THE DRESSING gown occupies a distinctly intimate space in a man’s life. While it’s not something that he wears in public (not unless something’s gone wrong, anyway) it is nonetheless a garment that he may feel perfectly happy strolling around his garden in, particularly if there’s a swimming pool or sauna involved, or indeed a table laden with breakfast things awaiting him on a relaxed summer’s morning.
Equally, if you’re at home on a winter’s day (as many of us are in these hybrid-working days) a dressing gown, or house coat, might be something that finds its way on to a gentleman’s shoulders. An extra layer, after all, is not to be sniffed at when it’s minus-something degrees outside, particularly if you live in a house with Georgian or Tudor antecedents and plenty of chimneys.
And yet for all that it’s an old friend, how many of us would remove our dressing gowns under such circumstances before receiving a visitor? Or would you – like Sherlock Holmes in various of his adventures – be only too pleased to be seen
