At 62, I was in every Christmas morning photo in my husband's old T-shirt
At 62, I was in every Christmas morning photo in my husband's old T-shirt
Six things these pyjamas get right that forty years of old T-shirts never did, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read
Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember the grandchildren arrive early, the presents come out, and somebody takes a hundred photos on their phone. Last January my daughter made a little album of them. I went through it page by page, and there I was in every single one, in a faded grey T-shirt of Derek's with a bleach mark on the front and a pair of jogging bottoms that had seen better days.
I am not vain, but I did think: I would not dress like that for anything else I cared about. So this year I have done something about it before December, and what I found is from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
No more old T-shirts. Read on.
Here is how it happens, and I suspect it happens to a lot of us. We buy nice things for going out, for weddings, for church, and the clothes we sleep in are whatever is left over. A T-shirt that shrank, a nightie from a multipack, bottoms that do not match the top. Nobody sees them, we tell ourselves. Then it is Christmas morning, the house is full and the cameras are out.
I did not need to dress up on Christmas morning. I needed pyjamas I would be happy to be photographed in.
They are called the Mavis, a two-piece set with a button-down shirt and long trousers, in a slate blue covered in orange and red flowers. I have worn them most nights since they came, and it comes down to six things.
The afternoon they came. Prettier than they looked on my phone.
A proper matching set
The shirt and the trousers are the same print, so for the first time in years my top and my bottoms actually go together. It sounds like nothing. It is not nothing. When I come downstairs in the morning I look like a woman in her pyjamas, not a woman in whatever was nearest.
Bought these after seeing myself in last year's Christmas photos. Never again in an old T-shirt.
Brenda H., ArnoldA soft crinkle fabric
The fabric has a soft crinkle to it, light and airy, and it feels gentle on the skin from bedtime right through to breakfast. The boutique describes it as soft, light and breathable, and I would agree with every word. Nothing scratchy and nothing clingy, just soft.
The first cup of tea of the day, before anybody else is up.
So soft and light. I love the crinkly texture, it feels lovely on.
Maureen T., BeestonA shirt with a collar, buttons and a pocket
The top is a proper button-down shirt with a soft collar, long sleeves and a little pocket on the chest. It buttons up the front, so there is nothing to pull over my head first thing, and with the collar lying flat it looks neat enough to open the door to the postman.
On the wardrobe door. They look too nice to be pyjamas.
Classic style with a proper collar. Exactly what I wanted, nothing childish about them.
Jean W., MapperleyThe little orange piping
Thin orange piping runs round the collar, down the front, along the top of the pocket and round both cuffs. It picks out the orange in the flowers and it is the detail that makes them look like they came from a nice shop rather than a supermarket shelf. My daughter noticed it before she noticed anything else.
The piping, the pocket and the little wooden buttons, up close.
The piping is such a pretty finish. They look far more expensive than they were.
Sheila P., CarltonTrousers with a soft elastic waist
The trousers are long and relaxed with a soft elasticated waist that moves with you all night. Nothing to tie, nothing to dig in, and they stay put when I am up and down the stairs with the washing basket or on the floor with the grandchildren and the train set.
Comfortable waist and a nice length on me. Would buy another print.
Linda C., West BridgfordTen prints, and a lovely present
There are ten prints in the collection, all the same price, from a plain blush pink and a coral daisy to rust leaves, a red medallion and a little charcoal bunny one I very nearly bought instead. I went back for a second set for my sister for Christmas. The sizes go from UK 10 to UK 18.
Bought two sets as Christmas presents for my mum and my aunt. Beautifully made.
Karen D., HucknallThis, against my old T-shirt
Most of us have a drawer of things we sleep in that we would never let anybody see. I know, because I had one. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
His old T-shirt
Bottoms that did not match
Faded and out of shape
Hidden in every photo
Nothing I would give as a present
A proper matching set
Soft, light crinkle fabric
Collar, buttons and pocket
Happy in every photo
Ten prints, lovely as a gift
About the price
The Mavis is £39.95 at the moment, for the shirt and the trousers. It was £80.00. Every print in the collection is the same price.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that with Christmas coming these are going quickly, and once a print and size have sold through it can be a long wait for them to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that I have spent more than that on a dress I have worn twice, and I wear these every single night.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
If you are still sleeping in something you would hide from the camera, I would start here. Not because anybody is judging you on Christmas morning, but because you deserve to look at those photos in January and like what you see. Go and have a look while your size is still there.
Caroline
The Pyjama Set Collection
- Ten prints, each a matching two-piece set
- Mavis: orange and red flowers on slate blue
- Soft, light crinkle fabric
- Button-down shirt with collar, chest pocket and piping
- Long trousers with a soft elasticated waist
- UK 10 to UK 18, free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The sale is on now. Every print is the same £39.95.