Beach Pyjamas

Beach pyjamas are one of my favourite oddities of the early 1930s. They were loose, flowing trouser outfits - usually very wide-legged trousers with a matching or contrasting top, sometimes a sleeveless bodice or a short jacket - designed for wearing on the beach, on the promenade, or around a resort. They look like something between lounge pyjamas and an evening gown, and that's more or less what they were.

They grew out of the fashion for Riviera holidays in the late 1920s. As sunbathing and seaside leisure became fashionable, stylish women needed something to wear over a swimsuit that was more relaxed than a dress but still elegant, and wide trousers in light cotton, linen, silk, or rayon fitted the bill perfectly. Chanel is often credited with popularising them, along with the wealthy, trend-setting set who spent their summers on the Côte d'Azur. By the early 1930s, they had spread from the Riviera to beaches and resorts in Britain and America, and pattern companies sold versions for home sewing.

What I think makes beach pyjamas important, rather than just charming, is what they did for women's trousers. Because they were clearly leisurewear - worn in a specific, relaxed context - they let women wear trousers in public without it being read as a political statement or a masculine imitation. That opened the door for the more tailored trouser silhouette that followed, and it's part of a longer line that runs through to the 1940s slacks. The prints are often wonderful too - bold stripes, nautical motifs, and big Art Deco geometrics.