How to Style Silk So It Doesn't Look Like Pajamas
Quick answer: To style silk, wear one silk piece at a time and pair it with something plainer and rougher: denim, cotton, a fine knit or a jacket. A slip works over a fitted T-shirt or under a sweater. A camisole goes under a blazer or into high-waisted jeans. Keep the shine to one item and the pajama effect goes away.
On September 21, 1996, about 40 guests in a candlelit church on Cumberland Island, Georgia, watched Carolyn Bessette marry John F. Kennedy Jr. in a bias-cut gown of silk crepe. Three decades on, it's still the picture many people mean when they say "simple."
There was no trick to that gown beyond the cut and the cloth. The cut has a history of its own. Madeleine Vionnet, working in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, is often credited with inventing the bias. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's catalog points out that she didn't, and that what she did was bring it out of hidden details and make it the point of the dress. Cloth cut on the diagonal moves with the body, and silk moves more than most.
That's the pleasure of silk, and also its problem. The same qualities that made that gown can make a slip look like, well, a slip. Everything below is about managing that, and none of it depends on what this season's runways are doing.
How do you style silk without looking like you're in pajamas?
Pair one silk piece with something plainer and rougher, and let it be the only shiny thing you're wearing. Sleepwear reads as sleepwear when everything is soft and everything gleams. Put a slip with a denim jacket, a camisole with a wool blazer or silk pants with a ribbed cotton tank, and the outfit stops suggesting bedtime.
Shoes do more of this work than you'd expect. Sneakers, loafers and boots all pull silk back toward daytime. A matching silk layer on top does the opposite.
Which kinds of silk look least like sleepwear?
Matte weaves such as crêpe de Chine and denser ones such as twill look least like sleepwear, while glossy charmeuse looks the most like it. The name on the listing tells you a lot before you try anything on.
| Silk | What it looks like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Charmeuse (silk satin) | Glossy face, matte back, very fluid; drapes and doesn't hold a shape | Slips, camisoles, evening, with care in daylight |
| Crêpe de Chine | Soft and fluid with a matte surface | Blouses and daytime dresses |
| Twill | Fine diagonal rib, denser and more structured | Scarves that hold a knot |
| Taffeta | Crisp and smooth; holds its own shape | Full pants, skirts, evening |
How do you wear a silk slip during the day?
Treat it as a dress that wants a layer: a fitted T-shirt under it, or a sweater or jacket over it. A white cap-sleeve tee under a slip was a 1990s uniform, and it still solves straps and bra lines in one move. The look came back in the late 2010s and has stayed around, so you can stop waiting for permission.
In cold months, try a thin turtleneck underneath with boots, or a chunky sweater over the top so that the silk shows only from the waist down. For a warm evening, it can go out on its own with good shoes, once you've checked it in daylight. Light colors can turn sheer, so hold it up to a window before you trust it.
What goes under it matters more than with most fabrics, since bias-cut silk shows every seam. Choose something smooth and close to your skin tone, whatever the color of the slip.
The LS Silk nightgown is a slip shape in 19-momme, 100% mulberry silk, with a loose, relaxed cut, in sizes S to XL. It was cut for sleeping, so by day give it a layer: a sweater over it, or a fitted tee underneath.
How do you wear a silk camisole?
Wear it as a top: under a jacket, or tucked into high-waisted jeans. Under a blazer, it does what a shell does, with more interest at the neckline. Check the strap width against your own office before you take the blazer off. In jeans, tuck it all the way and let it blouse slightly, because silk slides and a half-tuck won't stay put for long. In fall, it can sit under an open cardigan.
The LS Silk camisole is 100% mulberry silk, in sizes S to XL.
How do you wear silk pants?
Keep everything else plain: a fitted tee, a fine knit, a blazer if the day calls for one. Pants in a crisp silk such as taffeta hold their shape and can stand up to a strong color. Fluid ones drape, and they show more of what's under them. Either kind creases at the knee and lap, so plan on a steamer. LS Silk doesn't make them, so this one is for your own closet or a good vintage store.
How do you wear a silk scarf with an outfit?
Let it be the one bit of silk among ordinary things: at the neck of a white shirt, in your hair or on a bag handle. How to wear a silk scarf has the folds and knots, step by step, and the LS Silk scarves come in square and long shapes.
What should you watch out for when wearing silk?
Marks and snags, mostly. Put on perfume and deodorant first and let them dry before silk goes on. On hot days, damp patches show most on solid colors, so a print is the easier choice from June to August. Rings, rough bag straps and hook-and-loop closures can catch the surface.
Afterward, hand wash cold, or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag with mild detergent. Hang or lay flat to dry, and do not bleach or tumble dry. How to care for silk clothing has more on garments, and why silk deteriorates explains what the years do.
See LS Silk nightgowns and camisoles →
About forty people in a candlelit church on an island off Georgia saw one plain length of silk, worn without fuss. That's still the whole method. One good piece, and everything around it a little quieter.
Frequently asked questions
What do you wear under a silk slip?
Something smooth, seam-free and close to your skin tone, since bias-cut silk shows every line. A fitted T-shirt or thin turtleneck also works as a visible layer. Check light colors against a window before you rely on them, because they can turn sheer.
Can you wear a silk camisole to work?
Usually, yes, as long as it stays under a blazer or cardigan in most business-casual offices. Tuck it fully so it stays put, and check the strap width against your own office's norms before you take the jacket off.
Can you wear silk in winter?
You can, with layers. Try a slip over a thin turtleneck with boots, a chunky sweater over a slip so the silk shows only from the waist down, or a camisole under a wool blazer. Silk here is about the look: rely on your other layers for warmth.
What shoes go with a silk slip?
For daytime, shoes with some weight or texture, such as sneakers, loafers or boots, pull it away from sleepwear. Save delicate heels for the evening, when the silk is meant to look dressed up.
Can you wear a silk nightgown as a dress?
You can if the shape and opacity work, and a layer helps. A nightgown is cut for sleeping, so wear it under a sweater or jacket or over a fitted tee rather than on its own by day. Dark colors tend to read the most like a dress.
Related reading: What Is Silk Charmeuse? · The Silk Robe: A Short History · How to Buy Real Silk Online