My new fluffy gown

~ beetleypete

I have to come clean dear readers, and tell you one of my dark secrets. I am a wearer of dressing gowns. Not those seen in Victorian dramas or old Sherlock Holmes films, worn over smart clothes after a day at the office, or solving crimes. No, big fluffy ones, that keep you warm, and make you feel cosy.
When I used to work, I generally had to wear a uniform. Rather than have to use more clothes to change into when I got home, I would don a suitable gown, and relax after work in this ideal item of apparel. Since retirement, I rarely feel the need to get dressed too early. Why create the need for more washing, drying, and ironing than is necessary? So, I put on my dressing gown, and remain in it, until time to get ready and take Ollie out, or go to the shops.

This choice of attire is not without its drawbacks of course. I don’t think that the postman has seen me dressed other than in a gown, ever since I moved here. He must think that I am either an invalid, or that I spend a great deal of time in bed. Occasional callers, seeing me answer the door in a gown, will often apologise for disturbing me. Finding a householder dressed in this way in the middle of the day must be a rarity. This can be useful though, as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Double-Glazing salesmen rarely hang around too long, when they are met by a gowned resident. Taking things to the bins outside is no problem, as dressing gowns can cope in all weathers. I expect that those passing by must think that I am getting ready for bed a little early though. Our neighbours have finally got used to always finding us dressed this way too. I am not alone you see, as Julie also loves to get into her gown as soon as she returns home from work, and for most of the weekend too. So, when someone drops in, we just have to be caught in our gowns; showing no shame or remorse, feeling no need to apologise.

For warmer weather, we both have lightweight versions, ideal for humid days, when any other clothing feels too stifling. But it is the winter when gown-wearing comes into its own. Not only does it solve the problem of ‘what to wear’, it provides warmth and comfort, so even cuts down the heating bills. There is nothing nicer than getting out of a hot bath, then slipping into a fresh dressing gown, warmed on the towel rail. It might also come as a shock to you, to realise that almost all posts on this blog are typed when I am wearing a gown. The sleeves protect my wrists from the desk, and the deep pockets store anything I need during my time at the keyboard. The wide collar keeps my neck warm, and the length is ideal to wrap around my legs.

Yesterday, Julie visited a local shop that is closing down. They have a huge sale on, a kind of ‘everything must go’ situation. She arrived home with a very nice lightweight fleece gown, in brilliant white. Despite appearing thin, the fleece material is very warm to wear, and incredibly soft too. She was soon happily wrapped up in it, declaring it to be her best yet. Later that night, she popped outside to her car, which I thought unusual, given the gale force winds, and temperature of around two degrees. She returned clutching a bag, which contained a surprise for me. It was an identical fluffy dressing gown, in a manly shade of Merlot Red. (My favourite wine too…) She was going to keep it as a surprise, but couldn’t contain herself. I quickly changed from the navy blue gown I was already wearing, and tried on the new one. As expected, it was warmth and comfort in a single garment.

Just perfect.

(Now admit it, you never thought you would read a blog post about dressing gowns, did you?)

45 thoughts on “My new fluffy gown”

  1. Humour, eh… Dressing gown promotion.👍 it is actually funny but more than that it looks like more sales for dressing gown companies and stores. They might be warm and cosy, I don’t know I prefer shorts n tees more. But it was a nice post.

    Btw you need to work on your humour. Sorry,😇 no offence. Just being honest. You might actually not like my honesty.

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  5. Pete, I sometimes wear a dark green Barrington terry cotton bathrobe, mainly to keep me warm as I make the trip from shower to closet. I rarely wear it for lounging around, although it’s quite warm and comfortable. I typically wear blue jeans and a button-down shirt around the house. Right now, I’m also wearing a windbreaker, as I see no need to run the heat at night unnecessarily. Tonight’s temperature will only drop to 43 F (6.1 C) outside, and it won’t fall below 65 F (18.3 C) in the house, as the sun has been shining its warm rays upon it all day. I enjoyed reading about your new fluffy “dressing gown.” As always, your post was full of humor and wit. This may be the only post of its kind on the internet!

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    1. I was hoping to have something unique on this blog one day David!
      No doubt if I lived in the Mojave desert, I would not be wearing fluffy gowns. I would undoubtedly wear shorts at all times, and like you, my gown would only be for the bathroom.
      Glad you enjoyed this one.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  6. Pete, this was a very amusing story. I can almost picture you sitting at a table inside your cottage with vines growing up the sides in the summertime. Oh wait it’s winter, right! I can picture you sitting in your cottage all dressed to the nines in your fluffy dressing gown, comfy as a bug in a rug. ( who thought up that saying, anyway?) But, seriously this was a great post, and look forward to hearing more tells in the future..

    Take care and happy blogging(in your dressing gown) to ya,, from Laura 🙂

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    1. Thanks Laura, I am glad you enjoyed this post.
      I have to spoil your vision of me in an English cottage, I’m afraid. I live in a nondescript bungalow, built in 1979, part of a small estate in Beetley. It is comfortable though, with a fair-size garden, garage, exterior shed, and parking for three more cars. There are two large oak trees on the property, and I do have a climbing hydrangea near the door, but no vines.
      Those old-world cottages look nice, but they require far too much maintenance.
      We went for the practical option!
      Regards from Norfolk. Pete.

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      1. Pete, my vision is not spoiled in the least..my thoughts were only composed in my minds eye, after reading your last post. But, it’s nice to picture a cottage with vines… My first novel contained such a place, so I ran with it trying to picture Beetley… Have a wonderful weekend across the pond.

        Take care and happy blogging to ya, from Laura

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      1. Pete, thank you so very much for the link… I enjoyed reading where the saying originated from, low and behold England.. it’s a small world after all ~

        Thanks again, take care 🙂
        Laura~

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  7. I and many of my friends dress comfortably in Pajama bottoms or jogging pants and robes, during the 4 -6 months when it’s cold, so I never thought that I was truly alone in my at-home attire but now I know that wearing Pajamas for comfort and Robes to keep warm is a practice that stretches across Oceans.

    I think that what you call a Dressing Gown is what we call a House Coat. My house coat is navy blue velour, has a high collar, deep pockets, is floor length and is kept closed with a tie-belt. It’s very warm, kind of like a wearable tent. I wear it outside when I’m taking trash to the curb or putting out bird food.

    I started to read your blog earlier but decided that first I’d run my house coat through the washer & dryer as it was covered with cat hair from Albert. Then I decided to vacuum clean so my house coat wouldn’t pick up so much cat hair. The sun is going down and a chill is setting in, my house coat is clean and dry and keeping me warm and Albert is sitting in my lap. So much for cat hair….

    Merlot Red would be my pick of color after Navy Blue. Good post, thanks for the chuckle!

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    1. Thanks Gretchen. Your description of your house coat sounds as if we are talking about the same thing. A bath-robe is most certainly the same idea, though they are often made from towelling. What we generally refer to as a house coat is a working overall, usually worn by housewives to cover their clothes as they do jobs around the house. Dressing-gowns are all about comfort and cosiness though!
      Glad you had a chuckle!
      Best wishes from England. Pete.

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  9. Gosia asked me what I was laughing at, ‘Pete’ I said! Top post, has to be in the top ten if not three 🙂
    I once read that hotels expect you to take (steal) the provided dressing gown in your room, it’s built into the price, so for a while I started to collect them and amassed quite a collection of predominantly white ones. Unfortunately tractor driving can get a bit draughty and swinging the axe can leave you feeling a bit exposed! Keep warm Pete, all the best, The Winkos.

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  10. What a lovely post!

    I will continue on your topic. When we got our dog, 10 years ago, we had to take her out for walks almost 6 or 7 times a day, so that she would understand that she wouldn’t need to pee inside, since walk time is just round the corner. So, my wife would put on her jeans, jacket and shoes 6 or 7 times a day and take the dog out.

    Around day 3 or 4 of this, my wife turned to me and said: “Look, this can go two ways: either I have to dress to take the dog out which means she will go only once a day for a walk or me, you and our neighbours will have to get used to seeing me in my pyjamas, taking the dog out 3 or 4 times a day. What will it be?”

    As you can guess, me, my wife and our neighbours had no problem with her taking the dog out in her pyjamas, with a heavy coat on top. It gives for a funny sight but at least the dog gets to walk, there is no pee in the house and our neighbours have discovered the huge pyjama collection my wife has amassed. Everybody is happy! 🙂

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    1. Thanks Nicholas. I am glad you liked it. Your wife is not alone in her pyjama excursions. My step-daughters regularly pop out to the shops wearing pyjamas and slippers, and nobody ever bothers about it. Let comfort rule!
      Best wishes as always, Pete.

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  11. Haha, so bodywarmingly funny, dear Pete! Don the gown, indeed Yes, we will embrace the comfort and warmth of the gown, we know it makes sense, we do! 🙂
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend with lots of pats for Ollie whilst we patiently await the next dark secrets from Beetley …
    Dina, Klausbernd and Siri & Selma xo

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  12. I am currently sitting at my desk in similar attire. Is that not the mark of a writer! I loved this article. Found you through Olga on Twitter. ❤

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  13. Instead of a heart-warming post this is a body warming one. I also love dressing gowns, but I agree it has to be the right one. Might need to get tips from your wife.

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          1. I’ve worn myself out today, food shopping, making a large vat of ratatouille to freeze in portions and a stab at my ongoing decluttering …..more than I have been able to achieve in a day for ages. Shopping would be The Last Thing on my mind….. I’m looking forward to a Hakan Nesser novel later to unwind 🙂

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  15. No, that is certainly different! This post really did make me laugh out loud! Have to tell you that the OH is always in his dressing gown until mid-afternoon. The postman here must also think he is always in bed (he’s not, I’m the one still snoozing…). I now have a mental picture of you in your Merlot typing away 😀

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