Possibly one of the most luxurious vintage items is the sheer negligee, also known as a peignoir. During the 1950s and 60s they became an increasingly popular item to dress over lingerie or nightwear. Although they were originally created during the 1800’s, in the mid-20th century they became shorter and, in some cases, sheerer in response to the changing fashions.  These days they still make a really good mid-dressing item, perfect for putting on over your most comfortable lingerie on a Sunday morning and making a tasty brunch. They also work stunningly in a pin-up style photo-shoot, and since they are so easy and fast to make, it doesn’t take long to make one to match any or all of your lingerie sets. Also the pattern pieces can be lengthened to make different items, which make it an incredibly versatile garment to be able to create.

 

Light Blue Negligee

 

Length from neckline: 36" + 1" ruffle
Back width: 34"
Neckline piece width: 4" at back, 3" at front not including ruffle
Neckline - lace: 1?"       
Ribbon: ?"      
Middle section: 1½"
Sleeve and bottom edge lace: 1"

Details
This negligee features a particularly detailed neckline compared to the others. There are two rows of hollow satin ribbon which has cording stitched inside it in a scalloped pattern. In between these there is a double layer of the same nylon used to make the negligee, with cording between the layers in a serpentine-like pattern. On the outer edges of the ribbon there is some lace. Inside of the neckline there is a folded layer of the nylon, gathered into a ruffle. The front fastening is made of two single-sided satin ribbon ties. The top ribbon is 1’’ wide and the bottom is ½" wide. The seams are created with a three-thread overlock in a matching pale blue thread. For the hem there is lace machine-stitched to the bottom an inch from the hemline, then the excess fabric is folded up behind the lace twice and hand-stitched closed. The top half of the sleeves are gathered to the neckline, while the bottom is sewn directly.

This was made by Nagel’s Creation and listed as a size 36. It is made in New Zealand. It is hard to find much/any information on Nagel’s Creation, other than that a business with the same name is listed in New Zealand - but no other information is provided.

 

Light Pink Negligee

 

Length from neckline: 36.5"
Full width: 61"
Edging lace width: 1"?       
Sleeve lace: 2¼"

Details
This negligee is also made by Nagel’s Creations in New Zealand. The tag states it is a size 14, to fit a bust of 36". This is the most basic garment featured here. The body of it is made from a single piece and it has non-gathered sleeves. The neckline of the garment is just a same-fabric bias binding to edge the gathering; this is also used as a tie for fastening. This is made of a lower quality fabric than the other, probably because it would have been a more affordable option due to less complicated techniques and fewer pattern pieces.

 

Light Blue Bedjacket

 

Length from neckline: 20"
Back width: 24.5"
Neckline piece width: 5"
Collar and lace: 6"
Lace: 1"?

Details
The neckline of this bedjacket is very basic with a gathered collar of the same fabric which is edged with lace. The collar is attached with same colour binding, but it is a more open weave and sheer fabric. The fabric is the most opaque of all of the garments. It is also the softest due to the tighter weave of tricot. The ribbon on the front is decorative and behind it there is a pearl finish button. The buttonhole is made from a loop of the binding which edged the neckline. All seams and garment edges are finished with a three-thread overlock in a very thin white polyester thread. The tag of this garment says it was made by Hollywood Vassarette and in New Zealand. It is labelled a 36.

 

Light Pink Bedjacket

 

Length from neckline: 15"
Back width: 25"
Neckline piece width: 4½"
Collar lace width: 2"? and 3"       
Edging lace width: Unknown

Details
Unfortunately this bedjacket does not have a label on it, but the seam finishes seem to be the same as the previous one, so I believe it is also made by Hollywood Vassarette. The collar is just layers of lace straight-stitched to a double layer of the fabric, which is still fully attached to the body. The neckline is trimmed with a satin bias binding in the same colour, with extra pieces as the tie fastening. It is also fully edged in lace which makes it a very femininely styled bedjacket. This is the only one of the garments which also features lace at the top of the sleeve.

 

Making a Negligee

 

Materials

• A soft sheer or opaque fabric,
• Ribbon,
• Optional (depending on the style):
  • Bias binding,
  • Lace,
  • Other interesting trims.

 

For this example I will be using a very loose weave of nylon tricot called ‘fairy floss’. This is particularly sheer and has a very intense sheen to it, due to the lower quality of fabric. It retails for around $4 a meter here so it is a really great option to make an inexpensive negligee. You can also get higher qualities and densities of it which are softer. Chiffon is a good option for making negligees as well, as it comes in a variety of colours and qualities. Tulle works as well, as long as it is a softer one. The fabric will ideally be ‘flowy’; something you can easily, glamorously, stride around your bedroom or house in.

I actually ended up only using the wide lace as I wanted to make a very basic one, just to show the main techniques used in creating a negligee.

 

Pattern

 

Cut two separate body pieces, then one on the fold.
Cut two arm pieces on the fold.
Cut two neck pieces and another on the fold (add an extra ½" seam allowance where the folds would be on single pieces).

 

Notes

• To create the bedjacket all you have to do is shorten the body pieces to the desired length, around 15-20" as shown in the examples.
• To create a full length dressing gown lengthen both the body and sleeve pieces.
• This pattern is very basic but able to fit many sizes due to how open it is.
• For larger sizes, or for a perfect fit the things you will need to adjust will be the armhole size and shoulder width.
• For more a more gathered look all you have to do is adjust the width of the body pieces while still keeping the armhole and other dimensions the same.

 

Construction

 

For the stitching on this garment I used a two-thread rolled hem on my overlocker.
Any stitch type will work on this garment, but thinner ones such as straight, zig-zag and rolled hems will give a nicer looking finish. In the garments I have shown already in the article they tended to use overlocking for the seams and zig-zag to attach the lace or other trims.

 

Pin the collar pieces, right sides together, and stitch them together.

 

Take the body pieces and sew widely spaced gathering stitches along the neckline in one or two rows. I used a black thread for this as any contrasting thread makes it more visible, and thus easier to remove the stitches once the gathers are secured. Gather the neckline of the front pieces into 6", the back into 12" and the sleeve cap into 10". Remember to tie off the gathering threads once you have pulled it to the correct length. After the pieces are gathered they can be stitched/overlocked together to create a continuous piece, making sure not to cut the stitches holding the gathering if you use a cut-and-sew overlocker.

 

Pin the fully sewn together body and sleeve to the neck piece and sew them together.
After it is all sewn up, take out the gathering stitches - but make sure the gathers are still even.

 

I used just the wide lace for the collar, without backing. First I roll-hemmed the edges of the lace the finish them, and cut off and tied/sealed the loose threads.

 

Conclusion

I chose a very basic design for this one, as I just wanted to show the simple construction of one and leave the rest of the creativity up to you! By exhibiting my already owned garments I hope for them to serve as inspiration and show different stylistic options on authentic garments.

 

Variations

• To modernise a design I would probably bring the length up so that it hit just below the hipbone.
• To make is a babydoll style all you have to do is leave the sleeves off, or even trim the armholes with a ruffle.
• A really nice cut would also be to make the body piece into a full circle design.
• Something I really adore is mixing different fabrics of the same colour, in my later example I used a flocked tulle and velvet together. Combining matte and shiny, as well as opaque and sheer makes for really interesting and eye-catching looks.
• For a more authentic colouring use pastel colours such as blue, pink and green. Bold colours such as a deep purple or red with contrasting lace and thread can really update the look.

 

This is an example of a negligee I made for Valentine’s Day, which has not been fully completed. The fabric is heart-flocked red tulle with a red velvet collar. For the fastening I used a wide black bias binding, which I am going to replace with a black velvet ribbon at a later stage.

For the sleeves of this I took inspiration from the atomic era of the late 50s, and in particular the back fins on cars. I made two wide crescent shapes, one smaller than the other, put the smaller on top of the other and gathered them together. This gives a similar effect to the lace at the top of the sleeve on the pink bed jacket, which gives a more edgy and defined shape.

 

 

 

add