Eileen West - A Lovely Inconsequence

$ 12.50

4.5 (551) In stock

Can you bear another nightgown story? Please say yes. Since my local department store no longer carries beautiful Eileen West nightgowns, I was delighted when the Vermont Country Store sent me their latest catalog. It was filled with the flowing and voluminous gowns of Eileen West. I selected two special ones and promptly placed an order. My first experience with an Eileen West nightgown was when the marvelous period film, Young Victoria was released a few years ago. Both my daughter and I fell in love with the plain white cotton nightgown that Victoria wore on her wedding night to her betrothed Prince Albert. Chaste and then not chaste, it was simple and romantic. For Christmas that year, my daughter gave me a look-alike – my first Eileen West. Since then, I have added two other models to my collection and now two more. All are billowing cotton and half are knits – and Eileen West puts just as much detail into her knits as she does with her batiste cotton and woven gowns. All the feminine touches are there – the petite shell buttons, the smocking, lace, and the fanciful dancing prints that are so subtle and pretty. It’s hard to choose just one. I did a little research the other day for a potential feature article on the gowns and discovered (and how did I not know this?), that Eileen West is not just a corporate entity but also an actual woman. However much I was excited about this, I was also saddened to learn that she died and only recently. I’ll stop to state here that she died unexpectedly and to everyone that knew her, loved her, and worked with her, it was a hard blow. There is a lesson in that which can be taken up another day… Born Aileen Reiss in Marin County California, Eileen was a dreamy child who drew flowers, painted, journaled, and loved fashion and ballet. When she grew up, she became disenchanted with the polyester sleepwear of the 1950’s and 60’s and began to design nightgowns in pure cotton evocative of all her childhood loves. There are ballet-length gowns, florals, and those with dressmaker details. The style of the gowns has changed little since the company was born in 1978 and they are still very recognizable with sweeping hems and bodices of ribbons and trim. One can even identify the colorful knit gowns as being from the hand of Eileen West. The 1960’s fashion firm, Aileen, which advertised extensively in Seventeen Magazine, took aim at the name of the company and thus, Aileen West became Eileen West. West is short for Westerbeke, Eileen’s husband’s family name. Now Eileen West has come to signify the affordable luxury of fine-crafted sleepwear and home goods. Every account I’ve read about Eileen, including her obituary, casts her as a lovely and quiet woman. She was generous with her family, friends and employees, gifting the latter every Christmas with nightgowns. I could not respect this woman, her company, and her product more. Not to mention that my gowns make me feel like a period piece heroine, billowing across the moors, standing on an ancient stone balcony to receive a lover, or perhaps I am simply a wistful young maiden writing a long letter by candlelight. PS: Thank you to reader Judy who sent me the wonderful image at the top. Not sure if it’s an Eileen West nightgown, but her thoughtful pose and the style suggest an Eileen West. They are made for dreaming…