Daily Sleeper Review

*I purchased all my pieces except for the gingham Rumba suit which was an ad/pr product, and this article contains affiliate links*

I am sure you have seen by now on Instagram that I am a HUGE Sleeper fan since I discovered the brand four or so years ago, and ever since I haven’t wanted to wear much else in the summertime. It was launched in 2014 by two former fashion editors Kate Zubarieva and Asya Varetsa, and their vision was to create sleepwear that you could wear both in and out of the house. I decided to write this post as I get so many questions; I wear it religiously when it gets warm outside and hopefully will help you make up your mind if it is for you or not. I’m going to focus on the dresses, and mainly linen pieces, as that’s where I get the most FAQs. 

Is it worth it? 

This is the most common question I get asked, the price point of Sleeper dresses make them an investment; my first purchase was a red Brigette dress back in early 2019, I picked it up in their sale after eyeing it up for months. I scrolled back to my messages with Sleeper (when you tag a brand in your stories it shows up in your inbox on Instagram), and history tells me that I loved it so much I shortly bought my second dress in the June of the same year. Personally, I love the quality, each one is hand made and when you order directly with Sleeper, your item arrives with a card telling you who made that piece. Each one comes in its own dust bag, and after wearing some of my dresses for three years I find that they wear really well. I’ve had a couple of buttons come off here or there, but that’s at the bottom of the dress, where the split is, so kind of to be expected if you’re being particularly adventurous / playing with your child / being animated in the beer garden. 

Most of their dresses and pyjamas are made from linen, again this is perfect for me as I run hot in the summer months. After being pregnant, I have never quite cooled down, so breathable, natural fabrics are high on my wish list. Also, I love things that can be easily laundered, and my collection of Sleeper dresses have all been through cold washes, hung to dry and then steamed. If you’re not a fan of ironing or steaming, then they might not be for you; as they are linen, they do crease when washing, but as it’s more of a heavier linen they do pass my crease test*. Things you might not like is that of course linen can be slightly see-through, I wear flesh-coloured underwear and that’s enough for me, you could always wear a slip if you wanted, but that kinda defeats the cooling aspect that I love. 

Which style is your favourite?

What a question. I started off with the Brigette, this is the short puffy-sleeved column dress with buttons down the front centre. I then graduated onto the Atlanta, which is the one you probably see more of round the Internet. It has a shirred chest, with puffier longer billowy sleeves, that can be worn on or off the shoulder. I love both styles equally, but something to think about is the Brigette is better when it’s really hot, as the Atlanta can get a bit warm with the sleeves. But as I mentioned, I run hot in the summer, so it’s down to personal preference. Also, I don’t know if it will help your decision at all, but the Atlanta comes with a matching hair tie, which is a really nice attention to detail. 

Colour and print wise, I just can’t choose. They do classic solid linens, such as black, navy, white and seasonal pastels, alongside seasonal prints. I think they are all in the realm of ‘classic’ and won’t date easily, I have a red gingham, Mimosa (which is now discontinued) and pink gingham, printed or plain, both do it for me, but if I had to choose maybe a block colour Brigette and a patterned Atlanta. 

Now unfortunately for me, Sleeper’s new designs just keep on getting better. Whilst I vowed ‘no more’, one of their new summer styles that I love, is the Rumba Lounge Suit. I love it because I love wearing trousers in the summer, sometimes thigh chaffing can be annoying, even with my favourite Megababe on. I’m already in possession of the pink gingham lounge suit, with the daisies set on the way. I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of them both, wearing them together, but also with t-shirts too. The Rumba also comes with a square of matching fabric which is meant for use as a headscarf, but I’ll be tying mine onto my basket bags for sure. What I love about Sleeper, is that the attention to detail is never forgotten. 

What size do you take?

I take an XL in all the pieces I’ve mentioned, and I would say I'm a size 18 in most places. This season, Sleeper has expanded their sizing to include an XXL and XXXL in some colours in their classic feather pyjamas, the lounge suit, the new Marie dress and my favourites, the Atlanta and Brigette. After speaking to them, I know that this is something they are going to continue to be working on, so do keep an eye on it.

Where can I get one cheaper? 

Each Sleeper piece is handmade, and hours go into each garment, you can find more about their manufacturing practises on their website here. Whilst I know they are not the most affordable pieces, once I stopped buying fast fashion, I found saving up for a dress like this meant I cherished it and wore it so much more as it was a really considered purchase. Sign up to receive Sleeper’s newsletters to be the first to find out about their sales. They don’t bombard you, and whilst I have unsubscribed from all fast fashion emails, I do enjoy receiving updates from brands I like. Secondly, Sleeper also wholesale, so you can find their clothes on Net-a-Porter, Flannels and Selfridges, which is an important thing to note when I mention this next part. There’s a website called ShopStyle, which is an affiliate site for all the shops I just mentioned, so I would recommend creating a ShopStyle profile and doing a search for ‘Sleeper’. Then favourite the pieces you like, and ask to be contacted by ShopStyle when these go on sale, you’ll be the first to know when they are reduced or have promotions at those websites. It’s how I’ve been able to shop designers I like when they are a bit out of my price bracket. Also, an eBay saved search, plus apps like Vestiaire Collective and Depop are a great place to look for second-hand ones too. Lastly, keep an eye on Studio B, who is an indie stockist of Sleeper and sometimes has exclusives. 

Did you pay imports? 

When ordering directly from Sleeper in the UK, I have never paid imports; they have two dispatch locations, which means you should avoid them but some pieces are dispatched from the US, not Ukraine, so maybe best to check with them directly. However with Brexit, I don’t know if this will continue, but with higher-priced items, I find their customer service to be great, so definitely email them if you are unsure about this.  

I hope this review has been helpful, I am, along with Candice Brathwaite, a super fan of the brand. And I love it when people message me to say they bought their first Sleeper dress and are in love! If you have any more questions, let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you. Plus let me know if you have any pieces from Sleeper, what do you think? Again, let me know in the comments! 

*I scrunch up fabric in my hand for a few seconds to see what clothes will look like when you sit down / live life in them. If it looks too creased, it’s not meant to be.