By Layla L’Obatti
Fashion is driven by the ebbs and flows of color, silhouette, and fabrication – the components that drive visual style. Perhaps a less obvious and equally as valuable indicator of shifting trends is the terminology describing merchandise. Something to ponder when perusing linesheets and websites is the diction used to describe the same style in two different places is very indicative of the trend and target market. Have you seen the same style referred to as a babydoll or chemise? It got me thinking of a style I had seen in the archives of FIT’s museum, and occasionally in the collections of sleepwear brands geared toward a more mature audience.
The bed jacket, a style that has fallen out of favor and that is now on the rise, with deep roots in the 1920’s and late 1800’s that I believe we will see reinterpreted a full century later. The bed jacket is generally worn with a coordinating sleep gown or chemise (much like a sweater/cardigan set but for the bedroom). What’s funny is that you would think of a style described as a jacket having some warming qualities, perhaps serving to keep you warm above the covers? The opposite is the case in fact, with most bed jackets reflecting a purely aesthetic purpose. These little cropped sleeve waist length coats were typically wisps of silk or cotton silk, with loads of detailed lace appliqué or embroidery. They were a truncated version of a bed coat or robe, with an incredible amount of detail in a relatively small amount of real estate.
Why might this petite powerhouse make a comeback? Because today we are looking for versatile garments, and styles that were once worn solely in the bedroom are crossing over into outerwear with the common statement “too pretty to wear just in the boudoir” there is already an revival and rejuvenation of this style going on.
Look at these bed jackets, innerwear and crossover outerwear from Free People
or Toad Lillie’s sensual take on a vintage bedjacket
And perhaps we will see cropped versions of popular track suit jackets, lounge jackets, and cropped sleep tops come back in vogue – no doubt with retailers and designers always seeking new ways to refresh product assortment, the bed jacket will be reinterpreted for a new generation of women on the go; women who spend more time on their iphones and blackberries than lounging or housekeeping such as the women of the previous century.
