Dressing Gown - A £15,000 dressing gown

Stuck for what to get the man who has everything this Christmas? Help is at hand, from a department store which is selling a £15,000 dressing gown.

A £15,000 dressing gown from Selfridges for the man who has everything
The dressing gown is woven from extremely rare wool from vicuna, which are cousins of the Llama

Defying the retail slow down and the fact the economy is heading into the worst recession in decades, Selfridges is offering a dressing gown that is woven from extremely rare vicuna wool.

At more than half the average person's annual salary, the Derek Rose dressing gown is the most expensive piece of bedwear known to man. But the retailer is confident there are enough billionaires left around the world who are having to suffer from the indignities of a mere cashmere and may want to trade up.

Vicunas, which are cousins of the Llama, produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is so expensive because the animal can only be shorn every two years. The animals are endangered in the wild but live in captivity in the Peruvian highlands.

Fashion experts are confident that the luxuriousness of vicuna wool will tempt some buyers.

Gareth Scourfield, fashion editor of Esquire magazine, said: "It seems a ridiculous price, I know. But this isn't bling, this is understated luxury that will appeal to some people that really appreciate rarity value.

"Vicuna wool is incredible. It is like a cashmere silk mix – very warm, but also very light."

The dressing gown is the latest example of retailers offering very high-priced items, in a snub to the credit crunch. Fortnum & Mason is selling £25,000 Christmas hampers containing kilos of caviar and foie gras. One of the most hotly-tipped toys this Christmas is a barking, sniffing battery-operated dog that costs more than £130.

Selfridges will monogram the dressing gown at no extra cost.

The Telegraph
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
Last Updated: 4:02PM GMT 20 Nov 2008