Men's embroidered silk-effect satin dressing gown and shorts set

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. In the same vein, have a look at our black satin dressing gown.

• 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
• Cut above the knee — nothing trails on a wet bathroom floor, nothing catches on the stairs, and it goes on and comes off in seconds — which is most of what a robe is asked to do.
• A robe you would keep — weight, finish and detail are where the money goes on a dressing gown, and all three show from across the room

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. On that note, see also our mens navy dressing gown range.