Nightgown in hand painted silk with short gold satin robe.

The best way to choose a see-through nightgown online is to pay little attention to the picture.  The name of the textile used is generally more useful. Chiffon is one of the most commonly used sheer fabrics, as are georgette, tulle, double georgette and organza. Lace can be quite revealing depending on the pattern, and the sheer sex appeal of bare skin behind rare black lace can not be over-stated. Avoid charmeuse and satin when looking for something transparent, but don’t reject silk and cotton, both have transparent versions.

Cotton voile and cotton lawn can both be revealing and are by no means opaque. When unprinted, voile is especially revealing. The delicacy of cotton lawn makes it ideal for undergarments. For day wear lawn garments will need underclothes or a lining, but for a nightgown it may be the ideal fabric, especially when lace trimmed.

Often used to create wedding veils, tulle is a soft transparent fabric. Tulle was most fashionable during the 20s and 30s when it was often used to make delicate peignoir and wraps. Silk tulle is very luxurious and available in a great many colors. Tulle is extremely transparent and can often be left unfinished as the edges do not fray.

Chiffon is the fabric most often used to make see through nightgowns and lingerie. Acetate chiffon can be quite harsh, polyester chiffon is practical and washable, and silk chiffon is very luxurious. A certainly wont want to answer your front door in a chiffon nightgown as a single layer of chiffon is very revealing. Chiffon garments are usually more expensive because they take longer to make. Each seam has to be doubled to prevent the fabric from fraying and reducing the lifetime of the garment.

There is one type of chiffon which is a little more subtle, pleasantly transparent rather than glaringly see-through, and this is printed or painted chiffon. The best effect comes from hand-painted silk chiffon; wonderfully sensuous and delightfully subtle, it oozes sex-appeal especially in animal print designs which are so very different from the more common printed satins. Printed chiffon is also ideal for nightgowns. Depending on the design it can vary from transparent to almost completely opaque, but still soft and feminine.

Georgette is slightly more opaque than chiffon, but also a soft drapey fabric, double georgette is almost opaque, which in some ways makes it the ideal fabric for lingerie. It gives only a hint of the body beneath. Double silk georgette has the most glorious feel. If your aim is to be subtly seductive then this is the fabric for you.

Organza is rarely used in nightgowns as it a stiff fabric, though still transparent. Quite the opposite of chiffon, organza fabric is still and will stand out from the body, but this can be stunning when designed well.

Most women like to take a subtle approach to sex. For this reason printed silks, cotton lawn and georgette are the best fabrics to choose.

Josephine nightgown - made from double silk georgette

Designers love georgette because it’s texture gives it movement, seamstresses tend to hate it because it is difficult to sew. It is also difficult to pin, and may show pin marks or snag, so the seamstress must take extra care. The layers are slippery and may need to be interlayered with tissue paper, making the process take longer. Good quality georgette garments will usually have doubled seams, which also adds to the cost of construction. This is one reason why georgette garments tend to be in the luxury bracket and are more expensive.

Silk georgette is a delightful fabric. As silk thread is very absorbent it takes dies very well and hence is often available in a huge range of gorgeous colours, plain and print. We love using silk georgette in our luxury nightgowns and robes because of the wonderful colors and the drape of the fabric. Although silk itself can be delicate, silk georgette is not only a luxury fabric it is strong and generally more durable.
These days georgette is also created from polyester threads. Polyester georgette tends to me thicker than silk georgette but is usually machine washable and far more crease resistant, a fact which makes it more popular for everyday wear. As it is very light georgette can be used as layers without making the garment too heavy. This can result in some interesting effects where, for example, the georgette overlay and it’s lining are two different colors.

Double georgette is constructed in the same way and can be silk or polyester. It is less sheer than ‘normal’ georgette but just as drapey and may be used without a lining. Double georgette is great for luxury nightgowns because it provides the same floaty feeling without too much transparency. We also use it in the creation of some of our pajamas where double georgette pants make a great contrast with the luxury silk camisole top, giving just a hint of the leg below.

Our Jospehine blue silk nightgown is made from pale blue double silk georgette, light, floaty. Luxury lingerie at it’s best! (Note: Josephine can be made in the color of your choice and makes an excellent special occasion nightgown, for example for brides.