Women's bathrobe, lightweight

Start with what the garment is for: a bathrobe earns its place in the ten minutes after a bath, when you want to be dry and warm at the same time. Cotton is the natural fibre everything else is measured against: it breathes, it takes a hot wash, and it does not hold on to smells the way a synthetic does. That is the difference between a cotton robe and one that only looks the part.

In use it shows up as one thing: it breathes properly — no clamminess after twenty minutes, which is what makes it the sensible choice for a warm bedroom. The same need shows up in our ladies summer dressing gown.

Women ask about the cut through the shoulder and where the belt sits at the waist before anything else, and they are right to — it is where most robes fall down. On that note, see also our lightweight dressing gown range.

• It takes a hot wash — 60°C when it needs it, without the fabric giving up
• It stays comfortable against skin all day — the reason it is the default for anyone with sensitive skin
• Cut for a fuller figure — room across the back and through the arm, and a belt long enough to tie properly — which is where most robes fail
• Belt loops that hold the belt — a small thing, and the first thing missing on a cheap robe

Cotton creases, and it takes longer to dry than a synthetic. Neither matters much on a dressing gown, but it is worth knowing before you buy. Machine wash at 40°C. Treated that way, a cotton bathrobe 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. There is more of this in our ladies plus size dressing gown range.