Women's white and pink Christmas print velvet 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. Velour is a knitted pile fabric: short, dense and slightly stretchy. It has the depth of velvet with the give of a jersey, so it moves with you. That is the difference between a velour robe and one that only looks the part.

In use it shows up as one thing: it stretches where a woven fabric pulls — no tightness across the back when you reach for something on a high shelf. In the same vein, have a look at our velour dressing gown womens.

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 velvet dressing gown range.

• A deep, even surface — it catches light like velvet, which is what makes it look more expensive than it is
• Warm without weight — the pile holds air, the knit keeps it light
• A Christmas present that gets used — the one gift that comes out of the wardrobe every evening for the next three winters
• Belt loops that hold the belt — a small thing, and the first thing missing on a cheap robe

Velour marks if you brush the pile the wrong way. It settles as you wear it, but it is worth knowing before the first photograph. Machine wash cool at 30°C, inside out, air dry. Treated that way, a velour 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 christmas dressing gown range.