Bedtime Stories

Although Marilyn Monroe famously stated that all she wore to bed was Chanel Number 5 for many people what they wear to bed is important. Seduction and a slither of satin, Art Deco pyjamas, or a hint of fluffiness, sweet pea shades or deeply toned jewel colours, there are a lot of options. However, the simple classic basics remain. A nightdress in any length from micro short to floor length, the peignoir or dressing gown, a pyjama jacket, and trousers, again in any length from hot pant to Oxford bags. Of course, the bed jacket comes in and out of fashion and is the most complex item ranging as it does from chunky knit for northern climes to wisps of feathers for tropical nights.

In this story our heroine manages to encompass every possibility and still move through the night looking immaculate. The team preparing her has left nothing to chance with a hint of lingerie, the filigree tendrils of lace and the masculine/feminine dichotomy of nightwear well in evidence.

Boldly she strides from the building and strides into the night, and she invites us to both marvel at her wardrobe of night attire, and to wonder at her sleepwalking confidence. The story offers clues from the shrug of pink fur to the teddy bear, from the lingerie glimpsed to the pillow grabbed. I believe she’s going to a pyjama party, and the glamour is all part of the game she is playing with us. She one hundred percent aware of the powerful statement she is making, and how heads are turning. It’s fashion darling, it is not just sleepwear it is the leading lady in a drama of her own invention not some helpless sleepwalker with their eyes closed. Her eyes are fully open to the situation, and she is revelling in it.

So, smile, check out the pieces and wonder at the story of bedtime dressing. How quickly it can switch from the sexy nonchalance of Jean Harlow in the 1930’s to the masculine inspirations of today in the blink of an eye. There are no sleepless nights here, it’s simply dreamy loveliness.