It was inconvenient when both of my go-to nightgowns died this summer, but it was also a cause for celebration. Finally I could justify ordering the Freya Sweet Dreams chemise! I’d wanted to try it ever since trying the Sweet Dreams long sleeve top and lounge pants in April. To make the shipping worth it, I also ordered the Midnight Grace Camelia and Bow Jersey.

Let’s dispense with the Camelia first. Lesson learned: If a Midnight Grace sleepwear item isn’t described as having “hidden support”, then there’s no way G+ boobs are going to stay within their designated bosom boundaries (unless the bosom is encompassed by stretch lace, as with the Pandora, although I haven’t actually tried the Pandora).

midnight grace big bust purple chemise

I don’t know how the Figleaves model keeps her breasts inside the bust triangles, but that wasn’t going to happen for me without a bra, and a bra would detract from the dainty straps and keyhole front. I love the idea of this design–elegantly sexy with the pretty satin accent–but in practice, it just doesn’t work.

Before moving on to the more successful chemises, I want to mention something that will come up repeatedly during this series: sagging. On the one hand, I hesitate to share pictures like the one above left because I prefer to be seen when I am lifted.  On the other hand, how I look without a bra is nothing to be ashamed of. I think that each one of us has our own comfort level with how low our bosoms can go, and it is likely a different comfort level in public from what it is in private.

For me, the key criteria for sleepwear is whether it makes me look good (comfort is a given), but what “looks good” in the bedroom is much more subjective than it is on the street. If I say that I dislike a nightgown because it makes me look saggy, what’s really going on is that the nightgown fails to make my sagginess look good to me. I truly believe it is possible for designers to create clothing that takes into account the natural droop of our unconstrained breasts, making us look beautiful to ourselves.

This is especially important in the realm of sleepwear because most women don’t wear bras to bed. Unfortunately, sleepwear as photographed on most models might as well be outerwear. Either the models’ breasts simply don’t droop, or they’re wearing bras, or perhaps they’re photoshopped. The difference between how a nightgown looks on a model and how it looks on a DD+ shopper could easily cause the shopper to believe that her droopiness is the problem. It isn’t. It’s simply necessary for us to figure out by trial and error which cuts, seams and prints will flatter the unbound DD+ bust, and what exactly “flatter” means to each of us.

In this series, you’ll get an idea of what nightgowns I think do and don’t flatter me, and hopefully this will help you when you’re ready to go shopping. It would be wonderful if you would chime in with what you have learned as well because, although I’ve made some interesting discoveries along the way that I’m going to share with you, I haven’t tested the entire universe of nightgowns, and my lessons ended when I found one that I liked.

Speaking of nightgowns that I like, I would have been fine with either the Freya Sweet Dreams or the Midnight Grace Bow Jersey filling the nightgown void in my wardrobe. So that you can better appreciate the advantages of the Bow Jersey, I’m going to begin with the Sweet Dreams. I ordered it in Medium/E-G.

freya sweet dream big bust chemise

There’s so much that I like about this chemise:

  • Freya Lounge’s “secret support” feature lifts my breasts into the bust triangles
  • the fabric is thick enough to smooth over my bulges
  • the straps are fully adjustable
  • the design is elegant.

And yet. I ran into the same issue that I had with the long-sleeved top in Medium/B-DD: the weight of my breasts inside the support shelf pulled the cream binding down from the neckline so that it didn’t lie flat.  I tried to talk myself into believing it wouldn’t bother me, but I knew it would. As you’ll see with the Bow Jersey chemise, this issue is completely avoidable.

I ordered the Bow Jersey in UK size 16. The Sweet Dreams chemise is far above the Bow Jersey in quality. The Bow Jersey fabric is thin, the straps are only partly adjustable, and the seam finishes are not as nice. However, I LOVED the vibrant pink so much more than the serious charcoal of the Sweet Dreams.

midnight grace busty chemise pink

But here’s what makes the Bow Jersey chemise a strong option in the DD+ sleepwear market: the outstanding amount of boob room in its hidden support.

comparing big bust room in sweet dreams and bow jersey

The Sweet Dreams secret support barely contained my breasts, and it took to the very bottom edge of the elastic band to do so. The Bow Jersey fully contained my breasts with room to spare. In addition to measuring the flat length of the cup room, I also stretched each cup area to see how many more inches it would accommodate:

  • Sweet Dreams: 11.5 inches
  • Bow Jersey: 17 inches

In other words, the Sweet Dreams chemise in Medium/E-G works fine for a G cup, but the Bow Jersey can fit well beyond an H cup.

comparing big bust interior support sweet dreams bow jersey
Notice the shirring at the center of the Bow Jersey hidden support, as well as the extra band of fabric just above the elastic. The Sweet Dreams, on the other hand, simply has gathers just below the bust.
comparing sides of sweet dreams and bow jersey big bust chemise
Smooth edge at side on Sweet Dreams. Gathered edge at side on Bow Jersey.

Perhaps the Sweet Dreams chemise couldn’t have offered as much fabric in its secret support and still maintained its streamlined look. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this. I also wonder if the Sweet Dreams caused more lift by having less fabric, whereas the extra fabric in the Bow Jersey allowed my breasts to sit lower.

In the end, I returned all three chemises. Reviewing my search criteria, here’s how the three stacked up.

Simple chemise or calf-length gown: all three

Pretty and feminine: Camelia and Bow Jersey

Make me look good: Sweet Dreams and Bow Jersey

Element of fantasy and pretend: Camelia

Cost less than $50: all three were close ($58 for Midnight Grace, $51 for Freya)

side by side sweet dreams bow jersey camelia