Horror of Dracula
The hardest time to keep warm is in the night. I've talked about hot water bottles, and I've talked about thermals, but specific night-clothes are another matter. There are a ton of different types of pyjamas of course, with different levels of comfort and cold, but you know what? Vintage nylon fripperies are actually, in my experience, some of the best. If you wear these in summer, late spring or early autumn (or in winter with your heating turned all up), you will be too hot. You will.
I like this type of gown because a) they're pretty and b) they remind me of Hammer Horror movies (and, you know, old-fashioned horror in general). Which I love. But honestly, I wouldn't wear them if they weren't also practical.
The Vampire Lovers
The ladies wear this stuff in basically every seventies-or-previous horror fiction. Your costume staples are: period costume with extra cleavage, roll-necked ribbed sweaters, and diaphanous nighties in a variety of colour and frilliness. And I do take issue with a lot of the values applied to female characters within Horror fiction, of course I do, but the fact remains that I like fun nighties and roll-neck ribbed sweaters. The costuming in gothic-leaning horror is usually quite.. soft. It just doesn't feel exploitative in an immediately damaging way. There's a lot of empowerment to be found in pre-late-seventies horror, if you don't demand that it's perfect.
You can get stuff like this on ebay EASILY. At basically every price. Check the search box to the left!I think I paid maybe £28 for the orange one in these pictures, because it is so nice. The pink one was a bit under five quid, I think. The fact that you basically have to buy second-hand to get something like this is a bonus, too.
Honestly, in the room I had last year where there was no heating, the sleeved versions I have would keep me warm until it got into late November-December. Now, in a house with heating (though it's rarely at a level visitors call "warm" I wear them to keep my arms and torso warm whilst I read sitting up in bed, and change when I go to sleep so I don't overheat. Seriously worth the purchase!
I adore sheer night gowns as well.. however, ive never encountered such pretty colors as the ones you have! haha.. I always end up getting cream or beige ones.. :-)
ReplyDeleteThese are the fruits of a long search! The beige and cream are easiest to come by by far, it's true.. These three and a purple satiny one are the spoils of a year and a half's ebay trawling. :]!
ReplyDeleteActually, I saw a pumpkinish orange one in a London vintage market the day before Halloween, but I had no cash. Bummer!