Best Pajamas for Women: Five Fabrics Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Dear Friends, LAKE was founded in Savannah, Georgia in 2014 by two longtime friends, Cassandra Cannon and Anne Read Lattimore, who were on the hunt for classic pajamas that were both stylish and comfortable and simply could not find them. Cannon later put the gap neatly: what existed was either menswear button-down poplin or something lingerie-inspired, and they were craving something in the middle. I think that is still the best brief for the best pajamas for women.

 

So what can we take from it. Mostly that the word itself started somewhere much more practical than a bedroom. Pajamas come from the Persian and Urdu words for leg and garment, and they began as loose trousers tied at the waist, worn by both sexes in South Asia and the Middle East (not as sleepwear at all). Below are modern options in five fabrics.

 

Silk comes first, and it earns its place. The Sleep Foundation calls it lightweight, breathable and moisture-wicking, which is why so many hot sleepers prefer it. I would look at the Eberjey Inez in ivory with champagne piping if you want the classic notch of a pajama set, or the Lunya set in deep blue for a slim tapered leg with side seam pockets. The Petite Plume navy Bengal stripe is the one I would hand to a friend who says she does not like silk, because stripes make it feel like a real pajama set. The Petite Plume Celine in black is cropped with wide-leg trousers, and the Olivia von Halle Lila in Cadiz or the Natori Aurelia in chartreuse suit a late breakfast.

 

Picture her on a slow Sunday in October, hair up, coffee in hand, still in the black stretch satin set from In Bloom by Jonquil, or the emerald one from Midnight Bakery. My tip: hold the fabric against the inside of your wrist, since it should feel cool and move easily.

LAKE's own co-founder says the piping and the stripes are what caught attention in the beginning, and I believe it. Poplin is where that logic is easiest to see: a crisp cotton, a collar, a contrast line down the placket, and you are done. It is also the closest cousin to the pajama's origins as plain cotton or silk trousers, with a button-down shirt added on top.

 

The two LAKE Poplin Piped Long-Long sets are the clearest examples. One is English navy with a white floral Winter Iris print, the other a garnet and white Riviera stripe, and both have a collar, bracelet-length sleeves and patch pockets. The Petite Plume Parlor Stripe is navy on white in 100% cotton poplin, and the Celine in navy swaps the classic top for a slightly cropped one with airy wide-leg pants. For a lighter hand, the mint and white striped BedHead PJs set has piping and comes with boyshorts, and the Polo Ralph Lauren in violet stripe has piping, an embroidered pony and wide-leg pants. I would also look at the green and white wide-striped notch-collar set, and the PJ Salvage Afterparty in Dream Blue, which comes with shorts and a pink print for warmer rooms.

 

(A small aside: the Sleep Foundation notes that cotton tends to be quite breathable, so poplin is the one I would pick if your bedroom runs warm.)

 

What I would skip: a poplin set that feels stiff at the cuff. Check the buttons, the collar stand and the piping seam in the fitting room before you commit.

Eberjey was founded in 1996 in Miami by Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito, and its flagship is the Gisele TENCEL Modal pajama set. Mejia came from Wall Street and advertising, and the brand started as a side project of sewing samples with a local patternmaker. I like that origin, because modal sets still feel like they were designed by someone who wanted to wear them.

 

The Gisele Long PJ Set in chocolate and ivory is a modal jersey with a touch of elastane and ivory piping. The Eberjey brand also holds OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, which is worth a glance on the label. Over at LAKE, the DreamModal Reverie in burgundy has a subtle rib and contrast piping, while the Kimono set in Fog has a wrap top with a deep V, a wide band and fitted bell sleeves over wide pants. The two SKIMS sets in onyx, the ribbed Soft Lounge and the long-sleeve button-front, are the plain black options, and the Lunya Organic Pima set in deep blue has cropped wide sleeves with ankle pants. Natori's Shangri-La in black has lace trim, and the Lauren Ralph Lauren cream print is a cotton-blend knit with a notch collar. I went deeper on a related idea in Halloween Pajamas for Women: Pumpkins, Skeletons, Black Satin and Feather-Trim Sets.

 

My test: pull the fabric gently at the knee and the elbow. Good jersey comes back; tired jersey stays baggy.

 

What I would skip: a ribbed set if you run cold, since ribs can feel thin on a drafty night.

From about 1870, pyjamas began replacing the traditional nightdress in England and Europe as male sleep attire, which means a nightshirt is the fashion's older cousin and not a compromise. For women the idea is simple: one garment, no waistband, a hem that stops where you decide. That is why I like it as a way into the category.

 

The Eberjey Gisele Sleepshirt is ivory modal with navy tuxedo piping and a chest pocket, and the Inez Washable Silk Sleepshirt in black has champagne piping. Lunya makes two washable silk sleep shirt dresses, in deep blue and in Morning Wisteria lilac, both with contrast piping, a back pleat and silk covered buttons. Lunya was founded in Los Angeles in 2014 by Ashley Merrill after she became a new mother and found sleepwear frumpy or impractical, and the shirt dresses are the ones I would wear to the kitchen at 7am. On the cotton side, the Petite Plume Navy French Ticking nightshirt is pima cotton, and the St. James Tartan one in brushed twill is roomy and red and green. The two Lauren Ralph Lauren options are the blue striped button-front sleepshirt and the white cotton one with a curved hem.

 

Check the length when you sit down, and the placket when you reach up.

 

What I would skip: a nightshirt in a slick fabric if you toss in your sleep, because it will wander.

The Sleep Foundation puts it plainly: cotton tends to be quite breathable, while flannel and fleece are heavy and highly insulating. That is the whole argument for flannel. Late Victorian pyjama suits were usually a shirt and matching loose trousers in a soft material such as flannel, and they only became widely adopted women's sleepwear around World War Two, when women in trousers were a familiar sight.

 

The LAKE Flannel Piped Pants Set comes in two windowpane versions: Fig in plum purple with periwinkle lines, and Dark Sea in dark emerald with citron lines. Petite Plume's Hunter Green flannel has white piping and logo buttons and is 100% cotton twill flannel, while the Windsor Tartan is deep blue with ribbons of red and emerald green in brushed cotton. Petite Plume debuted in 2015 with chemical-free children's pajamas and a founder who left the CIA, and the adult sets carry that same classic cut. The Eberjey Oxford Checker is red and burgundy, and the Lauren Ralph Lauren Cream Plaid is brushed twill with a notch collar. Printfresh brings a vintage holiday print in cotton flannel, and the PJ Salvage in Dark Coral is a novelty print.

 

Picture her in a cold October kitchen, the heat not yet on, in the Windsor tartan. Check the nap after one wash, and the cuffs for pilling.

 

What I would skip: flannel if your room is warm, or if you share a bed with a hot sleeper.

I would choose by the room, not by the print. Warm room, poplin or silk. Cold room, flannel. Everything in between, modal or a nightshirt you can pull on without thinking.

 

Then check the details LAKE built a brand on: the piping, the buttons, the cut of the leg. A good set should feel like clothing, not costume, and it should still look right when you answer the door for a delivery.

 

Two friends in Savannah could not find classic pajamas they liked, so they made their own. Take that as permission to be picky.

 

With love, and soft sleeves,