It seems like forever ago, but Selena Gomez celebrated her 27th birthday in Italy [1] last year. By day, she wore her ivory maxi dress from Three Graces London [2] with block-heeled sandals and a straw hat. But by night, Selena stripped down to the essentials — the aforementioned dress and Jennifer Fisher gold hoop earrings.
The nap dress essentially looks like a nightgown, and Selena beautifully exhibited its versatility a whole year before the style took off.
Don't you want a dress like Selena's? One that takes you from the bedroom to breakfast, outdoors for some al fresco dining, then back into bed? That's the idea of a nap dress [3], a look we're seeing populate our Instagram feeds as we continue to shelter in place. This is a new category for dresses, seemingly on all our favourite retail sites, more broadly defined as the house dress [4] — something romantic, breezy, and comfortable.
But the nap dress essentially looks like a nightgown, and Selena beautifully exhibited its versatility a whole year before the style took off. Here I am, just reminding you of that. While Selena's exact design is now sold out, it's still my favourite iteration of this trend and one I think about often. And so, I hereby present you with a shopping list of dresses at every price point that exude the same vibe. You might just mistake them for nightgowns, but they so don't have to be. That, right there, is the appeal of them.
Mango Pleated Blend Linen Dress
Mango Pleated Blend Linen Dress [6] (£36, originally £40)
XIRENA Rumer Dress
XIRENA Rumer Dress [7] (£204)
H&M Lyocell-Blend Dress
H&M Lyocell-Blend Dress [8] (£35)
Dôen Lovisa Nightgown
Dôen Lovisa Nightgown [9] (£157)
Zara Ruffled Poplin Dress
Zara Ruffled Poplin Dress [10] (£50)
Naya Rea Elizaveta Dress
Naya Rea Elizaveta Dress [11] (£250)
Sleeper Maxi Brigitte Dress
Sleeper Maxi Brigitte Dress [12] (£230)