Style Inspiration: 1930s Beach Pyjamas

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With this wonderful sunny weather we’re currently having, my mind is entirely focused on the small collection of garments I want to make for my holiday later this year. The one item that’s really taking prominence now is a pair of 1930s beach pyjamas and I previously showed you the pattern I’m going to use to make mine in my Sewing & Crocheting Plans post I did back in February. As these are now in the planning and mock up stages I thought I’d share some of my inspiration with you. I warn you, this is a very picture heavy post, but who doesn’t love a round up of 1930s beach pyajams!

Nautical Beach Pyjamas​

The nautical look was huge in the 1930s and you really couldn’t get any more nautical than these amazing original 1930s beach pyjamas that were sold by Fab Gabs. Just the colours alone scream nautical, but then you add the sailor collar, anchor embroidery and the white striped pocket, team it with red and white accessorises and WHAM! you’ve got yourself the most nautical look ever! All you need is a jaunty sailor hat!

At first glance these original 1930s beach pyjamas don’t look all that nautical, apart from maybe the colours, however, the print is very much based on international maritime signal flags. I absolutely love how colourful and lively they are. You couldn’t help but feel happy wearing these!

These are a little more subtle with their nautical theme, with just the giant anchor embellishments being its only hint. And I say embellishments, plural, because you may not have noticed the one on the inside of the right arm sleeve. Yes, just look at those incredible sleeves!

I also really love the deep blue playsuit in the background thats covered in huge sail boats. It reminds me so much of the fabric Sew La Di Da used on their Margo playsuit pattern.

Check/Plaid Beach Pyjamas​

I haven’t come across many checked or plaid beach pyjamas, but I did particularly like the yellow gingham ones above. The illustration suggests that the gingham has been cut on the bias, which would give them such a wonderful drape. I also really like the top plain section that goes around the neck and under the arms. This is something I’m definitely keeping in mind for mine.

And here are original 1930s beach pyjamas that are actually cut on the bias. It looks like a beautifully cooling rayon and I bet they were a dream to wear. The combination of the green and orange is just so 1930s, which leads me on to the next section…

Green and Orange Beach Pyjamas​

When I first starting thinking about what I wanted mine to look like, I had it in my head that I wanted to make them in mint green and orange (or a deep peach). I even found some amazing plain mint green and plain orange linen fabrics from Ditto Fabrics, but they were just too thin and too see-through to use. I could’ve lined it, obviously, but I want to keep them as lightweight and cool as possible, so it was back to the drawing board.

These mint green and orange original 1930s beach pyjamas have a fabulous American sport print on them. Anyone who knows more about American sports than I do might be able to tell you if it’s a particular sport or not, but to my eyes it just looks like a general nod to them all.

These original 1930s green and orange beach pyjamas are being worn by the lovely Jill from Adeline’s Attic and I love how she’s teamed them with matching green shoes and green tinted sunglasses. The print on these is outstanding, so 1930s.

Deep ‘V’ Beach Pyjamas​

A deep ‘V’ front was a common feature on 1930s beach pyjamas and the blue and white ones above show this perfectly. They were often made with the bodice section in a plain or pattern and then the trouser legs in the reverse. The plain section, of course, was chosen to highlight one of the colours in the print. Emileigh from Flashback Summer made quite an exceptional pair that follow this theme.

Although these three beach pyjamas have the deep ‘V’ styling, they don’t have a separate coloured bodice. The one on the right is the only one with plain and pattern sections. However, I wanted to included these pyjamas because of the two prints. They really are incredible, especially the huge circle one!

Striped Beach Pyjamas​

Now, I absolutely love beach pyjamas made in stripe fabric and these orange, grey and white ones are absolutely amazing. Just look at how wide those trouser legs are! I adore her matching hat and how she’s highlighting the pattern with charcoal grey sandals and belt.

These beautiful brightly striped seersucker beach pyjamas were again sold by Fab Gabs. They remind me of Margo’s striped playsuit from The Durrells, especially with the different directional stripe sections. I love the way the fabric has been cut to create points across the bust and down the sleeves.

The two above again follow the classic 1930s trick of changing the direction of the stripes. These two, in particular, have been a big influence on the design of my own 1930s beach pyjamas.

Reproduction Beach Pyjamas​

And lastly (thank you for sticking with me for this long!), I wanted to champion some of the wonderful reproduction 1930s beach pyjamas made by some of the talented seamstresses out there.



Firstly, these amazing ones from Marianne at Fintage.net are my absolute favourites of all of the ones I’ve featured here. She self-drafted and made them a few years ago and when she posted about them, that was it, I was completely smitten. They’re actually inspired by a photo in a Finnish magazine called Kotiliesi from 1934. Have a look at her post to see just how close she came to replicating them.



These equally nautical looking beach pyjamas made by Vivien at Fresh Frippery were made using Decades of Style’s Last Resort Beach PJs pattern. I was actually tempted by this pattern but I was determined to use the one from the Record Fashions magazine pattern sheet. I love how Vivien has kept it simple with just using red highlights on a plain deep blue.



The last beach pyajamas were made by my lovely friend Jenny from Annotations of Jenny. These were made using Wearing History’s pattern Lounging at the Lido and I particularly love how wide the trouser legs are on these. They really are quite amazing. I also really like the fact that they’re floral because I don’t think I’ve actually come across any others with such a dominant floral pattern. It’s really unusual.

So, that’s all of the wonderful inspiration, so what are my 1930s beach pyjamas going to look like? Well, you’ll have to wait until my next couple of posts to find out!

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