Men's black silk-effect satin dressing gown with contrast trim

Start with what the garment is for: a dressing gown is for the hours either side of sleep: the kettle at seven, the sofa at ten. Satin is a weave, not a fibre: the threads float across the surface, which is what gives the sheen and the drape. It falls rather than wraps, and it stays cool against the skin. That is the difference between a satin robe and one that only looks the part.

In use it shows up as one thing: it falls instead of standing away from the body — there is no bulk at the shoulder and no weight at the hem, so the line stays clean. There is more of this in our mens satin dressing gown range.

Men ask about room across the back and enough length in the sleeve before anything else, and they are right to — it is where most robes fall down. There is more of this in our mens red dressing gown range.

• Cool to the touch — it holds no heat, which is what makes it wearable over nightwear in a warm room
• It photographs beautifully — the reason this is the one that ends up in getting-ready photographs
• A contrast trim — worked at the collar and the cuffs, where the eye actually lands
• Belt loops that hold the belt — a small thing, and the first thing missing on a cheap robe

Satin is not warm, and it is not meant to be. For a cold house in January, fleece or towelling is the right call — this one is for the shoulder season and for heated rooms. Hand wash cold and hang to dry. Treated that way, a satin dressing gown lasts five winters rather than one — the difference between a robe you keep on the back of the door and one you replace every autumn. In the same vein, have a look at our black satin dressing gown.