The London Lounge

Does anyone have any sources for silk or cashmere cloth suitable for a dressing gown?

Particularly interested in paisley.

UC

I am not able to give you help you with your question Uppercase, and I don't want to usurp you, but your question has set me thinking along similar lines.
I have been wearing since a boy a heavy woolen dressing gown( which I think used to be school uniform years ago) shawl collar with piping; made by Foxford woolen mills in Co. Galway. These are no longer made presumably as not many live in cold houses any more. I have been looking for a replacement for ages but cant find one.Tailor tells me he has never made one so if anyone has any ideas

SMCK wrote:I have been wearing since a boy a heavy woolen dressing gown( which I think used to be school uniform years ago) shawl collar with piping; made by Foxford woolen mills in Co. Galway. These are no longer made presumably as not many live in cold houses any more. I have been looking for a replacement for ages but cant find one.Tailor tells me he has never made one so if anyone has any ideas

In the old days tailors made every garment a man wore, except socks. Small town tailors made it all, while big city tailors- some where specialist of a few garments. Dressing gowns are not hard to make. Finding a specific cloth of the past might not happen. There are not many tailors publications anymore, and a younger tailor would need to ask around, unless he has some old books, and there are so few tailors anymore, where does one ask?

This is from 1890s
http://www.costumes.org/HISTORY/victori ... /11_27.htm

This is not an answer to your question, but I was recently looking through a selection of Wool Challis at Winston Tailors. Winston uses them primarily for waistcoats but also - a shock to me - for coat linings. They come in a variety of weights and prints since he uses them for different purposes. They are not what you are asking for, but some would make excellent dressing gowns and I am not sure why you would prefer cashmere to challis - while cashmere has a lovely, soft hand, where it really excels in its warmth to weight ratio. I think you might find a nice challis for suitable for your purposes, and unlike cashmere, it holds a print very well so there are a greater variety of styles to choose from. Of course, Winston is not a fabric distributor. He designs and orders cloth for his own use (see the excellent NYTimes article on his sourcing silk in jewel tones direct from India for sportcoats for his "palm beach" clients) and even if he would sell directly to you, it would be a pity to not use him. On the other hand, I know that may not be convenient for you (you can see that all I am trying to do is cadge another NY trip from you).

And don't forget that Winston also has a white silk cloth emblazoned with black zodiac symbols except that instead of the traditional symbols, it uses illustrated positions from the Kama Sutra. It is intended for coat linings, but it would be hard to argue with as a dressing gown for the right purposes. (This pattern really is exclusive to him - how the printing plates came into his possession is a good story that Winston can tell better than I, but the original design was intended for a risque shower curtain.)

SMCK wrote:I am not able to give you help you with your question Uppercase, and I don't want to usurp you, but your question has set me thinking along similar lines.
I have been wearing since a boy a heavy woolen dressing gown( which I think used to be school uniform years ago) shawl collar with piping; made by Foxford woolen mills in Co. Galway. These are no longer made presumably as not many live in cold houses any more. I have been looking for a replacement for ages but cant find one.Tailor tells me he has never made one so if anyone has any ideas

You can still buy heavy woollen dressing gowns in Jermyn Street - Derek Rose at Harvie & Hudson or Hilditch & Key's own brand.

uppercase wrote:Does anyone have any sources for silk or cashmere cloth suitable for a dressing gown?

Particularly interested in paisley.

UC

I don't know the necessary sources of silk but New & Lingwood has a splendid range of silk dressing gowns. The firm also sells a cashmere gown - http://newandlingwood.com/product.php?id=516.

To hurry along the cold dark Winter nights, some cosseting is needed: a stiff drink, good book, full pipe for settling in for a long night at home.

I remember as a young child, my father enjoyed lounging at home dressed in opulent silk dressing gowns, the likes of which I have never seen again. This is a curious early memory to return after all of these years, but I have been musing recently about comfort at home.

Dopey's mention of Winston sourcing suitable cloth from India rings a bell. I'll bet that my father's gowns were from India and that the silk that I am looking for could be easily found from an Indian source. The kind of oriental motif and sensibility could probably be found in such textile centers as Turkey, Morocco, Indian, maybe HongKong; I'll bet that they're plentiful and inexpensive as well.

Perhaps todays Western tailors have forgotten how to make a dressing gown and the best route is to find a tailor from the East to make what is essential eastern lounge wear anyway.

A silk shell with woolen lining would be good for Winter and silk shell alone for the warmer weather.

Uppercase:
I don't doubt that you could source the silk you seek in India, but the silk I was referring to doesn't seem to be suitable for a dressing gown. Or, at least, it is different from what I pictured you were looking for. Here is a photo:

and a link to the article.

The related question that needs to be asked is who makes excellent bespoke dressing gowns?

Personally, I would buy RTW silk gowns from N&L or T&A.

That's not a bad looking silk at all. It is along the lines I was thinking of but I'd want something darker and more decadent looking. All the paisleys are good though.

The article is also very interesting for its sociological value as to what the conservatives hanging about that part of town do when they let loose. Sort of along the lines of what Tiger was up to all along.

Which reminds me of a fellow I overheard at the bar the other night say that he had a new found respect for Tiger who he thought all along was too robotically good and predictable.

Time for paisley in your life? What fun is predictability?

Bishop of Briggs wrote: Personally, I would buy RTW silk gowns from N&L or T&A.

Too expensive I would bet. I hate to pay those guys. I feel as if I am participating in a conspiracy to cheat the Yanks.

UC, you might stand a better chance to have a gown made by a shirtmaker rather than a tailor. My shirtmaker does an excellent job of it - it is essentially a lot of machine work, so it is explainable.
It is so nice to arrive home early in the evening, take off the tie, replace the shoes with a pair of slippers and the coat - with a comfortable dressing gown, and feel well dressed in your own home, rather than undressed. It sets you in a relaxed, but active mood: you feel like picking up a book or writing a couple of letters, or even entertaining a couple of friends, rather than lie on a couch in front the TV. And if the doorbell rings, you don't have to hide behind the door and just pop your head through, so you won't make your new neighbour blush on her first call.
Similarly, in the morning, putting a gown over your pyjamas (if any) until you are ready to shower and dress for the day makes all the difference between bedwear and homewear.
Unfortunately, the almost complete demise of the gown is also a consequence of overheating in our homes, not just of the expiration of the spirit of lounging elegantly.

I agree entirely with Costi. A woollen dressing gown is a must in winter. It is perfect for making tea or coffee first thing in the morning before showering.

I have been using Liberty fabrics to make my Yukatas and am now completely converted to the Japanese style.

I would never think about going back to pajamas, robes and gowns. I have all three in one truly elegant and functional garment.

I have made two Yukata now in Viyella cloth and they are perfect for winter.

I will post a video on DWS one of these days.

Cheers

Michael

Has anyone had any experience with the variation of the classic dressing gown which Eelking (in his books and the German Herrenjournal) called a "Benny Gown"? It is basically a jacket length dressing gown. I can envision having one made up in a nice silk or lanella as a replacement for a jacket when at home.

I could post a photo from one of Eelking's books but I'm not sure about copyright issues.