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Stephen Doig, Men’s Style Editor at the Telegraph, was one of the first to pilot our custom dressing gown service when it launched online in 2021. We caught up with Stephen to discuss…

"A dressing gown, by default, is an intensely private piece of clothing. It sees one at ones most vulnerable, whether letting the daylight in first thing in the morning or segueing into hibernation mode at night, perhaps fireside with a glass of something warming. It’s perhaps the most loyal wardrobe wingman of all, designed for your indoor life rather than an item to be ‘seen’ in."

Why invest in a Custom Made gown?

"The very fact that it’s something for your eyes only - or perhaps your immediate family - makes investing in a particularly beautiful one seem all the more decadent. But if you aren’t going to invest in yourself, when are you? There’s a quiet pleasure in the details of a handsome New & Lingwood gown; the plume of quilting on the lapel, the lustre of the jacquard, the weight of that peerless silk, crafted by hand at a historic Suffolk mill."

"The very point of New & Lingwood’s exceptional craft and sumptuous fabric is that the humble dressing gown is elevated to new sartorial heights. It couldn’t be further from a shrugged-on afterthought; there’s something wonderfully ceremonial about its heft and grandeur. The phrase might sound a tad twee, but I use mine for when ‘front room formal’ is called for; perhaps on Christmas morning or when a cosy drinks evening with friends means you don’t have to be quite so ‘upright’. It evokes a certain Noel Coward raffishness, and over a shirt, and with a pair of elegant slippers (Ralph Lauren’s teddy bear designs hit a homely-meets-haute sweet spot) adds a festive sense of occasion."

Is it appropriate to wear for evening?

"It’s a question of setting; fireside with guests over a brandy, absolutely. While it won’t tick any ‘black tie’ dress code mores, a really impressive robe can look louche and bohemian when wearing it out at events. I don’t mean your local bar, obviously, but a setting in which a more outre take on menswear is celebrated. Take a particularly OTT occasion I attended in Sicily last year; the gown fitted the sense of palm-tinged exoticism (and looked a great deal more at ease than stiff suits in stifling evening heat). I have a friend who swears by dressing gown for dinner events during regular stays in Tangiers. As with all things, it’s the accompanying accoutrement that make it; an open-collar shirt, with evening scarf, as well as a jazzy pair of slippers (you might have guessed that I’m something of a devotee). Yes, it’s an item that’s just for you, but it’s rather life-enhancing to share its peacockery with the world every so often."

Custom Made Dressing Gowns

Custom Made Dressing Gowns

Create a truly unique piece of loungewear from the comfort of your own home.

Create a truly unique piece of loungewear from the comfort of your own home.