Nui Ami's Sleepwear Sirens of the Silver Screen

For many (including us at Nui Ami!), going to the cinema or devouring a series on Netflix is as much about coveting the clothes as it is about the plot or the characters.

Indeed, a character’s wardrobe often says as much about who they are as what they say or how they behave, and reinforcing the show’s themes is an important part of the costume designer’s role.

Of course, at Nui Ami we are particularly enraptured by the sleepwear and lingerie, especially when it is worn by a strong, complex, interesting female character.

Sleepwear is possibly the most intimate and most telling luxury clothing choice a woman can make, worn as it is when she is in her private space, and that is fertile territory for costume designers.

In this post we’re sharing some of our favourite sleepwear moments from the silver screen. From a 1930s courtesan to a president’s wife, what links these women is strength of character and sensational sleepwear.

Princess Margaret

The Crown, Netflix, 2016 - present

We don’t know about you, but we watched each series of The Crown in one sitting, luxuriating in the beautiful clothes and interiors, scandalous plot lines and frightfully proper accents.

Princess Margaret, always impeccably dressed (Image: Netflix)

 No one held our attention more than Vanessa Kirby as the rebellious, impetuous, passionate and exquisitely beautiful Princess Margaret, and her chic wardrobe is (for us at least) one of the stars of the show. Like us she loves lounging in her bedroom and is often seen speaking to a lover on the phone, in her gorgeous pyjamas. We can imagine her choosing our sumptuous silk Kyoto pyjamas, which look royally decadent when teamed with the Kyoto kimono robe.

Claire Underwood

House of Cards, Netflix, 2013 - present

Fast-forward a few decades to find yourself at the centre of global power: The White House, Washington DC. As we know, behind every strong man is an even stronger woman and never has this been truer than of Claire Underwood, the wife of Frank Underwood, President of the United States.

Claire, played by the pitch perfect Robin Wright, is highly intelligent, cold and calculating - indeed, she appears to be taking over her husband’s job in the next series.

Her wardrobe is as meticulous and sharp as her personality, and that includes her pyjamas, which are made from beautifully tailored silk, in an array of colours.

Replicate Claire’s immaculate look without compromising on comfort with our bestselling Paris pyjamas, made from sumptuous Italian blush silk satin, trimmed with black satin.

All the female characters

Mad Men, AMC, 2007-2015

Ah Mad Men, how we miss you. Glamour, sex, gossip, morality, high pressure and high stakes, Don Draper and co, and costumes that really captured the energy of 1960s New York: each episode was a feast for the mind and for the eyes.

Mad Men's Betty, Photo: AMC

The female characters’ nightwear often goes unsung in articles about the costumes from the series, but we loved the puffed sleeves, cute pyjama sets, ruffles, embroidery, lace, silk and beautiful colour palettes: the playfulness brings to mind Nui Ami’s silk shorts, teamed with a camisole or, for the bold, a soft lace bralette - a recent bestselling combination.

Capture the glamour and playfulness of Mad Men in this cute shorts and cami combination.

Gloria Wandrous

BUtterfield 8, MGM, 1960

In BUtterfield 8 (not a typo!), Elizabeth Taylor, in all her iconic beauty, portrays Gloria Wandrous, a feisty model and call girl whose attitude is ahead of her time.

Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8, Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Her exquisite looks hold men in her thrall, but she falls for a married man with whom she spends five days in a hotel room; cue several scenes with Gloria looking ravishing in a white slip nightie. We’re sure, if it had been available, she would have smoldered in our silk and lace Bordeaux chemise with softly supportive cups for a very flattering fit...

Smoulder like Ms Taylor in our beautiful and ultra flattering Bordeaux chemise

Shanghai Lily

Shanghai Express, Paramount Pictures, 1932

The legendary Marlene Dietrich plays Shanghai Lily, a strong-willed courtesan on an express train in China who plays her part in the downfall of a dangerous warlord. In her luxurious sleeper carriage, Lily sports an array of gorgeous nightgowns - with plenty of marabou - but our favourites are her Chinese silk kimonos which are impossibly glamorous.

Marlene Dietrich as Shangai Lily Photo: Paramount Pictures

You can channel the look with our new Kyoto Garden robe, made from luxuriant Italian silk in a gorgeous colour palette of peach, turquoise and white.

Our Kyoto Garden robe brings to mind Shanghai Lily’s kimonos in Shanghai Express

Naomi Lapaglia

The Wolf of Wall Street, Paramount Pictures, 2013

Naomi Lapaglia, portrayed by the unbelievably gorgeous Margot Robbie, is, like Claire Underwood, a strong woman married to a powerful man, albeit of a very different kind: Naomi’s husband, Jordan Belfort, is the corrupt, fraudulent New York stockbroker nicknamed ‘the wolf of Wall Street’.

Sassy, spirited and feisty, Naomi takes no bull from her husband, yelling and throwing a glass of water at him whilst looking utterly sensational in a sexy chemise. Paris chemise is made from lace and silk and has supportive cups for an unapologetically sexy and seductive look - we recommend you skip throwing the water and move straight onto the making up…

Channel your inner sassy sex goddess with our Paris chemise

Whatever your taste in sleepwear and whether you want to look ravishing, immaculate, playful or just downright sexy, we’re certain we can find an exquisite piece to make your feel your most confident self, whilst never compromising on comfort. As always, feel free to contact us if you’d like any advice.

Sleep beautifully x