Luxury Lingerie Review: The Kate Maxi Robe by Dear Bowie
Kate Maxi Robe in Hydrangea by Dear Bowie
This robe was purchased by yours truly with my own money. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Like most reviewers, I usually photograph and take pictures of lingerie pieces while they are brand new. After all, lots of things can happen to a piece of lingerie in a year or so: food and drink spillage, fabric pilling due to washing, color fading, etc. I'm reviewing this robe today specifically because I have lived with it for a year and during that year it has become an integral part of my lingerie collection.
I was really intrigued by Dear Bowie's offerings when they launched over a year ago, especially once I saw that Journelle had picked up their line as an exclusive. When my birthday rolled around in late November, I picked this Kate Maxi Robe as my birthday treat for myself. Dear Bowie was a shiny new brand at the time, so there weren't any reviews to go on as far as sizing. Luckily, it turns out this line falls into the plus size-friendly end of the luxury lingerie spectrum!
I'm generally a 14/16 in US sizes and I bought the size L (the largest size the brand offers):
Kate Maxi Robe - Front View
Kate Maxi Robe Long Sleeves
As you can see, this robe can be worn with the sleeves at elbow length or as full-length sleeves. I've seen it both ways in advertisements, but I tend to prefer the elbow-length style. It's nice that Dear Bowie has clearly thought about style and versatility here.
Dear Bowie's modal pieces are 90% modal and 10% silk, which makes them extra luxurious. I'm always a little wary of modal, mostly because I've had a ton of experience with it at luxury price points and a lot of it does not hold up. This modal is not only extra soft, but it has held up to some serious wear and tear over the year I've had the robe. This includes multiple trips, a lengthy beach vacation and an emergency trip through the washer and dryer when I didn't have a dry cleaner to take it to while I was on vacation.
Dear Bowie Kate Maxi Fabric Closeup
As you can see, it has definite wear, but has held up incredibly well considering it's my main robe around the house and I've travelled with it so much. I'm fairly sure the slight nubby texture it's acquired is due to me ignoring the washing instructions that one time. If you pick one up, I would make sure to have it dry cleaned consistently. I really regret the one time I tried to get lazy and wash it!
In terms of construction, this robe is everything you want at a luxury price point. The seams are flat and perfect, not a stitch has come loose over a long period of time, and the cut is incredibly well thought out. I am probably not the target customer Dear Bowie has in mind in terms of body type, but it fits well on me as well as the model they use. That's the sign of great construction and good design.
Back view of Dear Bowie Robe
The robe is a simple wrap structure, with a tie that pulls through a slit and wraps around. This makes the sizing extremely adjustable. I love that I don't have the feeling that I barely fit into the robe (common with luxury pieces at my size range) and that I feel like I have lots of room to breathe. If you were willing to wear it a bit tighter, I think this could even fit someone in the size 18 range. I'm 5'4" and this robe is definitely floor length on me. It doesn't drag, but if I were any shorter it would. Taller customers will be fine, but shorter ones might want to plan on altering it a bit shorter.
What I really love about this robe (and why I've worn it so much this year) is that it has the kind of glamour that fits my lifestyle perfectly. I've worn it as a swimsuit cover-up, a housecoat, and a robe to lounge around in. I've spilled tea on it, gotten dog hair on it, and it has all dry cleaned out fine. While I adore fancy lingerie pieces, I find them harder to integrate into my lifestyle --- despite the fact that I always take incredibly good care of my lingerie. I love that this is a piece that makes me feel fancy but also doesn't stress me out, which can be a really hard line for a luxury lingerie brand to walk.
Kate Maxi Robe in Frost by Dear Bowie
This amazing hydrangea color is still available, but this robe is also now available in a wealth of other colors: black, oatmeal, teal, and frost. While they are all lovely, I think the frost is my new favorite.
I'm turning 30 this year, so I suspect I'll be back at the Dear Bowie website purchasing myself another birthday present (or two) in the next month or so. This is one of the pieces of lingerie that has brought me the most pleasure over the past year, which is the best possible reason to come back to a brand.
