The desire to search for a historical dressing gown can be driven by a combination of personal interests, values, aesthetics, and the desire to connect with the past in a meaningful way. Baturina Homewear is your expert for vintage inspired robes and pajamas. Chances are you’ve seen a historical looking robe in a movie, stage play, commercial, magazine or in an old family photograph and want to find out more about this type of clothing.
If you are searching the web for a traditional smoking jacket or Victorian-style dressing gown, you wound up at the right spot: in our collection of timelessly elegant robes you will find a variety of styles.
In this post we’ll discuss what inspires us and take a look at what makes a robe truly vintage-inspired.
Appeal of vintage or historical clothing
The appeal of historical and vintage clothing is multifaceted, ranging from personal connections to the past, appreciation for craftsmanship, individual style expression, sustainability, and a passion for collecting unique and timeless pieces.
At Baturina Homewear, each design is inspired by history.
“We often draw inspiration from old cinema and try to emulate the look of those dressing gowns, often worn by villains and main protagonists. Another source of inspiration is historical menswear from the Rococo and Victorian eras. We have some distinct color schemes that we perfected over time, such as various light pastel shades, like blue, cream, pink or a darker palette of velvet fabrics in deep shades of burgundy, green, purple, black and navy. We even started by using real vintage sewing patterns and very often implemented our customers feedback and tried to fulfill their requests as closely as possible. Many times, customers were looking to find a robe like their father’s or grandfather’s one and requested some specific details, like certain colors and finishes. Overall, you could say that it is a combination of historical inspiration and lots of customer feedback.”
Read more in our interview with the Atlantic dispatch
What is a dressing gown?
The fashionable gentleman would change into a long dressing gown known as a banyan. He would wear it around his family at breakfast, playing games, such as cards or chess, and while reading in his library or writing letters. Such robes were fashioned in thick woven cottons and silks, often with stunning patterns, to stay warm and in style. The classic shawl collar silhouette is still popular today.
Key characteristics of a historical dressing gown
- Loose fit
- Materials such as silk jacquard, velvet, brocade, damask
- Decoration such as lace, embroidery, intricate patterns, metallic threads
- Long sleeves
- Quilted shawl collar or lapels
The specific characteristics of dressing gown are influenced by the time period in which they were popular. For example, 18th-century dressing gowns have featured wide sleeves and colorful ornate embroidery, while 19th-century dressing gowns are more coat-like tailored and less adorned. If you want to learn more about historical robes, check out our post about the banyan robe.
Whether it’s the elegant dressing gowns of the Victorian era or the relaxed morning gowns of the 18th century, historical dressing gowns hold a unique place in the history of fashion and have inspired modern interpretations of loungewear.
Largest collection of robes in the world
At Baturina Homewear we pride ourselves in paying homage to vintage design and bringing the dressing gown’s tradition back contemporary lifestyle. The traditional gentleman’s dressing gown is reimagined as a refined ready to wear option. Each dressing gown can be made in any regular size or tailored to custom measurements. You can choose from many length options, like a short smoking jacket-style length or floor length.
Our bestselling dressing gowns
Men’s Dressing Gown Brown Blue Baroque Brocade
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Dressing Gown Dark Brown Gold Swirls
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Dressing Gown Golden Brown Baroque Brocade Burgundy
$271.28 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Dressing Gown Orange Blue Baroque Jacquard Cotton Velvet
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Dressing Gown Green Gold Floral Jacquard
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Dressing Gown Golden Brown Pink Baroque Brocade
$348.78 excl. Sales TaxIn our specialized online store you’ll probably find the largest collection of dressing gowns and smoking jackets in the world. Without a doubt, a nice lounging robe really brings your leisure look to the next level and adds a whole new layer of comfort to early mornings, late nights and weekends. It’s also a great travel companion and makes for a truly unique gift for a partner, friend or family member.
Some believe that you must live in a mansion (or castle) to justify wearing a dressing gown, but luckily that is not mandatory. A comfortable robe seamlessly fits into your everyday activities. Discover our wide range of men’s robes, available in a variety of styles.
Our bestselling smoking jackets
Men’s Smoking Jacket Black Velvet Cord Piping
$416.61 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Smoking Jacket Navy Gold Velvet
$387.54 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Smoking Jacket Black Cotton Velvet Fine Quilted with Cord Piping, Tassels
$416.61 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Smoking Jacket Navy Blue Wool Black Satin
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Smoking Jacket Tan Brown Wool Black Satin
$348.78 excl. Sales Tax
Men’s Smoking Jacket Gray Floral Jacquard Black
$348.78 excl. Sales TaxWhat is a smoking jacket?
To answer the question “what is a smoking jacket?” shortly, it is a type of men’s loungewear or robe-like garment that originated in the 19th century. A smoking jacket was designed to be worn while smoking tobacco, particularly when enjoying a pipe or cigar. The smoking jacket’s primary purpose was to protect the wearer’s clothing from the odors of tobacco smoke, as well as to provide warmth and comfort during leisurely smoking sessions. It’s typically made of velvet, wool, silk and other types of precious and warm fabrics.
Craftsmanship and ethical production
All our robes are fully made in Germany, from start to finish. We do not outsource production in other countries. It’s all made locally in our own studio, which we are very proud of. Our skilled experts work individually on every single order, meaning one robe is fully made by one person. From intricate quilting, full lining, to elegant piping and tassels, our designs feature many complex details, that you won’t find in most clothes nowadays. For this reason, our dressing gowns and smoking jackets can only be made in small quantities. Most of our pieces are offered only made-to-order. We’ve covered the manufacturing process of our burgundy paisley robe in full details in our post Craftsmanship: Making of the burgundy paisley robe.
Watch the video below to follow the entire creation process of one of our most popular designs.
Our designs feature intricate details and complex fabric combinations, from different piping, to quilting, lining and tassels. A custom tailored fit and embroidered chest pocket monogram add a truly personal touch to your order. With our passion for the craft, we take no shortcuts when it comes to details. Wearing our dressing gowns is like wearing a piece of art, with precise stitches, piped details and hand-stitched quilting. It’s more than just a garment, it’s a feeling of luxury and display of craftsmanship.
Do you have any questions about our products? Please contact us and our experts gladly answer any questions.
