Joanna has been packing her nightie:

When I was packing to go on writing retreat — yippee! 😉 — I started thinking about what nightwear people wore in earlier times. Nowadays, lots of folk sleep naked. But then, most of us have central heating. In earlier centuries, bedrooms might be really cold, though I imagine the curtains round a four-poster bed would have helped.

Research rabbit hole beckons…

“Nightgown” 1780-1820 © V&A Museum, London

Intrigued, I did a quick search for “nightgown” in the V&A’s collection and the results surprised me. Many of the images were of what modern folk would call “dressing gowns”.

For men.

Like this one, dating from 1780-1820. It looks like daywear, doesn’t it? And, in fact, it sort of is, though it’s more complex than you’d think, from the picture.

This is what the V&A says about it:

“This nightgown is an example of one type of informal clothing worn by men in the 18th century. Nightgowns were worn over shirt and breeches, in the privacy of home before noon or late at night. They first appear in the male wardrobe in the mid-17th century, inspired by the kimonos given by the Japanese shoguns to the directors of the Dutch East India Company. … This example looks like a nightgown and waistcoat but it is one garment, with the waistcoat fronts stitched to the side seams of the gown. The waistcoat skirts recall the styles of the 1770s, while the high collar and revers (lapels) of the gown are in keeping with coat fashions of the early 19th century.” Continue reading →