Nightgown
Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A nightgown, also called a nightdress, is a loosely hanging item of nightwear nowadays solely for women. Its length may vary from hip-length, the babydoll, to floor-length, the peignoir end of the range, and it is usually made in soft fabrics chosen for comfort in bed. Nightgowns descend from the loose shirts that everyone once slept in, before pyjamas separated men's and women's nightwear. This page explains the nightgown's styles, fabrics and place in the nightwear family, in plain product terms.
Nightgown (also called a nightdress) is a loosely hanging item of nightwear nowadays solely for women. Its length may vary from hip-length (babydoll) to floor-length (peignoir) but is typically knee-length. A nightgown is manufactured of e.g. cotton, silk, satin, or nylon. It may be decorated with lace appliqu's or embroidery at cups and hem. Optionally, panties (UK - knickers) are worn under the nightgown (nightdress).
A short nightgown is often called nightie.
See also dressing gown and pyjamas.
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The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nightgown). 1/4/06 |
Styles Across a Simple Garment
The nightgown's range is created by length, fabric and bodice rather than by structure. At the short end, the babydoll is a brief, usually empire-line gown; the standard nightdress falls to the knee or calf with short, capped or long sleeves; and long gowns reach the floor, the grandest of them classed with the peignoir. Bodices may be gathered into a yoke, smocked, buttoned for nursing, or cut plain, and the skirt is left loose since nothing about the garment is meant to fit closely. Warmth grades the fabrics: brushed cotton and flannel for winter, lawn and voile for summer, with silk and satin as the luxury options that appear again in the negligee.
Historically, the nightgown and the nightshirt were close cousins: both descend from the day shirt worn to bed, and 18th- and 19th-century nightgowns were made for men as well as women. Pyjamas, arriving from Asia in the late 19th century, took over men's nightwear, and the gown became women's dress, acquiring the shaped bodice and trimmings that mark it out from a shirt. Buying considerations are practical: length against tripping on stairs, sleeve warmth, washable fabrics for everyday sets, and fastenings placed to be comfortable lying down. In the nightwear department the nightgown sits between the nightshirt's shirt cut and the negligee's decorative sheers, as the standard loose sleeping dress.
Common Questions
What is a nightgown?
A nightgown, also called a nightdress, is a loosely hanging item of nightwear, nowadays worn by women. Its length varies from hip-length babydoll styles to floor-length gowns.
What fabrics are nightgowns made from?
Nightgowns are made in cotton and cotton lawn for everyday wear, flannel for winter warmth, and silk, satin and chiffon for finer styles, often trimmed with lace or embroidery.
How does a nightgown differ from a nightshirt?
A nightgown is cut as a dress, with a shaped or gathered bodice and skirt, and is women's nightwear. A nightshirt is cut as a long shirt, historically worn by everyone and still made in shirt styling.