Women's pink button-up nightdress

Start with what the garment is for: a nightdress is for the hours of sleep: lights out at eleven, the alarm at seven. Cotton is the natural fibre everything else is measured against: it breathes, it takes a hot wash, and it does not hold on to smells the way a synthetic does. That is the difference between a cotton nightdress and one that only looks the part.

In use it shows up as one thing: it breathes properly — no clamminess after twenty minutes, which is what makes it the sensible choice for a warm bedroom. In the same vein, have a look at our ladies button up dressing gown.

Women ask about the cut through the shoulder and how far the hem falls before anything else, and they are right to — it is where most nightdresses fall short. For more on this, browse our button up dressing gown.

• It takes a hot wash — 60°C when it needs it, without the fabric giving up
• It stays comfortable against skin all day — the reason it is the default for anyone with sensitive skin
• Button fastening — easy to open and close, and it looks smart rather than shapeless
• Made to be slept in — a small thing, and the first thing a cheap nightdress gets wrong

Cotton creases, and it takes longer to dry than a synthetic. Neither matters much on a nightdress, but it is worth knowing before you buy. Machine wash at 40°C. Treated that way, a cotton nightdress lasts five winters rather than one — the difference between a nightdress you keep and one you replace every autumn. In the same vein, have a look at our red dressing gown womens.