1. Bedtime Story.(Olatz Schnabel)

Byline: FLORENCE KANE editor: Sally Singer

Olatz Schnabel's pajamas are a sleeper hit.

It wasn't too long after Olatz Schnabel opened her Manhattan bedclothes store in 2005 that she started creating simple and beautifully made sleeping clothes, too. "It's good for a linen shop," she says. "People like them. And, of course, I'm married to Julian. He was definitely our first client."

Yes, that Julian, famed for his work as an artist and director but also for his tendency to wear pajamas--especially those designed by his wife--in public. At the Cannes Film Festival, he wore a navy-blue pair while promoting his latest film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (his wife has a role in the movie). He did change into a tuxedo to accept his Best Director award (he also won the Golden Globe and got an Oscar nod). As it turns out, the ever-innovative Mr. Schnabel has been revolutionary with his look. And Mrs. Schnabel, though her colorful pajamas, nightshirts and gowns, and slips have a classic feel, has been in her own way just as pioneering.

With the spring collections, the rest of fashion woke up to the notion that what we wear to bed can be just as chic in the light of day. Miuccia Prada, for one, has made pajama-like suits, complete with piping on the trim, in graphic plaids and fairy-printed chiffon. At Christian Dior, John Galliano has dreamed up a slouchy ...