lol I've created underwear confusion.

To clarify: I'm a Brit asking the name for the bottom half of women's sleep wear.

On the underwear, I've heard women's bottoms being called pants and knickers over here, but mostly knickers, so 'panties' from the other side of the pond always throws me. The first time I thought an author meant trousers and that really did not fit in the context *grins*.

I think they started making women's boxers for sleeping because we kept running off with the guy's underwear ;)