Peacock and Peony Dressing Gown 'Kuroshou'

A pink peacock on a long black satin gown, white blossom and peonies round it

The peacock on this dressing gown is drawn in pink, and its tail runs the whole length of the robe. It sits high on one side with its tail sweeping down to the ankle in pink and rose, and round it white blossom scatters in sprays and pink peonies open, on a ground of black satin. The belt is cut from the same cloth and ties at the front. Wide sleeves to the elbow, a crossover front, and a hem that moves.

It is the most dramatic of the long satin robes, because black makes the pink glow and the white blossom read like points of light, and because a peacock is a bird that has never learned to be discreet. On black it does not have to be, and it is not.

The name, Kuroshou, means black peacock, the bird on a black ground, and the ground is what makes the bird.

The print is printed, not embroidered, on a polyester satin with a smooth, glossy face and a fluid drape, chosen because satin is what makes black shine and pink glow, and because a long gown should fall straight rather than stand. 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 tail of the bird runs down the side of the body, so it shows whether the robe is tied or open. That is the design, and it is a robe with a side.

Up close the tail shows every eye in its feathers and the peonies show their layers. From across a room it is a long black robe with a sweep of pink down it, and it is the one in the family that people will comment on.

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, with a black slip when the room is cool, and with an evening that deserves it. Of the peacock robes, this is the night one; the others are for the day.

Sizes run from S 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.