A bathrobe, also known as a housecoat or a dressing gown, is a loose-fitting outer

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

) worn by people, often after washing the body or around a pool. A bathrobe is considered to be very informal clothing, and is not worn with everyday clothes. A bathrobe is a dressing gown made from towelling or other absorbent fabric and may be donned while the wearer's body is wet, serving both as a

towel A towel () is a piece of absorption (chemistry), absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact. Bathing towels and hand towels are usually made of cotton, linen, bamboo and Microfiber, ...

and a body covering when there is no immediate need to fully dress.

Fabrics and fibre types

Fabrics

Bathrobes can be categorized by the weave of their fabric: *Flannel:

Flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of varying fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, ...

is a soft woven fabric, made from loosely spun yarn, usually cotton or wool. *Terrycloth:

Terrycloth Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry towelling, terry, terry towel, Turkish towelling (formerly), or simply towelling is a fabric woven with many protruding loops of thread which can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured ...

is a pile fabric, usually woven of cotton, with uncut loops on both sides, used for bath towels and robes. The longer and denser the loops are, the more absorbent the bathrobes are. *Velour:

Velour Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knits, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It can be made from polyester, spandex, cotton, or a cotton-polyester blend. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including ...

is a pile fabric where the loops woven into the fabric have been cut. Velour bathrobes are typically made with a terrycloth lining, as terrycloth absorbs water better than velour. Velour can make a bathrobe appear more luxurious, cosier, and makes the garment soft to the touch. *Waffle fabric:

Waffle fabric Waffle fabric, also known as honeycomb fabric, has raised threads that form small rectangles. It can be made by either weaving or Knitted fabric, knitting. Waffle weave is a further exploitation of plain weave and twill weave which produces a Th ...

has good water absorbency, with a lightweight weave and a distinctive "gridlike" appearance. These bathrobes are designed for their light weight over their absorbency. Bathrobes and bathrobe fabrics can also be categorised for their fibre types, and are generally made of four different fibres: *Cotton:

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

is a natural fibre consisting primarily of

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...

and is one of the most commonly used fibres in textile manufacturing. Due to the

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are n ...

nature of cellulose, cotton absorbs water easily and is frequently used by the beach, pool, or following a shower. Cotton robes are especially suited to use in hot climates because cotton tends to absorb

perspiration Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...

. *Silk:

Silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

dressing gowns are popular because of their look and feel, but can be relatively expensive. Silk robes are very thin and lightweight, and are not particularly suited to wet situations because they lack the surface area and polarity necessary to absorb water. However, silk dressing gowns are the traditional choice, since they are not worn after bathing. *Microfiber:

Microfiber Microfiber (microfibre in British English) is synthetic fibre finer than one Denier (unit), denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometre, micrometers. The most common types of microfiber are made variously of polye ...

is an extremely fine

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants like cott ...

, typically made of cellulose or polyester, that can be woven into textiles to mimic natural-fiber cloth. Modern microfibers are developed to maximize breathability and water absorption and can be thinner than the width of human hair. Much like silk, robes made out of microfiber are light in weight and are very soft to the touch. Microfiber is

flammable A combustible material is a material that can burn (i.e., sustain a flame) in air under certain conditions. A material is flammable if it ignites easily at ambient temperatures. In other words, a combustible material ignites with some effort ...

. *Wool:

Wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

bathrobes are common in colder climates. *Nylon:

Nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

is a synthetic fibre occasionally used in inexpensive dressing gowns. It is valued for its ability to be cleaned easily.

Design and construction

Most bathrobes are designed as a wrapped-front garment with belt loops and a matching belt, intended to be tied around the waist to hold the garment closed. However, bathrobe designs vary, typically in collar and closure design, with some garments featuring an open front or fastened closures in place of a belt. Varieties of collar design include: *Shawl collar: So-called because the collar closes around the neck like a

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

. The shawl collar is borrowed from its use on men's evening wear on the

dinner jacket Black tie is a semi-formal wear, semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for clothing, attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdoc ...

and smoking jacket, and is common on traditional dressing gowns. *Kimono collar: Similar to the collar found on the

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

, a traditional Japanese garment, the collar forms a thin strip of consistent width, wrapping around the front in a Y-shaped manner. *Hooded: A hood is sewn into the neckline, which can be worn over the head to keep it warm and help to dry wet hair.

Fabrics and fibre types

Fabrics

Design and construction

See also

References

Further reading