I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I completely lost my sense of personal style when I became a mom. I was always someone who loved to get dressed up — I never gave up on comfort, but I liked to look put together. As soon as I became a mother, though, I seemingly forgot how to get myself dressed, choosing clothing that came perilously close to looking like I had raided Adam Sandler’s wardrobe.

While my sense of style has (slowly) come back over time, it did so with some major changes. Now, pieces have to be more functional, allowing me to run after a rather rambunctious toddler instead of just lounging about (oh, how I miss lounging). But, as I forged ahead into this new phase of my personal style, I was able to look back and find an old favorite in my closet that fit the bill perfectly for mom life: the viral “nap dress.”

What is a nap dress?

Although similar styles have sprung up in recent years, this comfy-chic piece of clothing first developed a cult-like following with the debut of Hill House Home’s signature Nap Dress. On the Hill House Home website, founder Nell Diamond describes the garment as “soft, comfortable, and pretty enough to wear all day and night.”

She goes on to explain her inspiration behind the signature piece, saying, “I wanted to design something that allowed me to feel like myself during a 3 a.m. feeding when I’m so bone-tired and have four thousand emails, and I’m thinking about taxes and my laundry and my to-do list.”

Umm, is there any mom who can’t relate to that? While the Nap Dress began with just the Ellie Nap Dress, the style has since grown to include a variety of different shapes and styles. But no matter the style, you can rest assured that you’ll be getting a dress that looks like you put a lot of effort in but is so comfortable that it’s really effortless.

My Top Nap Dress Picks

As the Nap Dress became a viral sensation (you may have even seen Taylor Swift recently wearing a piece from the line), the collection has grown substantially, with seasonal launches coming every few months. These have been a few of my favorite picks from Hill House Home.

The Ellie Nap Dress

The Vivi Nap Dress

The Louisa Nap Dress

Similar Styles to Shop

If you love the look of Hill House Home’s Nap Dress but want to dip your toe into the trend before splurging on their pieces, try these similar budget-friendly options from Amazon.

Why I’m Obsessed With Nap Dresses

I don’t think I fully appreciated how effortless this dress was until I became a mom. As I’m sure many other mothers understand, my sense of style fell to the wayside after giving birth. At any given moment, it felt like I was covered in breast milk, spit up, or worse, so I saw no point in putting on anything aside from loungewear.

My first foray into feeling more like myself was to peek into my closet and remember my collection of nap dresses. They were essential in helping me feel a little more like myself: put together but still comfortable enough that I didn’t want to immediately change out of it.

Since then, the nap dress — and Hill House Home’s Ellie version, in particular — has continued to be a staple for me through the first year of my daughter’s life and into toddlerhood. It’s withstood me playing around on the floor, wrangling a tantrum, having spaghetti thrown at me, and everything in between.

In other words, it’s basically the perfect mom dress.