The in-your-thirties clock is tick-tick-ticking ever closer. And I, for one, am not quite ready for it. (She says as hides under her duvet, shirking all responsibility, with a cup of tea and a YA fantasy book in hand. Ah, sweet youth). However, as much as I may have the sense of humour of a child (sneezes are hilarious, people), and I secretly wish I could still watch cartoons after school (#noshame), there is one way I am ready to embrace my classy grown-up self: wearing sophisticated, elegant nightwear. My first step towards achieving this? Donning a nightdress, a beautiful one at that, from one of my favourite nightwear brands for quality, beautiful things to sleep in: Blue Marmalade.
There is just something about a modern, elegant and well-made nightdress. (No frumpy cotton moo-moos here; that will be my “I’m turning 60 and ready to embrace my ‘true self’ blog post. Already excited about it.) Ever since I saw Marion Cotillard sauntering towards Brad Pitt in Allied on that Casablancan rooftop, all curves and sass, in these drapes-in-all-the-right-places silk nightgowns, I have essentially imagined that is what “Classy women who got their sh*t together” looks like. And boy, have I wanted in.
And apparently, I’m not alone in this “What Am I Wearing To Bed Holy God I’m Thirty-Plus” existential crisis. As I sit writing this post, I pipe up this very topic to my friend and fellow worker, Alexa.
She looks at me in mild despair. “Eire, I can’t even tell you. Sometimes I look at myself and think, ‘How old are you?’ I still have pyjama trousers with cows on them.
“Another example. My friend’s toddler daughter always wears a little satin nightgown to bed, and she looks adorable. I ask myself: ‘How does this three-year-old have more elegant nightwear than I do?'”
It’s a good question, Alexa. Sometime between being a child wannabe-princess and becoming a fully fledged bill-paying adult, we’ve lost our nightwear way. I’ve attempted in the past to get over my pyjama rut and find quality sleepwear; I even wrote a whole blog post about it.
But, with my pyjama drawer still in a literal tangle, full of university tees, discoloured vests and a questionable pair of vegemite sleep trousers, I haven’t progressed very far.
Enter in: London-based luxury sleepwear brand Blue Marmalade, whose emphasis on fabric quality makes them a cut above the rest. Or as they describe it: “We choose natural fibres that feel delicious against your skin. Delicate micro modals. Soft viscose and Lycocel. Rich cotton silk. Beautiful to wear. Blissful to sleep in.“
My morning routine: coffee, social & getting dressed. Minus always looking this put together.
As you all will know, I talk a lot about moving away from fast fashion to live a life of ‘quality over quantity.’ Fewer items of a higher calibre, especially when it comes to fashion. I’m not quite veering into minimalism just yet, but it’s a similar mindset of spending more on less.
Combine this search for quality with my quest to grow up a bit with my nightwear, and you have this Blue Marmalade nightdress. I felt too daunted to go straight for a silk nightdress number (like this Coco Slip Dress — a regular Marion Cotillard, if you’re already in Classy Stage). Baby steps, please. I’ve only just said goodbye to my thrift-store tee with the holes in it.
If you’re, like me, a bit shy when it comes to upgrading your regular nightwear to something more elegant, I can’t recommend the Lauren Long Nightdress highly enough. It’s made of a slightly thicker modal cotton that, quite literally, feels “delicious” on the skin.” Like literally, you will probably see me wearing this all day on my ‘working from home’ days. Possibly even out to dinner. Don’t Judge.
Even better: cotton is more forgiving than silk, helping to minimise all those lumps-and-bumps (yep, I got ’em, too). The stripes on mine help to elongate short frames like me, but it also comes in a plain dark grey. And the way it drapes: softly, elegantly, falling to the perfect length
Best of all? The Lauren Long Nightdress — among other beautiful nightwear pieces — is currently on sale. Quality nightwear at sale prices? Excuse me while I burst into song: “These are a few of my favourite things.”
Sigh. You can’t take the child out of the adult, after all.
Outfit Details
NIGHTDRESS: BLUE MARMALADE (C/O)*
Do you get my nightwear-existential-crisis? What do you generally wear to bed? Do you love this Blue Marmalade nightdress as much as I do?
*This product was kindly given to me to review. However, all opinions are completely my own, so rest assured that if I rave about a product, I really do love it — and want you to love it, too.