Go to bed at the same time every day. Avoid caffeine after 2pm. Create a screen-free zone…. Hardly a day goes by without a tip to get a better night’s sleep. For me, nothing is more blissful than nodding off wrapped up in a 13-tog duvet, cat purring at my feet. But there’s something essential that isn’t often mentioned in the 40 winks discourse: the sleeping T-shirt.

What we sleep in is arguably the second most intimate category of fashion, after underwear. There are many options available, from negligees to statement pyjamas to nighties that have an instant ability to make me feel about six years old. Some of us – Marilyn, I’m looking at you – choose nothing at all, of course. For me, a T-shirt works because it’s an item of clothing that runs throughout my style.

I have many T-shirts. Neon ones for can’t-miss-me days. Plain ones to go underneath loud knitwear. Sacred vintage band T-shirts worn only on special occasions. But the sleeping T-shirts are different. They’re largely the ones only seen by my bed, my partner and me. Chosen for their softness and shape (not too tight, not too roomy), they need to spark a sense of wellbeing, of memories of good times, to be reassuring.

There’s a vintage one that I bought on holiday with two of my best friends – it still makes me think of collapsing in giggles in a San Francisco thrift store. An old – much-worn – Beyoncé tour T-shirt has transitioned into a sleeping T-shirt, still imbued with the wonder of what it witnessed back in 2016. Another vintage favourite reads ‘Happiness is a healthy pet’ – combined with a picture of a puppy to make any animal lover, such as me, go a bit gooey – it’s just the thing to pull on for those eight hours of slumber.

Of course, everyone will have their sleeping T-shirt of choice – it’s as personal a decision as which face cream we use or the image you have on your phone’s lock screen. But should you decide to embrace this supreme clothing item, I advise comfort – 100% cotton, short-sleeves, round neck – and above all, something that makes you smile when you pull it on. Sleep well.

Lauren Cochrane is senior fashion writer at The Guardian and author of The Ten

An Ode To The Humble Sleeping T-Shirt

By Lauren Cochrane

Mar 28, 2024

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