Women's grey star print dressing gown

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. 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. The same need shows up in our womens short dressing gown.

• 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 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.
• Star print — a print that works at bedtime without being babyish

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 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. There is more of this in our womens grey dressing gown range.