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dressing gown

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A loose, comfortable robe worn after bathing or while lounging, associated with private leisure, intellectual work, and the solitary hours of the poet in their study.

Detailed Definition
The dressing gown holds a special place in the iconography of the poet, from the Romantic recluse to the modern academic. Its fabric—flannel, cashmere, or silk—and its style—often with a belt and shawl collar—convey a sense of refuge from the outer world. In poems about writing and creativity, the dressing gown is the uniform of the inward turn, worn during long nights of composition or reading. It also appears in domestic scenes, where the speaker descends to the kitchen or sits by the fire. In love poetry, the dressing gown of a beloved is a source of olfactory memory—its scent lingers long after the wearer has gone. Its association with both sleep and wakefulness makes it a garment of liminal states, ideal for poems about dawn, insomnia, and the border between dream and reality.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Forgive me, dressing gown! My friend in idle bliss, comrade of leisure, a witness to my secret thoughts" (Piotr Andreevich Viazemsky, "Dressing Gown Farewell"); "Revived when I put on my dressing gown, and reconciled once again with my abandoned home" (Viazemsky); "Nature has donned her dressing gown: snow is falling all around" (Doris McGohon); "The blue dressing gown hung in my boy's wardrobe, an army regulation item no one could throw out" (Ross Donlon); "Dressing-gown hours the tint of alcohol or coffee" (Rosemary Tonks); "His dressing gown, faded and frayed, held the shape of mornings spent in thought"
Additional Notes
The dressing gown holds a special place in the iconography of the poet, from the Romantic recluse to the modern academic. Its fabric—flannel, cashmere, or silk—and its style—often with a belt and shawl collar—convey a sense of refuge from the outer world. In poems about writing and creativity, the dressing gown is the uniform of the inward turn, worn during long nights of composition or reading. It also appears in domestic scenes, where the speaker descends to the kitchen or sits by the fire. In love poetry, the dressing gown of a beloved is a source of olfactory memory—its scent lingers long after the wearer has gone. Its association with both sleep and wakefulness makes it a garment of liminal states, ideal for poems about dawn, insomnia, and the border between dream and reality. Related terms include robe, wrapper, and peignoir. Students should note the dressing gown's role in signaling private, creative, or vulnerable moments.
Also Known As
robe de chambre housecoat lounging attire peignoir wrapper
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