17 SEPTEMBER 2005, Page 49

Q. Your correspondent is embarrassed by his pyjama trousers gaping

at breakfast in mixed company. Have you ever heard of the old fashioned nightshirt as worn by Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’s Christmas Carol? It can be bought in brushed cotton from Johnsons of

Brighton or in silk from Patra, the ladies’ fashion merchant. Since I discovered how comfortable it is I never want another pair of pyjamas. The matching night cap is not obligatory.

S.F., Sanderstead, Surrey A. Provided the nightshirt is lengthy enough to exclude the risk of seated exposure, this may well be a good solution.