The Nap Dress: High Nightgowns Became a Bridal Trend

That Trevi Fountain in Rome. Oktoberfest in Munich. Highclere Castle in England, where some may be better known by another (fictional) name: Downton Abbey.

These are three of the more distant places where people have documented themselves on Instagram wearing the Nap Dress, the garment introduced by the brand. Hill House in 2019. The dress is, as its name implies, designed as a sort of elevated nightgown that’s comfortable enough to sleep in, stylish enough to step out on. During the pandemic, the dress attracted a loyal following, with many sharing photos of themselves on social media using the hashtag ##napdressnation.

The dress has a smocked bodice and a full skirt that usually reaches above the ankles. It has been produced in several styles, colors and patterns, and has been adopted by many types: influencers, of course, but also mothers (some of whom put their children in matching outfits) and even brides.

In the early days, we would see people organically wearing our products to marriage, said Nell Diamond, 34, founder and chief executive of Hill House Home. He added that many customers asked for more traditional wedding attire.

This month, Hill House Home is expanding into bridal with its first wedding line. It features more than a dozen pieces, including three new Nap Dresses in white.

New styles include a shorter Nap Dress with lace ($250), a lace full-length dress with a black bow for shoulder straps ($395) and a full-length tulle dress with blue bow for straps (also $395).

We love the idea of ​​adding non-traditional color to your wedding collection, Ms. Diamond says about full length dress straps. There’s a slight naughty feel to it.

Diamond’s mother started Hill House Home in 2016, after working at Deutsche Bank in New York. His company’s retail footprint now includes three stores: one in Midtown, another in Palm Beach, Florida, and a seasonal store in Nantucket, where he spent his summers growing up.

At first, Hill House Home only sold beds. But Miss Diamond says it wasn’t long before she started exploring expansion into apparel. She added that back then, she knew that if she was making clothes, one of her first parts would be dresses.

I’m really not a pants person, he said. I must be free.

At her 2014 wedding on the French Rivera, that is covered by Vogue, Miss Diamond in a dress by Olivier Theyskens. It had a 10 foot carriage and required three fixtures to manufacture.

During the celebration she wore several other outfits (by Rosie Assoulin, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana), and she said the bridal Nap Dress would go well with her other outfits.

I would have loved a fun, beautiful dress to get ready for, said Ms. Diamond, than a random t-shirt.