The history of nightwear

Today, ladies' nightwear is a big business, with numerous styles from which to choose. And probably some of us cannot imagine that there were times when specific nightwear did not exist. Yet specialized sleepwear is actually a fairly recent invention.

Provided here is a brief guide to ladies' nightwear from past to present.

Chemises

Chemises are the tunic-like garments worn in ancient cultures. By the Middle Ages, the chemise had developed into an early form of underwear. The long garments protected clothing from sweat and body oils. Chemises were much easier to clean than the outer garments, so it was common to have several chemises and rotate them between washings.

Chemises were also worn for sleeping. Both men and women used to take off their outer clothes and slept in chemises.

Nowadays men do not wear chemises any more but women do. There is a great variety of choices. They are short, light and of course sexy!

Negligees

Negligees are considered to be the first widely distributed item of ladies' nightwear. The first negligee was introduced in France in the 1700s. It was long and heavy, as were the gowns of the era.
In the 1920s they began to mirror the short satin evening dresses that were popular at that time. But only after World War II negligees were specifically designed as sexy underwear.

Women of our time like negligees a lot for their practicality and style.

Nightshirts/Nightgowns

Nightgowns and nightshirts have developed from the chemise style at the beginning of the 20th century. They are generally simple, plain shirts of different lengths.

Nightgowns vary widely in design.

In modern times, the line between negligees and nightshirts has almost been blurred. Nightgowns are mostly longer and heavier, made of cotton or flannel. Negligees are shorter and sexier, made of such fabrics like silk or satin.

Pyjamas

Pyjamas can be traced back to the 17th century in South and West Asia. By the 18th century, British missionaries had chosen this style as nightwear for men. However, pyjamas became a popular form of sleepwear for females in Western society much later, in the mid-1980s.

Now, pyjamas are available for women in a great variety of styles and colours. They are very comfortable and many ladies all over the world prefer wearing them.

The pajama style is a classic one, but there are sexy pajamas out there as well.

Lingerie Styles

Today, nearly anything can be worn as ladies' nightwear. However, many women love silk lingerie styles for their luxurious sex appeal and because they are soft, flowing and lightweight.

You can find nightwear versions of all sorts of sexy lingerie items. For instance, babydolls.

Babydolls

Babydolls are said to have been popularized by the 1956 movie Baby Doll starring Carroll Baker in the title role, which essentially marked the beginning of the enduring popularity of the style for adults.

Modern babydolls often vary considerably from the styles of the 1960s and 1970s. Babydolls from the 1950s to the early 1980s are now collectible vintage items.

The baby doll lingerie category has become very popular and the items of this style are now available in a sufficiently wide variety.

They can be translucent or even transparent that makes them look very sexy indeed.

Besides all the types of nightwear mentioned above you can probably find other clothing items to wear for sleep.

Many women like wearing a short Tee with nice panties or their boyfriends' boxers, everything depends on the taste