Pyjamas were historically sold on print and novelty rather than on fabric, because nobody saw them and the assumption was that nobody cared. Two things changed that: several years of people spending far more time at home, and a generation of brands treating loungewear as a design category with real fabric development behind it. The Soft Lounge jersey is the clearest example, a modal blend engineered to drape rather than to insulate, which is a completely different brief from flannel. That is why these read as clothing rather than as nightwear.

The Soft Lounge pajama set and Soft Lounge short sleeve pajama set are the core pieces and the ones most people mean. Soft Lounge sleep set and Soft Lounge tank sleep set are the lighter builds, with the tank being the most minimal. The Soft Lounge ivory pearl bows sleep set is the most decorated of these Skims pajamas. On the standard fabric, the long sleeve pajama set and Sleep long sleeve pajama set are the fuller-coverage options, and the short sleeve sleep set is the warm-weather version.

Once you get past Soft Lounge, the Skims sleep range splits into lighter fabrics, and this is where most of the pajamas in this last grid sit. The two Rib Sleep Sets and the Soft Lounge Short Sleep Set are the stretchy middle ground. The Cotton Poplin Boxer Sleep Set, the Cotton Poplin Sleep Long Sleeve And Boxer Set and the Cotton Poplin Sleep Cropped Button Up And Bloomer Set are crisp cotton, which is what I would buy if you sleep warm.

The Lightweight Cotton cami and boy short sets are the simplest, the Skims Sleep Cami Set is the easy everyday one, and the Skims Sleep Lace Cami And Pant Set and the Fits Everybody Lace Triangle Cami And Boy Short Set add lace trim. The Woven Shine Cami And Short Sleep Set has a soft sheen for summer nights. The Cloud Sleep Shirt Dress is the softest of all, and the Voile Sleep Balloon Pant and Cotton Poplin Sleep Straight Leg Pant mix with any top you already own.

What I would skip: the lace sets if you toss and turn, because lace trim catches on everything.

Modal and jersey blends feel excellent and are genuinely poor at temperature regulation compared with cotton, which means they are wrong if you run hot at night. That is the main reason people return them.

Long sleeve sets in a slippery fabric twist around the torso in the night, and nothing about sizing fixes it. Light colours in a thin jersey are more transparent than the photographs suggest, which matters if the set doubles as something you answer a door in. Piped edges shrink at a different rate from the panels. Buy cotton if you sleep warm and Soft Lounge if you mostly want to wear it in the evening.