Women's Nightwear

How to choose between a nightdress and pyjamas

This is the decision most people are actually making, and it comes down to how you sleep rather than how it looks.

A nightdress has nothing to twist around your legs and nothing to ride up separately. It's cooler in a warm bedroom, easier to get into when you're tired, and simpler to wash. The downside is coverage: if you get up in the night, share a house with adult children, or take the bins out at eleven, you'll want a robe within reach.

A two-piece set is the practical choice for anyone who's up and down in the night, staying with family, or wanting something they can answer the door in. See women's pyjamas for the full range.

A nightdress with a matching robe covers both, and several sets here are sold that way.

How to choose the fabric

British bedrooms swing a long way between February and July, and fabric matters more than print.

• Satin feels cool on the skin and drapes rather than clings. The right choice for hot sleepers, summer nights and anyone going through perimenopause. It shows every seam if you buy it tight, so err generous.
• Ice silk and silk-look fabrics behave like satin at a lower price, smooth, light, quick to dry.
• Cotton and modal breathe properly and survive a tumble dryer. The year-round default, and the easiest to care for.
• Lace trim is a detail, not a fabric. Check what the body of the garment is made from before you decide how warm it'll be.

How to get the fit right

Nightwear is worn loose, so the rule is different from daywear: if you're between sizes, go up. This is doubly true in satin, which has no give and shows every line when pulled tight, and in non-stretch cotton.

Measurements are listed on every product page in UK sizing. If you're buying as a gift and don't know the size, a robe or a loose nightdress is far more forgiving than a fitted two-piece.

How to shop for a hot sleeper

If you overheat at night, the usual advice, natural fibres only, is incomplete. What matters is weight and airflow together:

• Choose a short or sleeveless style over a long-sleeve one, whatever the fabric
• Satin and ice silk feel cool on contact, which is why they suit hot sleepers despite being synthetic
• Avoid fleece and heavy brushed cotton, which trap warmth by design
• A split-thigh or A-line cut moves air better than a fitted one

How to shop for maternity and nursing

Nursing nightdresses have discreet openings at the bust so you can feed without undressing, worth having two, because you'll be washing one most days. Buy them late in pregnancy rather than early: you want them to fit the body you'll have in the first weeks after birth, not the one you have at seven months. Look for front access, a length that works when you're sitting up in bed, and fabric that survives a hot wash.

How to care for satin and lace

Most disappointment with satin nightwear comes from the wash, not the wear.

• Wash cool, inside out, on a gentle or delicates cycle. Heat is what dulls satin's finish.
• Use a mesh bag for anything with lace trim, lace catches on zips and hooks and pulls.
• Skip the fabric conditioner. It builds up on synthetic satin and leaves it feeling greasy rather than smooth.
• Hang to dry. A tumble dryer will shrink cotton and can permanently crease satin.
• Iron on the coolest setting, inside out, if at all. Most satin nightwear doesn't need it.

How to build a small nightwear rotation

Three pieces cover most of the year without a wardrobe full of sleepwear you never wear:

• One lightweight nightdress for summer and warm rooms
• One cotton set for the rest of the year and for when you have people staying
• One robe to make either of them presentable at breakfast

Add a festive set in December and the rotation is complete. Buying this way tends to cost less than buying one piece at a time whenever something wears out.