Our 18 favorite movie pajamas – Reel

Nos 18 pyjamas préférés au cinéma – Bobine
In the cinema, clothing is not just an extra and sometimes even plays the leading role. As an informed film buff, Jérôme wanted to take an interest in pajamas at the cinema and share his view on this piece with you through a selection of 18 films. Perhaps you will want to see them or rewatch them to look at them with a different eye. Good reading. Christopher.

In the cinema, clothing is not just an extra and sometimes even plays the leading role. As an informed film buff, Jérôme wanted to take an interest in pajamas at the cinema and share his view on this piece with you through a selection of 18 films. Perhaps you will want to see them or rewatch them to look at them with a different eye. Good reading. Christopher.

(Cover photo credit: Marcello Mastroianni in “Eight and a Half,” 1963 - Photo John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images / Article updated 05/20/22)

1. SIMPLEST: BUSTER KEATON IN “ STEAMBOAT BILL JR ” BY CHARLES REISNER & BUSTER KEATON (1928)

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The poster for “Steamboat Bill Jr”, 1928.

OK, it's not exactly pajamas. More like a nightgown or what used to be called a liquette. It is white, ample, really very long , with buttons that go up to the collar.

It was the outfit before pajamas, a piece brought from India during the 19th century. It subsequently became the nightwear that we all know. What appeals here, beyond the simplicity of the outfit: an impassive face, a body that allows itself all the pranks. Because Buster Keaton is not just an actor. He is also a stuntman.

By the way, note in the photo below that he wears the uniform very well. It's funny, a little crazy and almost a century old. This pre-stock market crash film is a treasure trove of visual ingenuity and strange, poetic humor.

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Video and photo extract: Buster Keaton in “Steamboat Bill Jr”, 1928.

For those of you who are not familiar with this universe, take a look at “The Cameraman”, “The General’s Mechanic” . Or “Sherlock Jr”, my favorite of all.

There are many things to look at in Buster Keaton's films: the boater's hat of course, but also a whole series of outfits and costumes with lunar elegance , magnified by an attitude, a gesture. That of an atypical star of silent cinema, both funny and melancholic, who was nicknamed “the man who never laughs”.

This is because between Keaton's debut in 1917 and the post-war period, cinema changed a lot. He started talking. Despite some notable roles in Charlie Chaplin's “Limelight”, Billy Wilder's “Twilight Boulevard” or Samuel Beckett's “Movie”, Buster Keaton never really recovered.

Our homewear advice and recommendations here:

2. THE MOST DIABOLICAL: RUDOLF KLEIN-ROGGE IN “ THE TESTAMENT OF DOCTOR MABUSE ” BY FRITZ LANG (1933)

Before we go any further, let's be transparent. Know that I have the same relationship with Fritz Lang as Benoît has with techwear . Impossible not to mention these very special pajamas in this little history of cinema.

It's a simple striped pajamas. It's a great classic of the men's indoor wardrobe that we find several times in the films in this selection.

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Its originality is less to be found in its style than in the person who wears it. The scene I'm thinking of takes place in the "room" of a psychiatric hospital. This man who nervously scribbles in his notebook is obviously crazy.

He is Doctor Mabuse, the greatest criminal of pre-war cinema. What is notable here: the elegance of the insane , as if an innocuous outfit could reveal the personality of its wearer.

Fritz Lang's last German film, “The Testament of Doctor Mabuse” is still astonishing in many ways today. First for its legend. Fritz Lang often said that he fled the country when Goebbels asked him to take over as head of German cinema. Then for its sense of rhythm and suspense, its visionary visual and sound style.

Let us also pay tribute to the actor Rudolf Kleine-Rogge. All the villains of modern cinema owe him a little something.

The icing on the cake is that if Doctor Mabuse is an expert in the art of manipulating minds, he also has the gift of disguise. This is especially remarkable in his first adventure (1922). But nothing prevents you from looking at the 1930s style of “Testament of Doctor Mabuse” with the eyes of a fashion lover.

To go further on the disguise:

3. MOST STYLISH: CLARK GABLE IN “ NEW-YORK MIAMI ” BY FRANK CAPRA (1934)

“Now just to show you my heart's in the right place, I'll give you my best pair of pajamas” . What do you mean, a woman wearing men's pajamas on screen? It is a scandal, for an era which must, among other things, deal with the puritanism of the Hays Code. We are indeed in the early 1930s. Welcome to America!

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Long before playing the cowboy sullen of the “Unhinged” , Clark Gable stands up to Claudette Colbert here. The tandem works wonders in this lively comedy from the most optimistic of American filmmakers, Frank Capra.

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Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in pajamas, in “New York Miami”, 1934.

Beyond the film, which has not aged a bit, let's appreciate the assertive style of the "King of Hollywood": this fine mustache, this impeccable suit, this scarf with a houndstooth pattern full of charm and above all this pajamas, which he wears like everything else with sovereign nonchalance.

Admire, for example, the pattern, the collar, the cuffs, the white edging and finally the belt which brings a supreme touch of distinction. So many small details that are highlighted by the numerous close-ups of the camera. Day or night, Clark Gable was undoubtedly one of the best dressed men of his time.

In “New York Miami”, he also delivers a few essential messages: how to hitchhike properly, eat donuts or undress elegantly. The American public then discovered to their amazement that he was not wearing an undershirt under his shirt .

It’s a “heresy” that will seemingly influence men’s fashion. Underwear sales will indeed collapse when the film is released. If you are a fan of Panache , you will like “New York Miami”.

For more Clark Gable in Reel:

4. MOST CHOREOGRAPHED: GENE KELLY IN “ AN AMERICAN IN PARIS ” BY VINCENTE MINNELLI (1951)

Paris, 1951. Vincente Minnelli's camera approaches the window of an apartment. Someone's knocking at the door. A man in his bed wakes up quietly. It's the American Gene Kelly, one of the most famous dancers in Hollywood.

He is wearing comfortable striped pajamas, alternating cream and pastel colors. The entire sequence will be a dream for apprentice dancers and small space designers alike.

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If we remember Gene Kelly's sparkling smile and beautiful body mechanics, nothing prevents us from also stopping at some cool outfits from this iconic film. A spring outfit that hits the mark, for example? Brown moccasins, white socks, cream pants (loose and with cuffs), brown belt, sky blue shirt, sand-colored blazer. And “voila”, in French in the film.

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Gene Kelly in “An American in Paris”, 1951.

A classic of American music, “ An American in Paris” is a tribute to the music of Georges Gershwin. It is also a film full of references to French painting. The decorations thus echo the work of Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir or Douanier Rousseau. The last 20 minutes of the film, all in pictorial dreaminess and precise choreography, still have an impact today.

We can of course smile at this “postcard” vision of a bohemian Paris. However, there remains something very current in this Technicolor film: the life that sings, its little dance steps, its perpetual tap dancing. A whole art of movement, which Gene Kelly masters here to perfection.

To dance a little more:

5. MOST TRADITIONAL: CHISHU RYU IN “ EARLY SUMMER ” BY YASUJIRO OZU (1951)

Ah Japan, its textile materials, its denim, its philosophy! None of this escapes you, if you read us regularly. But what about Japanese cinema?

At the beginning of the 1950s, it did not yet exist on the maps of the West. If Akira Kurosawa triumphs at the Venice Film Festival (with “Rashomon”, 1951), very few people have heard of all the others, in particular the great masters Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu.

It would take a long time, until the end of the 1970s at least, for Ozu to finally become more widely known in France. And even then, for only a few films. It has often been said that Ozu's cinema was zen, that it contained within itself everything that makes up the spirit and culture of Japan. But his gaze extends well beyond the society and daily life of his island. There is something universal about it.

This is evidenced by this very beautiful film from 1951 in which we discover a marvelous pure cinema and also, this is what interests us here, outfits based on traditional kimonos, suits with wide lapels, beautiful cardigans.

Each image could be a poem, a photograph. What is astonishing with this very particular aesthetic, filmed at the level of the tatami, is that we feel everything, right down to the grain of the fabric. No pajamas here however but a beautiful indoor/night kimono worn by Chishu Ryu, Ozu's favorite actor. It's a black and white piece by necessity, but like everything we love about Japanese textiles. The little story, the texture, the nuances.

For other adventures in Japan:

6. THE MOST MUSIC-HALL: JEAN GABIN IN “ FRENCH CANCAN ” BY JEAN RENOIR (1954)

The village is asleep, the atmosphere is 1900. Paris is about to discover the Moulin Rouge magazines and the French Cancan. But for now, we discover a room, a bed, a force of nature and the bare back of a woman as Renoir the father would paint.

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For Jean Gabin's character, the awakening is rather brutal: “Hey, boss, get up! It’s the bailiff.” This is how we discover a mischievous man in beautiful ecru pajamas. Peter Pan collar and striped dressing gown . A gentle echo of the Commedia dell'arte spirit of Renoir's previous film ("The Golden Coach")?

Between Jean Gabin and Jean Renoir, it's obviously quite a story: "Les Bas-Fonds", "La Grande illusion", "La Bête humaine", three films among Gabin's best before the war, undoubtedly his most successful period. more inspiring in terms of style.

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Jean Gabin and Françoise Arnoul, in “French Cancan”, 1954.

When he filmed “French Cancan”, Renoir had already completed the majority of his cinematographic work. It is an inexhaustible source. Let us recall if necessary that he resolved the most great mystery of the universe .

Failing to be able to tour as he wished, at the end of the 1950s he enjoyed a nice status of consolation, that of tutelary figure of the New Wave. Thank you Truffaut. And French Cancan, in all this? Well it's a great film about the music hall, served by a businessman and seducer Gabin and a Technicolor that would almost make you forget that Father Renoir knew how to do it with colors.

To learn more about colors:

7. MOST PHOTOGENIC: JAMES STEWART IN “ COURT WINDOW ” BY ALFRED HITCHCOCK (1954)

If we had to keep only one film on the theme of pajamas, it would probably be Alfred Hitchcock's “Rear Window”. Admit that the Stewart/Kelly tandem is crazy elegant. And this unique decor also acts as a real “Proust madeleine”.

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A wheelchair, a cast, pajamas and a breathtaking view of the neighbors: James Stewart plays the role of a photojournalist who won't get dressed once. But the most observant will nevertheless notice that he wears no less than four different pajamas throughout the film.

The colors are soft. At least two beautiful light blues in the wardrobe and a few well-thought-out details (the buttons, the texture, the discreet patterns) make us forget that the cut here is essentially the same from one pajamas to the next.

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James Stewart in “Rear Window”, 1954.

If James Stewart lights up the screen from his wheelchair, his partner Grace Kelly is not left out. The fashion in the film is her: the dresses, the fashion shows, Harper's Bazaar and this navy blue flannel suit that she could see Stewart wearing, if only he wanted to leave his life as an adventurer.

“Rear Window” is a film about looking. So a film about cinema. It is also one of the most popular films from an author who subscribes to masterpieces (“Les Enchainés”, “Vertigo”, “Psychose”…).

Not to spoil anything, the film's reading levels are sufficiently multiple that we can never really get around it. There is always something to see. It is moreover all the ingenuity of Hitchcock which makes here, as often, a brief appearance in his film. Will you be able to find it?

8. THE CLASSEST: PAUL NEWMAN IN RICHARD BROOKS’ “ A PUSSY ON A BURNING ROOF ” (1958)

Without a doubt one of the best worn pajamas in this selection. Almost a second skin. It's so striking that we can't imagine anyone other than Paul Newman in it or even this film without these pajamas . The color has a haunting je ne sais quoi, the cut is perfect, ultra comfortable from the first glance. The little stylistic extras (the pockets, the collar, the cuffs, the buttons) make it an obscure object of desire. The same charm operates a little later, on another outfit which I will not spoil further.

This strange phenomenon is all the more remarkable since Paul Newman plays the role of an angry and frankly unsympathetic man for three-quarters of the film. He is an alcoholic, indifferent towards his wife (we are talking here about the very young Liz Taylor). He is also willingly unpleasant to everyone, especially his family who are not left out.

The film draws its story from a Southern author who was rather in demand in the 1950s: Tennessee Williams, to whom we owe, among others, “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Suddenly Last Summer”.

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Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” 1958.

Note that at this time, questions of sex and homosexuality in cinema still remained under the carpet. Director Richard Brooks therefore imagines another path to the original scenario.

The result is a slightly strange film, rather theatrical and a little talkative. It shines above all with its silences, its unsaid words and this guy on crutches and pajamas who sips his tranquillou drinks, from a sofa in the depths of Mississippi. American class, if you will.

9. MOST ELEGANT: CARY GRANT IN STANLEY DONEN’S “ INDISCRET ” (1958)

We no longer present Cary Grant, the most elegant American actor. He is as comfortable in a bomber jacket (“Only Angels Have Wings” by Howard Hawks) as in an advertising costume (“Death to Trousses” by Alfred Hitchcock). The formula goes for just about any type of clothing, even pajamas. This is evidenced by the two silk pieces he wears in “Indiscret”. It's a relatively little-known romantic comedy by Stanley Donen ("Singing in the Rain", that's him!).

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Let's take a closer look at Cary Grant's pajamas. The first is as daring as the scene is brief. The impression is reinforced by the Technicolor, which here lets a dapper and truly orange colored garment shine. The style is strong, punctuated with a simple white border. Clearly not for everyone. But it's Cary Grant, he's in bed, on the phone with Ingrid Bergman, and it works.

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Cary Grant on the set of “Indiscreet”, 1958.

The second is more sober, on the same model but with a half-beige, half-flesh color. It's perfect, cocooning as you wish. Note that Cary Grant is in bed again, still on the phone with Ingrid Bergman and that works too.

The exchange is rather long, the screen split. It's a filmmaker's trick to get around the ban: no couple in the same bed on screen! It's 1958, all that will soon change.

In the meantime, this little film by Stanley Donen lacks neither humor, nor tenderness, nor even beautiful outfits. It's a charming, good-natured festival, which also takes place largely in apartments.

Like a current zeitgeist? Not really. Because the confinement of “Indiscret” is willingly five stars: red roses, champagne and Picasso paintings almost everywhere on the walls.

10. MOST ATTRACTIVE: MARCELLO MASTROIANNI IN “ EIGHT AND A HALF ” BY FEDERICO FELLINI (1963)

A mirror, a man, pajamas. Thanks to a pale hospital-type light, this is how the features of one of the most emblematic actors of Italian cinema are discovered from the first minutes of “Huit et Demi”. The sequence only lasts a few seconds. But the image has undoubtedly traveled the world several times.

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For his second collaboration with Federico Fellini (the first was none other than the legendary “Dolce Vita” from 1960), Marcello Mastroianni plays the artist's double more than ever. Here he is both a filmmaker and a man on the run, tired, confused, in search of meaning and inspiration.

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Marcello Mastroianni and his pajamas in “Eight and a Half”, 1963.

We feel it even in her outfit, attractive but disordered, not really awake. In detail: a fine dressing gown, beautiful dark-colored pajamas that we imagine are a very deep blue, brightened up by what could be a light pocket.

Who honestly would push elegance to the point of wearing a pocket square in the pocket of their pajamas? It's one of the many enigmas of this film with its crazy aesthetic, magnified black and white and often major music by Nino Rota.

In the casting, Claudia Cardinale and Anouk Aimée are magnificent. Mastroianni is not far from playing his most charismatic role with “Huit et Demi”. He also wears the suit, moccasins and dark glasses like no other.

But this is clearly not the only asset of this very autobiographical film and so rightly lost in its thoughts, entirely dedicated to cinema. The year is 1963, a new era is dawning for Federico Fellini. The show can continue.

11. BEST ACCOMPANIED: CARY GRANT IN “ CHARADE ” BY STANLEY DONEN (1963)

It's pop, it's light, it's fresh. The duo formed by Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn is worth the detour alone. No “Moonriver” here, even if composer Henri Mancini holds the baton well. But outfits that parade, lines that fly and nods to cinema everywhere. Don't try to resist! Director Stanley Donen knows his job: it's perfect, very colorful, well-paced, even if a little outdated.

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Films like “Charade” were no longer made much in 1963. The golden age of Hollywood was over, the big stars were disappearing, and independent cinema was making its debut.

Halfway between a romantic comedy and a spy film, this fast-paced Parisian adventure therefore seems a little offbeat. Its strength undoubtedly lies in the fact that it was skillfully written for its film stars. On the one hand C ary Grant, always very chic in his many suits but let's face it a little tired and aging +. On the other, the radiant Audrey Hepburn, already crowned with the success of “Diamonds on the Sofa” (Blake Edwards, 1961) and here once again propelled into fashion icon, all dressed in Givenchy.

Among the film's curiosities: the tragic fate reserved for men in pajamas. This is incomprehensible, and rare enough to be underlined. The only exception to this rule, Cary Grant's character enjoys a beautiful sequence of indoor charm here.

Him: very pale green pajamas buttoned up to the collar, slippers and a thin gray dressing gown cleverly tied at the waist . Her: a simple and magnificent dressing gown, with white and deep blue edging to drown your eyes. One of the most beautiful “couples” in pajamas in cinema.

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12. THE MANLIEST: SEAN CONNERY IN “ GOLDFINGER ” BY GUY HAMILTON (1964)

Here is one that is unlikely to appear in the summary of Iris Brey's very interesting book “The Female Gaze”. The James Bond played by Sean Connery is both the most virile and the most sexist of all. But for the part that interests us, it is above all one of the most stylish.

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If Daniel Craig's most recent adventures are less documented, almost everything has already been written about the James Bond franchise of yesteryear. Women, clothes, watches, cars, you probably already know everything about 007. But have you ever stopped at the pajamas from “Goldfinger”?

Proof that all hope is not lost for our secret agent is the shared pajamas of the saga: the bottom for Sean Connery, the top for Shirley Eaton. It's a pretty light blue masculine/feminine, most likely in silk, with the white drawstring that goes well , for the relaxed feel.

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Sean Connery and Shirley Eaton in “Goldfinger,” 1964.

Another notable outfit from this colorful film: the terrycloth playsuit that appears by the pool. It's not the most accessible piece in the world, but for a Sean Connery confident in himself and his style, anything is definitely possible.

How can we talk about “Goldfinger” without also paying homage to the character of Pussy Galore? Because here the style (and the character) is also on the side of its female interpreter Honor Blackman. She was already unforgettable in the little-known third season from “The Avengers” . For the most curious, know that she is at the origin of a book entitled “Honor Blackman's Book of Self-Defense” which I do not despair of one day getting my hands on. But that's another story.

For more James Bond:

12BIS. “ GOOD KISSES FROM RUSSIA ” BY TERENCE YOUNG (1963)

Once is not usual: another James Bond film, this time directed by Terence Young, for an enlightening but somewhat futile discovery. In the recording world, we would call it a hidden song. Here, it's pajamas. Or rather its ghostly presence, which calls out to us.

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Released just before “Goldfinger”, also with Sean Connery, “Good Kisses from Russia” is certainly less colorful, more dry and nervous than Guy Hamilton’s film. However, he does not lack richness, particularly in his outfits. This is also one of the particularities of the series as a whole.

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Sean Connery and Daniela Bianchi in “Good Kisses from Russia”, 1963.

From the adventures of Sean Connery to those of Daniel Craig, there is always more or less a question, implicitly, of style and men's fashion. Note for example here: lots of costumes, a brown trilby hat, a beautiful navy wool car coat in an explosive scene. There are a few other typical pieces from the early 60s, a very pivotal period for cinema.

And the pajamas in all this? We can note light blue pajamas which we assume are very chic. We really see it very furtively, impeccably folded in a customized briefcase that we have been talking about since the beginning of the film and which will ultimately prove to be what saves our agent's life.

It's both absurd and completely magical. For the record, know that these hidden pajamas could well be the ones we discover in “Goldfinger”.

13. THE MOST WIZARD: CHRISTOPHER LEE IN “ THE HOUSE THAT KILLS ” BY PETER DUFFELL (1971)

Don't be fooled by the title: this is indeed a horror film even if you won't see a drop of blood. Disappearances, monsters, witchcraft and also vampires, all in the bucolic setting of the English countryside .

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This old house has everything you need to be scary. The ticking of the clock sets the tone, the library is full of dust and fantastic books (Poe, Tolkien, Carroll), the wood of the staircase creaks as it should and each room is full of old antique stuff . Welcome to the world of English horror films popularized at the end of the 50s by Hammer productions and a little later by Amicus.

In the cast of this modest and borderline sketch film, two of my favorite actors: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, two fine examples of gentlemen with a very British style. For fans, we come across turtlenecks, Inverallan -style cardigans, lots of typically British scarves, pants and jackets. But also knitted ties, improbable dressing gowns and colors that are not easy to wear.

I won't talk here about the vampire cape (RIP Bela Lugosi) in order to focus more on the item of clothing that interests us: pajamas by the great Christopher Lee . Ecru and brown edging, very chic, most likely in silk.

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Christopher Lee and Nyree Dawn Porter, in “The House That Kills”, 1971.

It's a room to sleep well. Except that the scene quickly turns into a nightmare. Tangled in his sheets, feverish, struggling with black magic, here he gives us a glimpse of the dark side of pajamas. Christopher Lee would find another dark side many years later in “Star Wars”, then to another extent through his metal records. Yes, this man had an extraordinary life.

If like Christopher Lee you are rather tall, our advice here:

14. THE NEWEST WAVE: JEAN-PIERRE LÉAUD IN “ THE AMERICAN NIGHT ” BY FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT (1973)

Style, spirit, panache. Here is an actor who will delight Panache fans as much as Sapristi fans. You certainly know him: his name is Jean-Pierre Léaud. Of course, who says “new wave” pajamas says Antoine Doinel and his unforgettable blue pajamas .

We discover it in “Baisers Volés”. It is carried by an electric Jean-Pierre Léaud, reciting over and over again, as if in a trance and in front of the mirror, his almost mantra “Fabienne Tabard”.

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But pajamas can also be found in our beautiful favorite of the day, also made by François Truffaut and always with Jean-Pierre Léaud. Filmed in 1973, “American Night” is marked by the fashion of its time. Checks are everywhere, yellow and brown triumph, trouser bottoms and shirt collars are widening.

In terms of stylistic curiosities, let us cite the astonishing modernity of actor Bernard Menez for his dark velvet pants, his furry shoes (several pairs here) and his nicely colored striped shirt.

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Dani and Jean-Pierre Léaud in “American Night”, 1973.

As for pajamas, they are most often uncovered at night, in the rooms and corridors of a hotel. Let's take that of Jean-Pierre Léaud: a white shirt, like an oriental reminiscence of the piece worn at the very beginning of our journey by Buster Keaton. Its other “homewear” asset? A beautiful terry toweling bathrobe with cream and salmon stripes that he wears bathed in the sun when he wakes up.

Finally, let's note the blue pajamas of François Truffaut, here actor and filmmaker of his own film. It is in this outfit that he dreams at night of his “400 Blows”, of Orson Welles and of cinema neon lights. Enticing program, to be rediscovered in this moving and very romanticized mise en abyme of the profession.

For more Jean-Pierre Léaud at Truffaut:

15. MOST COMPLEX: ERLAND JOSEPHSON IN “ SCENES FROM MARRIED LIFE ” BY INGMAR BERGMAN (1974)

We might as well say it straight away: we come across pajamas very, very often in Ingmar Bergman's cinema. As for style, it is perhaps more to be found on the side of women, very often in the unforgettable Bibi Andersson, one of the Swedish filmmaker's favorite actresses along with Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin.

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Let us cite for example the timeless class of his character in “Persona” or, from memory, the almost prophetic modernity of his silhouette in “The Devil's Eye”, jeans and white shirt as if taken from the BonneGueule women's capsule .

That being said, let's return to men's fashion, which doesn't fare so badly at Bergman: if my first choice had initially fallen on the pajamas of the late Max Von Sydow in "Shame" (1968), those that Erland Josephson's complex character carries in "Scenes from Married Life" are not bad either.

In detail: a brown/orange one with white edging and its adjoining brown dressing gown as well as two striped models, one cream and honey, the other blue-gray-white. The three are very comfortable and the bed duvets are elsewhere soft as desired .

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Erland Josephson and Liv Ulmann in “Scenes from Married Life”, here in its television version broadcast one before the film's theatrical release.

Everywhere else: ties, tweed jackets, a pipe, glasses, a Volvo station wagon and two children we never see but often talk about. Obviously, the whole subject of the film is in its title and it is very beautiful, both in the game and in the photo, even if we can of course prefer the 1973 television version, which is a bit longer and nicely sequenced. , like a series.

16. THE MOST “OUTERWEAR”: PETER FALK IN “ A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE ” BY JOHN CASSAVETES (1974)

In terms of style, we could devote an entire article to American filmmaker and actor John Cassavetes. We owe him, among other things, the film “Husbands”, and if I don't know the precise history of the beautiful brand of the same name, I like to think that Cassavetes has a little to do with it.

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The character is in any case fascinating and his films are unique. He would also have his place as an actor in this selection, if only for the pajamas he wears in “Rosemary's Baby” by Roman Polanski (1968). However, how can we ignore Peter Falk's truly all-terrain homewear piece in “A Woman Under the Influence”?

Let's be clear: these are not pajamas but rather a light blue terrycloth dressing gown which here doubles as a coat (the cut and design of the collar lend themselves to this), an interior jacket (with everyday clothes underneath, gray shirt and brown pants), a dressing gown obviously but also… pajamas ! Because yes, Peter Falk sleeps with it, in a sofa bed that we imagine is anything but comfortable.

All this is of course reminiscent of the iconic piece of his career: Lieutenant Columbo's irremovable raincoat. Same slumped and wrinkled effect here, like an amused nod to the series in a film that could not be more serious and moving, carried at arm's length by the interpretation of Gena Rowlands.

This is one of Peter Falk's finest roles and the most astonishing piece in this selection. I'll let you appreciate everything else in his wardrobe, in particular his shapeless bucket hat and his very nice Sunday teddy jacket.

17. MOST OVERSIZED: GÉRARD DEPARDIEU IN “ LOULOU ” BY MAURICE PIALAT (1980)

With the cinema of Maurice Pialat, we touch on a (personal) youthful obsession. No notion of style here except the films themselves: intense, raw, harsh, often truer than life itself and sometimes also popular . They are to be taken as they come and very often, it feels like a good slap in the face.

As evidenced by this slightly punchy film from 1980, a period that I love his films regularly dry, nervous, with a slightly pale light in the eyes.

At the heart of a social and romantic intrigue that brings together Isabelle Huppert and Guy Marchand, “Loulou” could only be Gérard Depardieu, here at his peak. Note that the actor and the character are as if inseparable.

film loulou maurice pialat gerard depardieu isabelle huppert black white

© New Yorker Films/Getty Images

“Loulou” pajamas are therefore oversized by nature. You won't see him much anyway. Because here we much prefer nudity in the bedroom. However, we discover him in the hospital, in a relative moment of tranquility: he is obviously uninhibited but above all blue with stripes, in perfect harmony with this resolutely extraordinary character.

Everywhere else, we find a lot of what made the style of this period in France. Knitwear, of course, sweaters too perhaps, but not only that. In this sense, the scene in the countryside will give you other ideas, and also certainly, some thrills: it's truly as if we were there.

As for Depardieu, he wears an all-black outfit that we don't usually recommend here: worn-out perfecto, boots, t-shirt, shirt and black jeans. It's the ideal dressing room for this king of mischief and it works precisely because this film has something definitely rock'n'roll.

For more stories with Perfecto:

18. MOST WATCHED: JONATHAN PRYCE IN TERRY GILLIAM’S “ BRAZIL ” (1985)

The year is 1985. Science fiction is enriched by at least two new cinema classics: the timeless “Back to the Future” by Robert Zemeckis and the darker “Brazil” by Terry Gilliam.

It is precisely there, at the home of this former member of Monty Python, that we find our pajamas of the day, those of a sweet dreamer played by Jonathan Pryce .

One is red with white stripes, pleasant to wear, almost nice as long as you accept living in a society governed by force and bureaucracy. The other is plain, sullen, blue-gray prisoner in a situation which really does not bode well.

brazil film terry gilliam jonathan pryce pajamas gray black

© Embassy International Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Jonathan Pryce and his pajamas in “Brazil”, 1985.

“Brazil” is the story of a man who dreams and a revolting, absurd world, surrounded by gray. On the program for this adventure under very close surveillance: overcoats, costumes and hats for everyone, but only those of Humphrey Bogart and American film noir of the 1940s.

Everywhere else: loneliness, empty and sad people, tons of forms and procedures, police uniforms, intervention outfits as armed as they are muscular and for offenders, chains and a reinforced vest.

In this world, fashion no longer exists and Robert de Niro is forced to live in hiding. We have experienced more fun, more free and more colorful. Welcome to the ultra-police world of “Brazil”, a beautiful homage to the noir cinema of Fritz Lang and a true waking nightmare, here clearly inspired by the writings of Franz Kafka and George Orwell.

If the picture is dark, baroque and, let's admit it, sometimes too much, there is however a way out of this avalanche of gray. For style: our Vini striped suit. For everything else: The Great Escape, even if the title is already taken.

To go further, a small selection of homewear from the editorial staff:

Jérôme Olivier Jérôme Olivier
Jerome Olivier, cinema, velvet and rock'n'roll

Former wine merchant and pocket rock critic, great lover of films and Siberian cats, I create emails and I am interested in the little stories that go with clothes.

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