A dressing gown, housecoat or morning gown is a

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 ...

, 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 ...

, worn by either men or women. They are similar to a

bathrobe A bathrobe, also known as a housecoat or a dressing gown, is a loose-fitting outer clothing, garment (a robe) 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 w ...

but without the absorbent material. A dressing gown or a housecoat is a loose, open-fronted

gown A gown, from the Latin word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by people of both sexes in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the t ...

closed with a fabric belt that is put on over nightwear on rising from bed, or, less commonly today, worn over some day clothes when partially dressed or undressed in the morning or evening (for example, over a man's shirt and trousers without jacket and tie). Dressing gowns are typically worn around the house. They may be worn for warmth, over nightwear when not in bed, or as a form of

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

. A dressing gown may be worn over

nightwear Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some styles ...

or other clothing, or with nothing underneath. When guests or other visitors enter the household while the host(s) are partially dressed or undressed, a dressing gown may be used for modesty.

History

The regular wearing of a dressing gown by men about the house is derived from the 18th-century wearing of the ''

banyan A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as ...

'' in orientalist imitation.In 1888, Coffignon describes it as an article of Armenian clothing which started to be worn under

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, "costume arménien qui commença à être porté sous le règne de Louis XV" (''Les coulisses de la mode. Paris vivant'', p. 123. A la librairie illustrée) The gowns were frequently made out of fabrics such as printed cotton, silk damask, or velvet and were mainly worn by

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

men. By the mid-19th century, dressing gowns were used equally by both men and women as at-home wear. This gave men the opportunity to add color to their somber everyday wardrobe. For women, wearing a dressing gown was a break from tight corsets and layers of petticoats. Ladies wore their dressing gowns while eating breakfast, preparing for the day, sewing or having tea with their family. Dressing gowns continued to be worn into the 20th century with similar garments like hostess dresses, robes, and peignoirs being used. By the end of the 20th century dressing gowns began seeing less frequent usage and fell out of fashion within the United States of America, as wearing such garments became increasingly associated with idleness and lethargy. However, this is in stark contrast to the United Kingdom where they are still in common use today. The

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and ar ...

'' is an unlined cotton

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 ...

worn as a bathrobe or as summer outdoor clothing.

References

{{Clothing History of fashion Robes and cloaks

History

See also

References