Microfiber, Large and Lush

Microfiber can look like chenille and feel like cashmere - making for a very luxurious bathrobe! Naturally water resistant, it doesn't absorb moisture. It is very easy to care for and takes color well. The newness of the technology makes for a desirable fabric that's a bit more costly than most.

A Robe for All Seasons

Who wants a super-thick, ankle-length, terry cloth robe when it's 95 degrees and 99% humidity? How about a mid-thigh silk number when the snow is flying? Having more than one robe is the best way to stay comfortable when the weather changes. Pick silk or Egyptian cotton for warm days. Retreat to terry cloth, velour, or cashmere when the temperature drops.

Choosing Fabric

Fabric selection is the most important part of finding the right robe. Will you wear the robe inside only? At the beach in Mexico? Your health club? Running between the hot tub and the porch door on a chilly winter night? Fabric makes or breaks a bathrobe. Put some thought into which material you want to be wrapped for any given situation. The silkiest satin might be little comfort on your next ski vacation.

Lighten Up a Tough Test

Next time you sit for an important exam, wear your bathrobe and slippers! Publicly acceptable yet rebellious, show your quirky side. Displaying your sense of humor helps combat tension and can actually improve your performance during stressful situations like tests.

A Silk by Any Other Name

Most people would say that satin and silk are similar animals. To the touch and in the mind, these materials have similar properties: smooth, cool, strong - not to mention luxurious in a silk or satin bathrobe. However, satin is a fabric and silk is a fiber. Silk can be woven into satin, organza, chiffon, shantung, and velvet. Satin, on the other hand, is a cloth made by a special weaving technique that leaves one side of the fabric dull and the other side shiny. Satin can be made of silk fiber, but is often made of rayon or nylon. When satin cloth is made of "short-staple" yarns like cotton, the fabric is considered sateen.

Color Your World

So many bathrobes are plain white. Most of the rest are solid, stately colors like blue or black; perhaps a feminine pink. Some robes and wraps have accenting trim, or patterned material. But you can find bold colors that impact your mood. Though culturally specific, colors can have an affect on you. For example, green represents balance and self control and has a relaxing affect on muscles, nerves and thoughts. Ever hear of the “green room” in reference to television or theater? It's really green and it really works!

Rayon, Rayoff

Rayon, a fabric made of cellulose (wood) fiber has many desirable properties. However, the process to turn trees into yarn is highly polluting. A few decades ago, a more environmentally friendly process was developed in creating a fiber called lyocell. Lyocell has different brand names, like Legna and Tencel. It is biodegradable and can be blended with other fibers to create luxurious fabrics. Lyocell can feel like silk, but washes and wears like cotton. It also absorbs moisture several times better than cotton. Not inexpensive, lyocell can make a fine bathrobe.

College Comfort

Is your teenager about to head to college and experience dorm life? Set him or her up with a shower kit as a graduation gift. Roaming the halls in boxers or a long tee shirt gets old. Having a warm bathrobe, a pair of slippers, and a shower caddy makes the trek from bed to bath more comfortable and convenient.

Luxury Finds the Bathrobe

If you're the type with a few thousand to spend on a robe, contact your local furrier. A sheared mink-lined robe is second to none. In the 1938 movie Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant runs around frantically in Katharine Hepburn's fur-lined bathrobe. The fur is feather soft against the skin and extremely warm. Be sure to towel off before donning this sinful creation.

What's the Big Deal Over Microfiber?

Microfiber is a new fabric that is virtually indestructible, stain and wrinkle resistant, and very comfortable. The fibers used to make microfiber yarn are 20 to 100 times thinner than a human hair (less than 10 microns)! Microfiber fabric is made of nylon, polyester, acrylic and/or rayon. Robes and wraps made of microfiber offer good water absorption, very light weight, breathability, and a fleecy-soft touch.

The Hoodie

Some bathrobes have a hood and convey a more athletic and/or urban style. Hoods are great for drying hair and for keeping chilly weather away if outside. The type of fabric has a large impact on the shape of the hood. Thin fabrics tend to drape and take the shape of your head. Thick fabrics hold their shape and allow more air to circulate.

Bathrobes for Dogs

Believe it or not, you can buy bathrobes for dogs. From chihuahua to greyhound, super absorbent, man-made fiber is used to wrap pooches post bath time. This diminishes drips, wet spots on the sofa, and random spraying when Fido shakes. These are also good for warming up after cold walks or a day in the mountain lake.

Cleaning Your Bathrobe

If you've cut out the care label from your soft bathrobe, be sure you treat it right when it's time to clean it. Who wants their comfortable cotton robe shrunk to immodest proportion? Or their silk robe distorted into warped ripples of fabric? Each fabric type has special care instructions, so take a moment and look up how to care for that cashmere or lyocell before you wring it through the washer or toss it in the drier.

Choosing Cut

There are bathrobes cut for men, cut for women, for children and plus sizes, and for that ubiquitous one-size-fits-all shape. Think about how much leg you want to show and be sure your new robe covers are much or as little as you like. How about the neckline? Some bathrobes come up to the chin, others down to your navel. Sleeves can reach to your wrist or end at the elbow. These details should be considered before your next robe selection.

Not a Morning Person

Find a well-worn bathrobe, slippers and PJs. Hold a coffee cup. Put curlers in your hair. Wear a button or small sign saying “I'm Not a Morning Person.” This bathrobe costume is a better effect on children than adults.

Bathrobe Styles

Bathrobes come in many styles. Spa bathrobes are extra thick and super soft for a luxurious pampered feeling. Hooded bathrobes help dry your hair and keep you warm. Roll-neck robes let your curl the label right up to your chin. Kimono robes have no lapel or collar and are sometimes called yukatas.

Choosing Accents

A bathrobe is more than a bolt of fabric with arm holes. Each robe is a bit different. A monk style robe features a large hood that lays flat against the wearer's back when not in use. Kimono styles have no collar, wide sleeves and usually stop at the thigh. More classic robe styles feature a shawl collar, side pockets and cuffs. Pay attention to the details and decide what is important to you.

Friar Tuck

An easy and affordable costume is Friar Tuck. All you need is a bathrobe (hooded variety is best), a thick rope belt, and a pillow for the jolly tummy. Go to a costume or joke shop and pick up a skull cap to create that “halo of hair” effect. The good friar can be accented with a goblet for wine, a lute for strumming, or a staff for defending against the sheriff's men.

Sizing Up

Adult robe lengths generally reach mid-calf. Bathrobes that reach to the ankle are comforting and extra warms. Short, thigh-length robes are more revealing and can be quite sexy. Think about what type of coverage you want before purchasing your next robe.

Cashmere Robe Tips

Considered the ultimate luxury fabric by many, cashmere has pros and cons when used for bathrobes or wraps. This natural wool fiber comes from the belly of Asian goats. Being of such an origin, quality does vary. Cashmere is very warm and soft while remaining lightweight. However the yarn is quite expensive, does not absorb water, and must be dry cleaned.

Quasimodo

Victor Hugo's tragic character, Quasimodo, makes for a dramatic and simple costume for man or child. Stuff a lumpy pillow or dead squirrel lopsidedly under the robe, forming the “hunch”. Carry a staff to support your lurching walk. Let you head hang down, ahead of your shoulder blades. A bit of smudged makeup for a scruffy look and you'll capture the essence of this heart wrenching hero.

Chip Monk

Staple small bags of potato chips all over a bathrobe – preferably a “monk style” robe. Very simple and affordable. The bags make lots of funny noise when you walk. At the end of the night, pass out those chips!

Jedi

If you aren't in a sewing state of mind, a Jedi costume is little more than a hooded bathrobe, a toy light saber, and a rubber mask. Look for a monk-style bathrobe – these have very large hoods. These often come in brown (the color of Jedi robes). If no brown is around, get a white one and dye it in a tub. Cotton velour or linen make good textures, a loop pile won't look right for the role. Once the costume event is over, you've got a great robe to use for many years.

Robes for Physically Challenged People

If you are or know a wheelchair user or other physically challenged person, there are bathrobes made especially for you. Designed to be put on while sitting, these robes support oxygen hoses, have handy storage pockets, and an easy open zipper front. They also have short and roomy arm sleeves so tangling with moving wheels is unlikely to occur.

Stain Out in the Open

Did you spill coffee on your favorite robe and just can't get the stain out? For a funky, at home flair, sew a patch or swath of fabric over the unsightly stain. If you're up to it, continue to sew on a slew of them and create a quit like look.

Sick as a Dog

Grab your bathrobe, stuff the pockets with tissues and prescription bottles, and place a thermometer in your mouth. Put on a dog collar. Make a tail and ears out of brown cloth and tie them to you.