with General Dwight Eisenhower (left)
and General Sir Henry Maitland-Wilson (right)
in Tunisia on Christmas Day 1943.
As winter is approaching, and the temperature is inevitably dropping, we are going to need new coats, scarves and gloves or, if not, those put away last year are coming out of our closets.
But in private, is it the same for pajamas? If there is nothing more enviable in theory than dreaming yourself sleeping soundly in a fleece two-piece, in practice, the use of pajamas seems much more random...and that's a mistake!
And you, what outfit did you choose to sleep in?
Underwear, pajamas, nightgown??? ? This question seems as universal as the famous "briefs or boxers shorts?" …
Suffering from an “old fashion” image, not to say outdated, nowadays, pajamas are no longer always popular with men. However, this outfit does not only have detractors. A recent American study (carried out in 2004 by ABC News) showed that a man who sleeps in his pajamas is generally not very easily influenced. More interesting for his companion, the pajamas are most often worn by a hard-working man who loves travelling...and faithful. It is therefore the ideal gift for married men. Ladies, now you know what to get your husbands
It should also be noted that since the beginning of the 21st century, pajamas are no longer what “Love killer” that we may have in mind. It is no coincidence that brands like Hermès, Dior or la maison Degand regularly offer men's pajamas in their collections.
For men who are not used to sleeping naked, pajamas bring a certain comfort. In addition, it is very cosy in autumn and winter when the temperatures begin to drop. If you're in a relationship, you can always count on your partner to keep you warm, but single people or chilly men will definitely need pajamas!
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in luxury loungewear as people look for a way to spend their lockdowns in something more exciting than tracksuits or t-shirts and shorts.
But first of all, why is it called pyjamas, and where did the word pajama come from?
As often in the great classics of the male wardrobe, everything starts again and again in England. The classic dressing gown as we know it today has its origins in the 17th century, when the British East India Company began importing "banyan" from India. These long, loose garments – usually made of plush fabrics like silk or cashmere – totally at the opposite with the fitted suits and tight ties that fashionable men wore at the time in Europe, and they were widely adopted as household loungewear. The word pajamas therefore comes from the Hindi word "pae jama" or "pai jama" which means leg garment or leg dress, and the use of the word dates back to the Ottoman Empire (14th century). As a result, the word "pajamas" was eventually adopted by the English language.
Like the famous English dandy Beau Brummell, early 19th century menswear became darker, simpler and more understated. This made extravagantly colored dressing gowns all the more irresistible, and no expense was spared in lining them and trimming them with elaborate silk braids, frogs and quilted lapels. And of course, this new outfit was completed with a beautiful velvet Albert slippers.
Loungewear has always been adjacent to evening wear, and when evening tails began to be informal in the second half of the 19th century with the introduction of the shorter tuxedo, the woolen or velvet tuxedo jacket came into its own. also appeared as a reduced version of the dressing room. dress. There were particularly popular clothes for gentlemen to keep in their clubs to socialize with their classy peers.
Pajamas as we know them today were first brought to Europe from India at this time by British merchants, where similar lightweight cotton two-piece garments had been worn since ancient times. Extremely comfortable compared to what Europeans wore, matching two-piece “pajamas” were gradually adopted in Europe then in America as nightwear.
During the first decades of the 20th century, dressing gowns, tuxedo jackets, slippers and pajamas all became more popular as the middle class began to have their own hobbies and appropriated the signs clothing of aristocratic life. The First World War, among other things, challenged social classes and upset dress codes, bringing the style of the upper class and the middle class even closer. Classic loungewear reached its peak in the 1930s, when Hollywood escapist films brought high-class style to the masses and gave many people their first glimpse of how the other half lived and dressed behind closed doors.
After World War II, with the help of marketing taking its first steps, loungewear was strongly recommended to a rapidly growing demographic: good fathers.
Where the iconic image of the Victorian dressing gown wearer was older and prosperous, and the interwar wearer was young and "party-loving", the post-war dressing gown was all about making appeal to the healthy comfort and gentle authority of this “dear old daddy”.
The men went to work in strict suits & ties and thick leather shoes, and in the evening, they could change and finally wear comfortable clothes and slippers, and go from “hard worker” to “good family man”.
The cut of dressing gowns and other leisure wear as we know them today has not fundamentally changed much from their Victorian predecessor, but the fabrics from which they are made have changed with fashion over the years decades: space-age highly flammable synthetic silks in the 60s, smelly double-knit polyester in the 70s and, more durably, fluffy terry cloth in the 80s.
Different types of Modern Sleepwear
Pyjamas
The traditional two piece garments consist of a shirt/top and trousers/pants that many people wear today. They come in all different colors materials, patterns and fabrics. Many women use their partners' oversized pajama jackets as sleepwear.
Nightshirt
It is a nightwear generally made in a light and flexible fabric which is generally put on over the head and worn next to the skin.
Nightshirt-style clothes for sleeping are a comfortable choice for bedtime. They look like your everyday shirts, but they're longer and more comfortable.
Whether you need sleepwear to keep you warm in winter or, on the contrary, lighter and airier outfits for summer, you will find sleepwear at la maison Degand to meet all your needs.
