12 Best Pajamas for Women 2024 | The Strategist

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You’re (hopefully) spending eight hours a night in bed, and the last thing you need is to be tossing and turning thanks to a bad pair of PJs. There’s nothing wrong with a ratty T-shirt and too-big sweatpants. (No judgment here!) But I know that I just sleep better in a pajama set — it’s the cherry on top of having the right sheets, pillows, and a duvet cover — and I have a hunch you will, too.

To help you find the best pairs of pajamas for an optimal snooze, I’ve slept my way through many pairs — including an old-fashioned nightgown and the slinkiest silk slip. You’ll read about some of those below plus ones recommended by a panel of opinionated sleepers (including writers, photographers, models, and our very own Strategist staffers) who told me about their favorites. To round out this list, I looked to our archives for recommendations we’ve gathered over the years. Here, you’ll find pajamas of all kinds, from author Ottessa Moshfegh’s set to a pair that has Oprah’s stamp of approval. And if you’re looking for more sleepwear, the Strategist has guides to the best silk pajamas and loungewear, too.

Update on October 22, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

I looked for pajamas that come in as inclusive of a size selection as possible.

Think about the way you want to feel in bed — warm and cozy? Cool and crisp? — and let that inform the material of the pajamas you choose. Sweaty sleepers should look for lightweight materials like cotton, linen, and bamboo. Cold sleepers will want heavier materials like flannel, merino, or wool. One of the most popular pajama fabrics today is soft modal (made of wood pulp), and Tencel is a close (but more durable) cousin. Polyester often comes with the cheapest price tag, and those with opulent taste might consider luxurious, temperature-regulating silk.

As our resident sleepwear writer, I am now obsessive about things like trimming, piping, and pleating — these details can all make a set of pajamas feel richer. I noted all of those standout details in this post.

I judged the recommendations below based on three price points: under $100, under $150, and over $150, denoted as $, $$, and $$$, respectively.

Sizes: XS–XL | Material: Tencel modal, spandex | Design: Button front, notch collar, contrast piping | Price: $$

When I first started writing this guide, I envisioned what the perfect pajama set would be like: supercomfortable, soft, and nice-looking. The Giseles from Eberjey are exactly that. There’s an easiness and lightness about them, which I attribute to the modal fabric, and the piping is very attractive. I always get a good night’s sleep when I wear them, and I’ve never felt too hot or too cold. They are a little indulgence to my nighttime routine — something that made putting on a sheet mask and brushing my teeth in front of a dimly lit bathroom mirror feel more special. The quality’s there, too: A year’s worth of washing hasn’t worn mine out, an impressive feat for a set that’s $118 — not cheap in the slightest, but compared to the other pairs I tested for this article, not the biggest splurge.

The Giseles have many fans, too. Their mighty following includes Cup of Jo’s Joanna Goddard (who included them in her list of things she can’t live without twice), who loves how the material doesn’t wrinkle or look particularly disheveled in the morning. Content creator Yuneida Gutierrez praised the set for its lightness — she didn’t feel that there was much separating her from her sheets when she had them on. And Strategist junior writer Brenley Goertzen likes that they “don’t scream I’m in my PJs” when working from home. (Her boyfriend even asked for his own version after catching how supple the fabric was himself.)

You can take your pick between different versions of the set — including a nightshirt, short-sleeved top with pants, long-sleeved top with pants, and a cami-shorts combo. There are a number of soothing shades to choose from — like peach, petal, and sorbet — and you can get them monogrammed for an additional $15. Just note: These are offered only in sizes XS to XL, which makes their sizing limited and is the one drawback on an otherwise excellent list of pluses.

Sizes: One size (fits sizes 2–12) | Material: Cotton | Design details: Square neckline, bell-shaped sleeves, embroidery | Price: $

I own a handful of nightgowns, which are all under $100, from Salter House, where you’ll find several vintage-inspired styles, like the Darcy, which looks like it would be worn by the heroine in a Jane Austen adaptation, and the Wendy, which has a Peter Pan collar. Stock can be limited at times, though there are three styles that are almost always available: the First Nightdress, a replica of one that store owner Sandeep Salter received for her 13th birthday, as well as the Sisters and Lamb. All of the styles are made from a rich-feeling cotton that’s crisp on the skin. I hand-wash mine, though the brand says you can also machine-wash on delicate before hang-drying; the cotton and embroidery have held up well, and I haven’t seen so much as a loose thread so far.

The nightgowns have something of a cult following. Lucy Weisner, co-founder of Café Forgot, describes the Salter House nightdresses as romantic and reminiscent of 19th-century undergarments in a “Victorian, Picnic at Hanging Rock” way. According to Lauren Mechling, creator of @thecloglife, “Their look is very sleepy Portuguese aristocrat.” And Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, who wears the nightgowns out of the house, told us they’re one of the things she can’t live without.

Sizes: S–XL | Material: Silk | Design details: Scoop neckline, adjustable straps, racerback | Price: $

Underwear writer Estelle Puleston introduced me to century-old corsetier Etam. Because of her recommendation, I bought the brand’s Pearly chemise (Puleston has the Milky from the lingerie label, which features front lace trimming in lieu of a racerback). It’s wonderful to sleep in — feeling barely there (it’s unlined) with the sheen on the silk making the slip seem more expensive than it actually is. For $89, it’s a good bargain on silk. Puleston has worn hers often enough that the chemise has gotten little “gaps” on the fabric. I haven’t had that problem in the year since it first arrived — and I haven’t exactly been delicate about mine (I have fished it out of a dresser when it was caught in the corner of a drawer). Although my Pearly has since sold out (you can sign up to receive an email when your size is back in stock), you can get the Milky for the same price.

Sizes: XS–XL | Material: Modal and spandex | Design details: Drawstring waistband, side pockets, keyhole back cutout | Price: $

This jumpsuit falls somewhere between loungewear and pajamas, and I’ve been wearing it more often for bed. It’s a glorified onesie, really. Part of the reason I started sleeping in the jumpsuit is because it reminds me of my favorite (now slightly ratty) college sweatshirt: supersoft, worn-in, and doesn’t pill in the wash. It doesn’t feel smothering underneath the sheets, either — without sleeves and with a low V-neck and keyhole in the back, the style is actually pretty airy. You can also layer around it — I’ll put a pullover over it or wrap up in a robe on chiller nights.

Sizes: XXS–3X | Material: Cotton | Design details: Side pockets and logo waistband | Price: $

As someone who frequently kicks their sheets off in frustration in the middle of the night, these boxers are about as next-to-nothing as it gets. These can get slightly wrinkled — granted, I move around a lot while asleep — but I don’t mind it all that much. The crinkles give the cotton a cool texture, making me look undone in the best way. I’m not the only fan: Former Strategist writer Chloe Anello wrote an ode to a (now-sold-out) version of them. Like mine, hers didn’t have an opening in the front and featured pockets (unlike traditional boxers) — she even took to wearing hers out of bed, as they’re “actually chic, not like a bad Risky Business costume.” Since the shorts swung out from the hips, they allowed for more airflow to keep her legs cooler, she adds.

Sizes: XXS–3X | Material: Cotton | Design details: Button front, notched collar, piping, chest pocket, tie waist | Price: $

Made from the same cool cotton as the boxers above, this set will work well year-round. Moshfegh, best known for writing My Year of Rest and Relaxation, owns these very pajamas. The author, a self-professed pajama obsessive, added them to her collection of more than a dozen sets after misplacing the top from another favorite. The set has a distinctly menswear-style silhouette that’s slightly more lax in terms of fix. It’s an updated (read: nearly identical) version of J.Crew’s ostensibly discontinued — and highly popular — Vintage Pajamas that Strategist senior editor Hilary Reid and Strategist contributor Hermione Hoby are fans of. “They have a slight air of formality to them — they’re the kind of pajamas I imagine wearing while trying to finish the last half of Swann’s Way or reading a newspaper in bed,” Reid says. There’s also some comfort in the color: Reid and Hoby own them in a shade called hydrangea, which they describe as “vaguely medicinal” and “soothing, almost hospital-y,” respectively. It helps that the pajamas also remind Hoby of the pair Daniel Day-Lewis sports in Phantom Thread. And you can get this set monogrammed for a $10 fee, choosing the color of the thread and including up to three initials.

Sizes: XS–3X | Material: Pima cotton, modal | Design details: Button front, notched collar, satiny trim piping, patch pocket | Price: $$

Anello says there’s no better word than buttery to describe the Cosabella’s Bellas, which are made from a combination of smooth pima cotton and modal. Even though they’re long-sleeved, Anello says she doesn’t overheat while wearing them. Writer Laura Lippman agrees — she discovered the Bellas during a trip to Miami in May, and despite the excruciatingly hot temperatures, she found they kept her comfortable. And as someone who would live in pajamas if she could, Lippman says these are the best for making her seem “fairly put together for someone walking around the house in pajamas” at 3 p.m., as she is wont to do.

Sizes: XS–XL | Material: European-flax linen | Design details: Stonewashed, crew-neck collar, tie-waist | Price: $

Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie never saw herself as a linen-pajama person, but she eventually came around to this set from Magic Linen — partly thanks to the fact that the pair “doesn’t particularly look like pajamas, especially in this linen-obsessed, loose clothes era,” she says. The comfortable looseness can be attributed to the high-quality linen (made from top-tier European flax) that drapes in a “supremely flattering” way. In the winter, Gillespie considers them a savior, especially with the hit-or-miss heating in her prewar apartment.

Sizes: XS–2X | Material: Silk | Design details: No-twist waistband, chest pocket | Price: $$$

It’s rare to find silk pajamas that feel this luxurious at this price — and as the writer behind our guide to the best silk pajamas, I should know. And as a sweaty sleeper, I loved that Lunya’s silk helped with temperature regulation; I wasn’t waking up with beads of sweat on my forehead, as I do with heavier pajamas. The top is very oversize, but I found it helped the set feel fresh to sleep in with the shorts cut high enough on the thigh to give my legs a lot of air. Yoga instructor Kate Posch even compares the set to wearing nothing. The set has been on our radar ever since Reid tested it for her investigation into washable-silk sleepwear; it not only survived the spin cycle but came out looking “impressively smooth and unwrinkled.” She declared then, “If I could replace all of my pajamas with these, I would.” I would too — in the world of silk sleepwear, where you have to spend well into the hundreds to get a great set, these are a steal at under $200.

Sizes: XS–XXXL | Material: Viscose (bamboo-based), spandex | Design details: Button-front, notch collar, contrast piping | Price: $$

This set features a breathable, moisture-wicking bamboo viscose, and according to Strategist sleep writer Amelia Jerden and Strategist associate editor Jenna Milliner-Waddell, that makes for very refreshing pajamas. Jerden told me she doesn’t ever feel too warm in them, and even though Milliner-Waddell says that sometimes she wakes up soaked in sweat, that’s never the case with these. The pair is so comfortable that Milliner-Waddell stays in them for as long as she can in the morning. “I just feel important in them,” she says. Part of the reason, she thinks, is because they are also beloved by Oprah.

(An honorable mention in this category goes to a set from Hass, a loungewear line from Avocado, the maker of some of our favorite mattresses. Strategist writer Arielle Avila never wore PJ pants to bed because of how hot she would get — until she tried these. The tee and pants are sold separately, however.)

Sizes: XXS–XXL | Material: Cotton | Design details: Scoop-neck with matching trim, slight cutaway on hem of shorts | Price: $

Strategist writer Dominique Pariso — another self-professed sweaty sleeper — suggested this set from Lake as a more affordable alternative to Cozy Earth’s. (Corsillo is another on-the-record fan of Lake’s pajamas.) She found that the lightweight pima cotton was not only “so, so soft” but kept her cool through the night. Pariso confirms that, per the washing instructions, the set shrinks slightly the first time you put it through a washer (and you should definitely air-dry it). “It was fine and to be expected for Pima cotton,” she assures, but if you prefer a very loose fit or are between sizes, you may want to size up.

Sizes: XS–XXL | Material: Micro-modal, spandex | Design details: Button-front, notch collar, contrast piping | Price: $

While pregnant with her second child, Strategist writer Lauren Ro got a chance to test out a pair of pajamas from Larken (the maker of her favorite nursing bra). Although she didn’t try them out until after the baby was born, she “still wears them nearly a year later” and likes them even more than the Eberjey Giseles that top this list. Ro says she always felt like she was “swimming” in the Eberjeys, and the ones from Larken have a closer-to-the-body silhouette that she prefers — while still having enough drape to feel comfortable in, she adds. “These are the only pajamas I want to wear now, and I recommend them to everyone, whether they’re expecting or not,” Ro says. Still, they are designed with pregnancy-friendly features, including a no-digging waistband for growing bumps and a button-front for pumping.

• Chloe Anello, former Strategist writer• Arielle Avila Strategist writer• Remi Bader, TikTok creator and curve model• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer• Katherine Gillespie, Strategist writer• Joanna Goddard, founder and editor of Cup of Jo• Brenley Goertzen, Strategist junior writer• Yuneida Gutierrez, content creator• Cora Harrington, author of In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie• Hermione Hoby, Strategist contributor• Amelia Jerden, Strategist sleep writer• Laura Lippman, writer• Lauren Mechling, writer and @thecloglife creator• Jenna Milliner-Waddell, Strategist associate editor• Dominique Pariso, Strategist writer• Estelle Puleston, underwear writer• Hilary Reid, Strategist senior editor• Lauren Ro, Strategist writer• Lucy Weisner, co-founder of Café Forgot

Additional reporting by Lori Keong and Chloe Anello.

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