In 1996, two coworkers in Miami, Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito, each put their own savings into a sleepwear company. They had no industry connections, just a belief that nightclothes should be made for the woman wearing them. I like starting a pajama story there, because it is a very small beginning for something that now sits in half the dresser drawers I know.

That brand is Eberjey, and it is the reason I trust the phrase Eberjey pajamas to mean something specific. Mejia wanted sleepwear for women, by women, in a market that, by the brand's own telling, put aesthetics ahead of comfort. Mejia handles the design and Rovito runs the business as CEO. The result is a label with a clear point of view: soft first, pretty second, and never fussy.

The Gisele set is where that view shows up best. Mejia has said she built it from a love of traditional Savile Row men's pajamas, then moved it into TENCEL Modal, a fiber made from beech tree pulp and certified by OEKO-TEX. The navy long set with ivory piping is the one I would point a first-timer toward. The sorbet pink and black long set is the softer, funnier cousin. For October nights, the chocolate and ivory relaxed short set works with thick socks, and the woodrose short sleeve and pant set is the one I would wear to answer the door for a delivery.

If you run cold, take the long sets. If you run warm, the white and ice blue shortie or the black cami and pant gives you the same fabric with less of it. Check the piping and the pant length before you commit, since that contrast trim is the whole look.

A printed pajama set is the easiest way to make a bedroom drawer feel personal, and Eberjey leans into it with stripes, dots and the occasional swan. Most of these use the same Gisele cut as the solid sets, so the fit is already known, and the print is the only thing you are choosing.

The pine and ivory Duo Stripe long set is the one I would buy for anyone who says they hate prints. The wildberry starlight long set is for the person who wants a little more sparkle. In silk, the Inez dot set in pine and the navy classic stripe long set are both made from mulberry silk, and the brand calls this its washable silk, which means you do not have to treat it like a gown. The powder blue Inez short set with large swans is the funniest of the lot, and I mean that kindly.

For the holidays, the mini bow short set with red piping and the ski chalet shortie are the gifting picks. The animal instinct short set in woodrose is the quiet wild card, since the spots read as texture from far away.

Test the print scale against your own frame: tiny dots disappear on a small person, bold swans can swallow one. Look at how the stripes meet at the collar and the placket, because a good set lines them up. What I would skip: the shorts in a heavy holiday print if you sleep cold, since you will end up in a sweatshirt over them.

When the first real cold night hits, the fabric conversation changes. Eberjey also makes pajamas that are not modal at all, and that is worth knowing, because Gisele is the star but not the only option.

The two flannel long sets, an Oxford check in holly red and wildberry and a heritage check in navy, are made from half organic cotton and half modacrylic. They look like the pajamas in a movie about a snowed-in cabin, and I would wear the red one with wool socks and a mug. For a plainer mood, the organic Pima cotton sets come in ivory and sandstone, in long and short versions, and there is a short sleeve and wide-leg pant in ivory that sits nicely between the two. The brand lists them as 100 percent organic Peruvian Pima cotton, a good choice for anyone who finds modal too slinky.

The Nautico sets are the summer holdovers I would keep out through fall. The slate blue striped long set has corozo buttons, which is a nice little detail, and the sunbeam yellow stripe with a wide-leg pant is cheerful on a gray morning.

Check the buttons and the placket, since a flat, even row of buttons is what makes a cotton set look finished. Also check the waistband: elastic that sits flat is more comfortable than a thick drawstring. What I would skip: the sunbeam stripe if you only wear pajamas for sleeping and the bedroom is dim, since the color is made for daylight.

Eberjey made its name with pajamas, but a good sleepshirt is the piece I would grab on a busy week. It is one layer, it needs no matching bottom, and it works over tights for a late breakfast at home.

The navy Gisele sleepshirt has a curved hem, a chest pocket and ivory piping, so it looks like the top of the set it came from. The black version in jersey, with sorbet pink piping, is a little looser and more casual. In silk, the black Inez sleepshirt with champagne piping is the dressy option, and the indigo batik print falls above the knee and has its own pocket. It is the one I would put on the other side of a bad day.

Then come the lace pieces. The Mariana chemise in woodrose and the ice blue Mademoiselle chemise both have lace bodices and thin straps. The Lara modal slip in ivory has lace at the neckline and hem, and its lace comes from recycled nylon, which the product notes mention. The Isla slip in a regatta stripe is the one I would layer under a cardigan.

Check the strap adjustment and the lining at the bust before you decide, because thin straps need to stay where you put them. Hold the hem against your thigh to see if it lands where you want. What I would skip: an ivory slip if you plan to sleep in dark sheets and be seen in the morning light.

A robe is the most underrated part of an Eberjey drawer, and I would argue it is the piece that fits the sleep-is-self-care pitch best. Mejia has described a warm bath followed by soft pajamas as the ultimate form of self-care, and the robe is what happens in between.

The Gisele everyday long robe in black has side pockets and an adjustable belt, and it matches the sets in the first section. The Mariana lace trim jersey robe is lighter and more dressed up. The Nautico midi robe in slate blue stripe suits a spring morning, and I would keep it on a hook near the bathroom. For the cold months, the Cozy Time robe in heather French oak is a knit wrap with ribbed trim, and the matching Cozy Time pant makes it a proper set.

The cozier end of the range is the recycled boucle waffle robe in French oak, made from post-consumer recycled polyester, and the Renew plush long robe in toffee, which has a sweater-like inside. The wildberry recycled sweater pant is the pop of color in a quiet group, and I would pair it with a plain white tee and bare feet.

Check the belt loops, the pocket depth and the sleeve length when you try one on, since a robe lives or dies on those. Plush fabrics run warm, so think about where you will wear it. What I would skip: the heaviest robe if your apartment runs warm.

If I were starting from nothing, I would begin with one Gisele set, long for cold sleepers and short for warm ones, in a color you would wear to the mailbox without apologizing. Navy with ivory piping is the safe one, and it is the easiest one to love.

After that, add one thing for the weekend: a sleepshirt, a robe or a flannel set, depending on how you actually spend Sunday. The point of the brand has never been a big wardrobe of nightclothes. It is the idea Mejia and Rovito started with in 1996, that the hour before bed should feel like it belongs to you.

So I would buy fewer pieces and pick softer ones. Two coworkers with their own savings figured that out, and I think they were right. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Quay Sunglasses.