Article: How to Choose a Robe
How to Choose a Robe
Most people buy a robe the way they buy an umbrella: in a hurry, usually just after they needed one. Then they live in it for ten years. It deserves five minutes of thought, and since our family has been making robes since 1924, we have opinions.
Start with one question. When do you actually put it on?
The one from the hotel: terry velour
You know the robe. You wore it at a very good hotel, looked for a price tag, and briefly considered your luggage allowance. That was almost certainly cotton terry velour, the robe luxury hotels hang behind the bathroom door, and there is a fair chance we made it. The loops on the inside do the work of a towel. The loops on the outside are sheared smooth, so it drinks up water inside and looks tailored outside. Our Basic Terry Velour is 400 GSM of pure cotton and one of the best sellers we have ever made. It is not a light robe. That is rather the point.
Warm climates and suitcases: waffle
Waffle weave has the opposite temperament. It is crisp, it breathes, and it packs small, which is why you see it at spas and in warm-weather hotels. Choose it if you run hot, live somewhere humid, or want a robe that travels. The Basic Waffle Kimono is the place to begin.
The one from the spa: lined microfiber
If the robe you remember came with a treatment and a quiet room, it was probably this one. The outside is silk-sanded microfiber, smooth and a little cool to the touch. The inside is either plush fleece, for warmth, or cotton-rich terry, for after the bath. Our Deluxe Spa Robe is the most popular robe we make for spas, and it is easy to see why: it is lighter than terry and feels wonderful the moment you put it on. Pick the plush lining if you want to be warm, and the terry-lined version if you will be wearing it wet.
Sunday mornings: plush, modal and silk
Some robes never see a bathroom. For reading the paper and declining to get dressed, there is plush fleece, which is as close to wearing a blanket as we can manage. Our modal blend is softer and more breathable than you would expect from something this light. And then there is silk, which does not dry you, does not keep you especially warm, and makes you feel better than either of those would.
Collars, briefly
A shawl collar rolls up around the neck and looks like something from an old film. A kimono collar lies flat, which is cooler and neater. A hood is for people who know exactly who they are.
A word on size
A robe should overlap generously in front, and the sleeves should reach your wrists. If you are between sizes, go up; nobody has ever complained that a robe was too roomy. Many of ours come in one generous size, with an XXL beside it, and our Big & Tall robes are cut longer and fuller, not simply wider. Our size guide has the measurements.
Still undecided?
Choose the terry velour. It is the robe we would hand you ourselves. And if you would like to talk it through, call us at 1-800-361-0385. We enjoy discussing robes more than is strictly reasonable.