Article 05 — Towels
Terry or Waffle: choosing a bathrobe
A robe is for the ten minutes after a bath. How to choose its cloth, check how it is made, and get the size right.
The two robes people choose between are made of two different ideas. Terry is towelling: a cloth covered in loops that drink water, so a Terry robe dries you. It is warm, heavy, and slow to dry itself. Waffle is woven into a honeycomb of little pockets that hold air rather than water: lighter, quicker to dry, and cooler to wear. It is less a towel than a gown.
There is a third, velour: Terry with its loops cut on the outside. It gives a smooth, soft face that looks rich but drinks less than looped Terry; the loops inside still do the work.
Which one
Terry for a cold house, a winter, or anyone who steps out of the shower wanting to be dried and not just covered. Around 400 to 500 grams to the square metre is heavy enough to be warm without weighing on the shoulders.
Waffle for a warm house, the summer, a spa, a hotel that needs its robes dry again by evening, or a bag. It is usually lighter, from about 250 to 400 grams.
What to look for
Put it on and lift your arms.
The shoulders should not pull, and the sleeves should end at the wrist or a little above it, so they stay out of the basin. Check the length: at the knee for most people, mid-calf for a warmer robe.
Look under the arms and along the shoulders.
These seams carry the robe's weight when it is wet. They should be sewn flat and close, with no raw edge to rub.
Look at the belt loops.
Each end should be stitched across several times, a bar-tack, not held by a single line of stitching. Belt loops are the first thing to tear off a robe.
Look at the collar.
A shawl collar is the classic, a thick roll of Terry round the neck; a kimono collar lies flat, lighter and cooler. Either way it should be sewn on double, and lie flat again after washing.
Pull at the pockets.
A pocket should be sewn on with its top corners reinforced. That is where a hand pulls.
Ask the seller
SKYDROTo take to the shop
Terry or Waffle: choosing a bathrobe
Look for
Ask
Tick them off at the counter — ours, or anyone's.
What we do
We make the house robe in deep Terry at 450 GSM and a Waffle at 380, with collars double-stitched and belt loops bar-tacked(LO), in S to XXL or to your measure, with your name or logo on the collar, cuff or pocket. The Sizes & care card has the chest and length of each size, and the bathrobes are on the towels page.
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