To know me is to know that I exclusively wear dresses day in, day out. Any activity I partake in, even if it involves a sporting element, requires some form of flowing frock — so you can be sure that the recent ‘nap dress’ trend immediately piqued my interest.
What: Thanks to stay-at-home orders, how we dress for work and play has been irrevocably shaken up. With our social and professional lives being confined to our humble abodes 24/7, Zoom and FaceTime-ready nightgowns — or ‘nap dresses’ — have quickly become the go-to.
Enter: Sleeper, a Ukraine-based brand (whose viral feather-trimmed pajamas likely need no introduction) and their idyllic dresses in natural linen. Specifically, the rosebud-printed Marquise, which I’d been aggressively double tapping on Instagram for a hot minute before finally clicking ‘add to cart.’
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- Sleeper Marquise dress in Roses
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- Sleeper Marquise dress in Roses
Who: Long before the term nap dress (which has been popularized thanks to Hill House Home’s offering) even entered the vernacular, former fashion editors Kate Zubarieva and Asya Varetsa sought to recreate the type of glamorous nightwear they saw in vintage films. Despite having no design background, they launched Sleeper in 2014 and it immediately garnered fans in Chloë Grace Moretz, Dakota Fanning, Emily Ratajkoswki, and Busy Philipps, among others. (Those interested in the backstory can hear more in this great interview with Varetsa on the Second Life podcast.)
While offerings like the Atlanta, Michelin, and aforementioned Marquise dresses were already going down a treat with the brand’s consumer base, the current leaning towards comfortable-yet-chic styles as a result of lockdown further boosted Sleeper’s appeal.
Sleeper Marquise dress in Vichy print
Why: If you’re one of the brave folks still sticking it out in New York City, the words ‘August heat’ will need no further explanation. Couple the sweltering temps (now officially considered a tropical climate, btw!) with limited socializing options mainly revolving around dining outdoors, a gorgeous dress that’s lightweight is worth its weight in gold.
Staying in? These dresses are also ideal for when you’re cosplaying as the kind of woman who owns a quaint rural cottage and bakes a legendary cherry pie (when in reality, you’re in a Brooklyn apartment with two roommates taking turns with the window AC unit.)
Need further incentive? Sleeper pieces are machine washable and made with love: each garment takes one of their artisan employees between six to eight hours to create.
So while I don’t actually plan to nap in mine this summer (who has the time?), you’ll find me doing everything from fielding work calls to eating cacio e pepe al fresco in it.
Sleeper Marquise and Michelin dresses in Micro Polka Dot
Where: the-sleeper.com
How (much): $290
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