When I graduated from an infant to the junior department at primary school, I started to have the classic recurring nightmare that’s a familiar childhood trope: I would turn up to school, only to realise I was still wearing my pyjamas and thus became the object of ridicule forevermore. Back then, my pyjamas possibly featured a teddy bear motif or some similarly whimsical character, and, I can thankfully say, my nightmare never extended into reality. It was to my own great surprise, then, when I started voluntarily wearing my pyjamas to work recently. Surprisingly, I haven’t had a breakdown – I’ve just jumped on the bandwagon filled with people who are appropriating nightie-style dresses as chic summer outfits.
As with most major fashion movements, this can, at least in part, be tracked back to the catwalk. Chloé sent loose-fitting dresses wafting down its runway for spring/summer 2025, trimmed with lace and paired with platform sandals and layered necklaces. Collina Strada’s dresses were of the silky variety, as was Dries Van Noten’s delicate slip. Miu Miu, meanwhile, paired a sheer cotton dress with long socks and loafers. The message was clear: don’t save your best nightdress for bedtime.
Unlike a lot of catwalk trends, this one has boiled over into ‘normal’ wardrobes, with nighties proving to be summer 2025’s most ubiquitous dresses. On social media, lots of women are wearing styles by If Only If, the British label established by Issy Falkner in 2011, which was then taken over and re-branded by her daughter Emily Campbell in 2020. Since then, the independent label has become a hit with its glorious nightdresses in beautiful cottons and silks; what began as a small range of styles has blossomed into a full collection of dresses, many of which are being worn by day. ‘Our customers are wearing them out more – we are really noticing this on social media in all the pictures we are tagged in,’ says Campbell. ‘They are out on the beach and in the street. I really took inspiration from them because, even though I design for bed, I was asked so many times by customers to make a nude slip so that it made the pieces more versatile to wear outside. The nude slip is now bought in tandem with most of my dresses by our customers.’
One such customer is Emily Cronin, a fashion journalist who has spent a lot of summer in If Only If’s chocolate gingham mini. ‘‘There’s something about the gauzy layers of a nightie that just speaks of summer to me,’ she says. ‘If it’s light and comfortable enough to wear to sleep during a heatwave then it’s compatible with daytime wear as well. It feels a little bit pleasingly unexpected.’ Cronin says she’s been wearing it with brown leather sandals and a printed scarf in her hair, although this isn’t her only nightie-style dress. ‘I also have a vintage French linen nightie that I got in a market in the South of France last year – I love to wear that with a black bra and black big knickers because it actually takes this item that appears very pure and subverts it, making it a little bit cooler.’
For my part, I’ve been wearing this delicious yellow midi on every hot day when London feels too sticky for sartorial conundrums. I wear a nude slip underneath and pair it with my favourite ballet flats or these Zara sandals and I can confirm that Cronin is exactly right: given that these breezy dresses can aid sleep in a heatwave, they’re perfect for insufferable commutes on a packed airless train.
Many other brands are currently seeing huge success with these sorts of dresses, too. WNU, the label renowned for excellent shirts, has a simple linen dress available in black, red or white, which has already sold out in some sizes. Free People, meanwhile, has countless options like this shift-style mini with a smocked neckline, which would look fab with some ankle socks and loafers to give it a masculine edge. Elsewhere, some of Rixo’s best-selling dresses are inspired by vintage nightwear
Of course, this phenomenon isn’t exactly new; women have been gravitating towards nightgown-adjacent dresses for some time now. You may recall the ‘Nap Dress’ – the brainchild of Hill House Home which became particularly popular during lockdownthanks to its easy comfort that’s infinitely more glamorous than, say, sweatpants – which is still a best-seller. Sleeper, the Ukrainian label based in New York, also made a name for itself with nighties which became some of Instagram’s most popular dresses; it has gone from a relatively unknown sleepwear brand to a firm celebrity favourite with a large collection of ready-to-wear. Perhaps it’s based on comfort – after all, there are few items of clothing more comfortable than a nightdress – or, on a deeper level, perhaps it’s something to do with women eschewing the male gaze; these dresses are mostly oversized, somewhat shapeless creations designed with the wearer in mind. Campbell has her own theory as to why so many women are wearing her dresses out and about: ‘Women are inherently practical beings; we want to buy things that are both comfortable and versatile, and there is nothing more versatile than buying a nightdress now. I will always design for the comfort of bed, but the fact our customers are increasingly wearing them out is a joy.’
We’ve been enjoying an uncharacteristically hot spring and summer this year, so I’m not surprised more women have cottoned onto the brilliance of a nightdress. I, for one, am relieved to see that sunny yellow linen when I open my wardrobe in 32-degree heat, when few other clothes feel like an appealing prospect. Therein, possibly, lies the secret: women just want to wear clothes that make us feel great. It’s as simple as that.