the Beach Pajama

Up until the 1920s, women did not wear pants in public, not even when participating in sports. However, with this new “modern” woman, things were changing. Pants like this beach pajama outfit were becoming acceptable in public, but only at the beach, as the name implies, or for lounging at home or for a lawn party.

Even at that, this outfit would have been only for the most daring of young women and still frowned upon by many a mother. This particular pair of beach pajamas in my collection is made of satin and comes complete with sash to be worn cinching the top or the robe.

The Back Story: I really love how this outfit came together, especially considering the pieces were picked up through the years — the outfit and shoes from a theater costume shop and the hat from an antique shop on one of my travels. The 1920s string of pearls is the oldest acquisition, picked up when I was in college in the 1970s, and the beaded purse the newest, just this past fall of 2020 at a local antique shop.

Then, just for fun, for the shoot, I added one of my mother’s old poetry books and borrowed my husband’s lorgnette (reading glasses) from his collection to set the scene.

Oakley and I had so much fun shooting this “look,” we decided it’s time to:

BRING BACK THE BEACH PAJAMA