From Sleepwear to Sportswear

Janine D’Agati is the owner of Guermantes Vintage, specializing in 1920s-1940s women’s fashion. She has been interviewed on theartofdress.org, acknowledged in Fashion Studies Journal, and has contributed to period wardrobe for numerous film, tv, and theater productions. She holds a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University. Hannah Schiff is a fashion historian with an MA in Costume Studies from New York University. She is published in The Hidden History of American Fashion: Rediscovering 20th Century Women Designers (Bloomsbury, 2018). She is a fashion photography producer and has collected and studied vintage clothing for over a decade.

List of Figures
Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Beach Pajama Origins
Eastern Pajamas and the Western Imagination
Sleeping Pajamas and Lounging Pajamas
The Ballets Russes
Paul Poiret and the jupe-culotte
Early Gym Wear and Swimwear

2. Beach Pajamas: 1919-1927
The Advent of Beach Pajamas: “No More Sunburned Knees”
The Rise of Resort Culture
The Lido: “Pajamaland”
Pajamas on American Beaches
Early Beach Pajama Styles
Controversy: “She Shocked Palm Beach!”
Mary Nowitzky

3. Beach Pajamas: 1927-1939
The French Riviera: “The Chic World Turns Proletarian”
Sporting and the Rise of Athleticism
Nautical Style
Sun Worship
The Great Depression: Ready-to-wear, Tubfast, and Homesewn
Workwear Influences

4. Beach Pajamas’ Influence
Pajamas and Modernity
Collegiate Fashions
Evening and Formal Pajamas
Hollywood: “Over the Footlights to the Public”
The Beginnings of American Sportswear

Conclusion

Bibliography
Index