A Double Helping of Relish: Under-use of Dressing Gowns, a Special Editorial.

As previously promised, the Relish is proud to present to its noble readership our very own special editorial on dressing gowns and their unfortunate decline in the modern world.

Avert your eyes, those with delicate sensibilities!

For those that watch television, it appears that for many, the presentable attire for bed consists of something rather like this:

The pure unbridled horror of this image cannot be described in words alone. The bare, hairless chest is exposed not only to the naked eye but to the elements as well. This unfortunate creature here has chosen to inflict his outhrust nipples on any household staff he may encounter during a nocturnal sojourn, although no doubt in this oaf's case it is a trip to procure another can of lager or shandy from his 'den'.

Instead, at the Relish we feel what this image is lacking is a good old fashioned dressing gown.
This dandy dressing gown/shirt and tie combination allows one to exude an air of both formality and leisure, the perfect attire for an own clothes day at work!

However, this grand ensemble is not yet complete. This fellow's unshod feet are still painful to even contemplate. Indeed, this appears to be a 'fad' with the current generations, who seem quite content to stroll around their mortaged properties bare-foot, vulnerable at any time to cutting a foot open on a broken Scotch bottle after their last domestic spat. Needless to say, we at the Relish eschew such a dunderheaded idea and instead recommend a choice of footwear for any night time stroll any of our readers may be considering.

Monogrammed velvet
really is the only choice.

When combined with the shirt and dressing gown, the effect is, as expected, a delicate visual sensation

This fellow had his specially molded to
fit his  new haircut

There is yet more work to be done in the field of dressing gown accessories though! Notice this buffoon's uncapped head, open to attacks from bedbugs while he slumbers! What shall protect his scalp, nestled under his thinning hair, we hear you cry?! Of course, the Relish has an answer to your question. The finest in nocturnal head protection; the nightcap. Not only does it keep one's head warm, it also acts as a helpful counterweight to balance one's nose. If we add this to our diagram, it is easy to see that our inventory is coming to an end.
























One last thing remains to complete this Guide to Appropriate Nightwear for the Youth of Today, and that is the Relish's favourite embellishment, a pipe. Personally, we prefer the noble Meerschaum but if you must then you are welcome to add a clay or briarwood pipe to your ensemble. And so, to our diagram once more for the final flourish!

The pipe of the Relish's editor

And there it is, ladies and gentlemen. On your left you can find the Relish's completed illustration demonstrating both the the practicality and style of dressing gowns and well as serving as an inspiration to those that still wander the dark night shirtless of what they too could one evening look like.

The Gentleman's Spring Wardrobe

As many young gentlemen about town are fully aware, life is full of difficult decisions. Taylor's or Graham's? Moet or Krug? Monaco or Cannes? These are just some of the devilish dilemmas that the latter day gent must deal with on a literally day to day basis. However, there is one question which towers above all the rest to all self respecting modern men, and it is as follows: what the bally hell shall I wear today?!?!?

Alas, never fear! We here are the Relish are on hand to guide you through the sartorial minefield, starting with our first offering - The Gentleman's Spring Wardrobe. Listed below are but a few examples of what we at the Relish believe to epitomise the essential look this season.

We begin with a hat. Until recently hats had been somewhat neglected by the international fashion community, relegated from their status as the sine qua non of the wardrobe. In the past few years, however, the hat has gone from strength to strength. Variously championed by fedora'd film stars and hipsters alike, the hat is now back where it should be: on top. And what better hat to sport this Spring than the fez. Yes, to quote everyone's favourite time travelling physician, fez's are cool. Just look at this chap here. Look at how cool he is. Look at how happy he (probably) is. That could be you.

Next comes the upper body, and with it the jacket. Fortunately for us this is a relatively simply choice. A staple of Gents from ages past, the vintage velvet smoking jacket seems to us here at the Relish to be the perfect accompaniment to the fez. That the wearing of a smoking jacket should be restricted to quiet nights in with one's friends, or worse yet, to the pages of a P.G. Wodehouse novel, seems to us an absolute travesty. After all, not often does just one item of clothing seem to encapsulate such a wide variety of qualities, from unparalleled comfort to peerless suavity. As such, we at the Relish are making it our mission to put the jacket where it belongs: at the forefront of everyday clothing. And if you needed any more more persuasion, take a glance at the fellow on the left and ponder upon the potential rewards that the jacket can bring.

Our third and final offering deals with the trouser department. Now we struggled for a long time to think of some suitable pantalons d'excellence which would be able to complete our Spring look, but in the end, we're fairly sure that we came up with a cracker. The answer came late one night, as I dozed upon the chaise longue and waited for the sweet tedium of the PGA tour to carry me off to the land of nod. All of a sudden, there they were in front of me. It was so obvious, how could I have been so stupid?!

Tartan trousers, of course! So much range, so many choices! Blue, green, red, the list is literally endless! Yes, tartan trousers are the perfect celtic twist to finish off our collection, with just a hint of a nod to sporting athleticism, too.

So that concludes our Spring Wardrobe. We hope that you have found it instructive, or at the very least entertaining. Until next time, chaps, keep your Fez's held high, and your smoking jackets delinted.