Young, who has dressed clients like
Selena Gomez and Sienna Miller in
fancy jams by Leset and Prada.
But elegant loungewear’s ability
to elevate nights-in matters more
right now—if you heed it. “We put
so much effort into dressing up
when we go out, but when we’re at
home with ourselves and the people
we love the most, we don’t care how
we look,” said Asya Varetsa, co-
founder of Ukraine-based elevated-
PJ brand Sleeper. “Wouldn’t it be
nice to change that?” One sugges-
tion: Wear a plume-trimmed pair by
Sleeper, and mesmerize loyal pets
and digital companions alike.
Should some of your Zoom mates
think your jams don’t pass muster
as a legitimate step above sweat-
pants, don’t lose sleep over it. Grace
Coddington, contributing editor at
Vogue and pajama devote, said de-
tractors are probably just jealous.
“So many people have come up to
me and said, ‘God, I really envy you,
you look really comfortable.’ And I
say, ‘Yeah, I am,’” said Ms. Codding-
ton, who wore a pair by Michael
Kors to the Met Gala in 2015. She
doesn’t care if critics think she’s un-
derdressed. “Suffice to say, I think I
can dictate that myself, since I’m in
fashion. Every time I need to be
dressed up, that’s what I wear.”
She currently has more than 10
pairs of sumptuous sleep suits, in-
cluding a custom, sequin-trimmed
combo by Marc Jacobs and a cat-
print set she designed with Louis
Vuitton. She suggests upping the
formality factor by adding a front
crease to the trousers and sticking
with dark hues. Ms. Young, the styl-
ist, further advised: “I don’t think
it’s a good idea to look super undone
and unpolished and then wear paja-
mas.” She advocates for glamorous
hair and makeup and heels.
What gives today’s evening PJs a
one-up on those from Coco Chanel’s
day? You can, in fact, sleep in them.
“I kind of love that you could just
flip into the sheets if you have one
too many martinis,” said Ms. Young.
Ms. Coddington has worn them from
soiree to sleep—she chose that Kors
set for the Met in part because she
had to catch a red-eye to the South
of France after the Gala’s cocktail
hour. “I slept in [them] on the plane,
and when I woke up, they didn’t
wrinkle or anything. They looked
fabulous as I stepped off the plane.”
Elegant PJs infuse a
night of hibernation
with a sense of occasion.