Crane Print Satin Nightie 'Akatsuru'

White cranes on a short burgundy satin robe, the deep red of the family

Burgundy is the grown-up red, and this short satin nightie wears it with white cranes. The birds gather at the hem, white with pale pink wings and red crowns, three or four across the front and more round the back, with a few small blossoms scattered at the shoulders, on a ground of deep wine-red satin that goes almost black in the folds. The belt is cut from the same cloth and ties at the front. It falls to mid-thigh, with the kimono's wide elbow-length sleeves and crossover front.

Of the short crane robes, this is the one with the most depth in its colour. Pink is sweet, black is dramatic, navy is dressed; burgundy is warm, and it is the colour of a good glass of something at the end of a day.

The name, Akatsuru, means red crane, the bird against a red ground, and the ground is the whole mood.

The cranes are printed, not embroidered, on a polyester satin with a smooth, glossy face and a fluid drape, chosen because satin is what makes a red this deep glow rather than sit, and because a robe worn against the skin should be light, cool and quick to wash. It is unlined and not sheer.

Cross the fronts left over right, wrap the belt once at the waist and tie it at the front or the side. The sleeves stop at the elbow, the hem above the knee, and the robe stays out of the way of whatever the evening is for.

Up close the cranes show every feather and the satin shows its weave. From across a bedroom it is a wine-red robe with white birds at the hem, and it looks like it came from a hotel with a good buyer.

It washes cold, inside out, and dries in an hour on a hanger. Kept on the back of the door rather than folded in a drawer, the satin stays smooth and the print stays where it was put.

It goes with nothing, which is what a robe is for, and with a black slip when the room is cool. If the pink one is the gift and the black one is the night in, this is the one to buy for yourself.

Sizes run from M to XXXL. It is cut to Asian sizing and runs small, so take one size up from your usual. Between two sizes, take the larger.