Over the weekend, Harry Styles was photographed at his close friend and agent Jeff Azoff’s wedding, swathed in a plush white San Ysidro Ranch-branded bathrobe. The moment I laid eyes on
the scene, I knew exactly what I was looking at: A Great Moment in Robe History™.
The bathrobe, especially on men, has long been unfairly maligned as a symbol of laziness and slovenliness. Of giving up. But as Styles—only the most stylish man in the world—shows us, the robe can also be luxurious, an expression of easy confidence, and the ultimate power move.
Here, we celebrate 22 significant robes for their many contributions to society. They are ranked in rough order of “would absolutely wear it on the couch all day” to “mankind’s most majestic achievements in terry cloth and silk.” Some are associated with onscreen characters, others occurred in the wild, all of them are magnificent. Behold, the greatest robes of all time.
22. Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt inCat on a Hot Tin Roof
Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958.
MGM Studios / Getty ImagesClassic film, classic guy, classic robe.
21.Jack Nicholsonas Jack Torrance inThe Shining
Jack Nicholson and Danny Lloyd in The Shining, 1980.
Getty ImagesAll work and no robes makes Jack a dull boy.