Women's short green satin 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. 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. For more on this, browse our green dressing gown ladies.

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.

• 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.
• 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 satin dressing gowns for women.