Real Men Don’t Wear Dressing Gowns. Apparently.

I made up a silly joke just for you.

Q: What do you call a short dressing gown?

A: Pointless.

The kidults and I have been on a mission to buy the husbear a dressing gown for his birthday, but have reluctantly accepted defeat.

Because apparently, real men don’t wear dressing gowns!

In contrast, we women are spoiled for choice when it comes to winter dressing gowns. Maybe I’m being cynical but perhaps that has more to do with Mother’s Day which occurs at the end of Autumn here in Australia …

So why is it so much harder to find a decent men’s dressing gown?!

Now just to be clear:

• I am NOT referring to the scratchy tartan ones that were popular in decades gone by.

• I’m not talking about robes, which tend to be short and silky (whether for male or female) and are more appropriate for summer … here’s one I prepared earlier:

• Or bathrobes, which are made of thick terry towelling. They might be great for soaking up moisture after your bath or shower but they’re too thick to really relax in.

• Then there are the white waffle robes you find in luxury hotels. (As you can see, the husbear and I made good use of the ones provided when we went to Wallaby Ridge Retreat last year).

Our hunt for the perfect men’s dressing gown had us checking out chain stores from the cheap and nasty to the high end of own, menswear stores, even online. Dressing gowns for men tend to be short, and in a very boring range of colours: black, navy and grey, like this trio at Target.

Kmart didn’t have a single men’s dressing gown in the whole store!

We fared slightly better online, where our explorations netted a hooded Star Wars number, which Mr 25 promptly ordered – for himself! The force must have been with him, because his new Jedi dressing gown is not only full-length, it’s ultra soft. Hurrah!

It seems we are not the only ones feeling the pain cold this winter. A little bit of keyword research and I discovered there are lots of people searching online for:

• men’s lightweight dressing gowns;
• men’s winter dressing gowns;
• men’s soft dressing gown;
• long men’s dressing gown;
• men’s warm dressing gown;
• men’s fluffy dressing gown;
• velour dressing gowns for men.

And yet … we are all coming up empty-handed.

So what exactly makes the best dressing gown for men?

Seeing as manufacturers and retailers are so clueless, I thought I’d spell it out for them.

The Best Dressing Gown for Men

The ideal winter dressing gown (regardless of your gender), should:

• be full-length;
• come in a soft, light weight, fluffy and warm fabric;
• have pockets;
• come in a wide range of attractive colours;
• feature a print of some sort, to hide the occasional coffee stain;
• NOT cost a bazillion dollars (though it’s true, the cost per wear ratio would be excellent);
• be available in store not just online, so we can feel the texture of it.

Bear in mind that a winter dressing gown is something you can just throw over whatever you’re wearing. It’s not only for sleepwear – it’s something you should be comfortable in all day long!

In fact when Miss 22 comes to visit at this time of year she makes a beeline for my wardrobe and one of my dressing gowns. (It’s nice to know she still feels very much at home, even though she hasn’t lived with us since she was 18).

Ultimately? A dressing gown should make you feel like you’re wrapped in a warm hug!

And it seems there is a belief in our society that men don’t need that. How sad!

Does your partner/father/brother like to wear a dressing gown – and what is it like? 

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