Dressing Gowns & Robes
Dressing gowns and bathrobes at FlipBuy UK: 35 robes for men and women, covering hooded plush fleece, teddy fleece, waffle cotton, terry towelling, bamboo and velour. Women's sizes UK 8-10 through to 20-22, men's chest 38" to 44".
Towelling or fleece: the decision that matters most
Almost everyone buys the wrong one, because the two do genuinely different jobs.
Towelling and waffle cotton
These absorb water. That's the point. A terry towelling or waffle cotton robe is what you want straight out of the bath or shower. It dries you as you wear it, which is why hotels use them.
Waffle is the lighter of the two. It's woven rather than looped, so it's thinner, dries faster on the hook, and takes up less space in a bag. Terry towelling is heavier and more absorbent but takes considerably longer to dry itself, which matters in a small bathroom with no radiator.
Neither is especially warm once you're dry. If you want to sit around in it all morning, you'll get cold.
Fleece, teddy fleece and velour
These do not absorb water: they repel it and then feel clammy. Putting one on straight out of the shower is unpleasant, and people are often surprised by that.
What they do instead is insulate. A plush or teddy fleece robe is for warmth: winter mornings, cold houses, sitting up in the evening. Velour sits between the two, softer and more drapey than fleece, warmer than towelling, and the most presentable of the three if anyone might see you in it.
Bamboo
The compromise. Bamboo absorbs reasonably well, dries quickly, and is warmer than cotton without the bulk of fleece. It's also the softest fabric here against the skin, which matters if you're sensitive to texture.
Hooded or not
A hood adds warmth around the neck and shoulders, which is where most people feel cold first. It also holds wet hair off your back after a shower.
The downside is bulk: a hooded robe won't hang flat behind a door, and it's noticeably heavier. If you sit back in an armchair regularly, a hood bunches behind your neck.
Sizing a dressing gown
Robes are cut generously and sizing is forgiving, but two things catch people out.
Length. Most robes here are cut to mid-calf on an average height. If you're tall, a standard robe will sit above the knee, fine for a bathroom, less good if you're wearing it downstairs in winter.
Wrap. A robe needs enough overlap at the front to stay closed when you sit down. If you're between sizes, size up. A robe that's slightly too big is comfortable; one that's slightly too small is constantly being retied.
Women's sizes here run UK 8-10 to 20-22. Men's are given by chest measurement, 38" to 44".
Washing and keeping them soft
New towelling robes shed lint for the first few washes. Wash separately the first two or three times, or you'll find it on everything else in the load.
Skip the fabric conditioner on towelling. It coats the cotton loops and destroys absorbency, the exact property you bought it for. If a towelling robe has gone stiff, wash it with white vinegar instead of conditioner and it will soften without losing its absorbency.
Fleece and teddy fleece are the opposite problem: they pill and matt with heat. Wash cool, tumble low or not at all, and don't iron. Velour should be washed inside out to protect the pile.
Bamboo prefers 30°C and dislikes high heat.
How often to wash a robe
More often than most people do. A robe worn over clean skin after a shower can go a week or two. One worn over pyjamas, or first thing before washing, needs doing weekly. It collects everything your skin sheds overnight.
Buying one as a gift
Robes are among the safest gifts in clothing because the sizing is loose and the recipient doesn't have to like a colour on their body the way they would with a jumper.
Two things to get right. Pick fleece if they're likely to sit around in it, towelling if they'll use it after a bath, most people want the first even though they ask for the second. And size up rather than down; a generous robe reads as luxurious, a tight one reads as a mistake.
Making them last
Hang a robe on a wide hook or a hanger, not a narrow door hook, a wet towelling robe is heavy and a thin hook will stretch the loop and eventually tear the shoulder.
Let it dry fully between uses. A damp robe left bunched on a hook is how they start to smell, and once towelling has gone musty it takes a hot wash and a full dry in sunlight to shift it.
