Tea dresses were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, worn by women in their own rooms for comfort. Duchess of Bedford is credited with starting the trend, and the dress was made of soft, flowing materials with lace trim and handkerchiefs. The dress had fewer buttons or zippers and was associated with sexual intrigue. The dress was not to be worn outside unless visiting family or close friends. The dress was usually part of a woman’s daily wear for a season or two and had to be comfortable and attractive.
Tea dresses are long, flowing dresses that were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Often called a “house dress” or “lounge gown,” the tea gown was usually worn by a woman in the comfort of her own rooms. The full-length dress was typically made of soft, flowing materials with distinctly feminine attributes. Women often bought tea dresses constructed from a few different pieces, to change the look from afternoon to night.
Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford and a close friend of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, is generally credited with starting the tea dress trend. The Duchess is also known for originating “afternoon tea,” during which the dress would also be worn. As afternoon tea became popular, so did unstructured dresses. Fuller dresses allowed a woman to eat a sandwich or small cake more comfortably, since corsets were also not worn with them.
The fabric of a tea gown usually consisted of chiffon or silk. Wool and velvet would have been used more in the cooler months. Women also accessorized their tea dresses with lace trim and handkerchiefs, as well as ruffles, bold patterns, and embellishments. The dress often had a short train. A bracelet, necklace or earrings could also have been worn with the long dress.
The dress generally had fewer buttons or zippers than other popular dress types of the time. Due to its casual and amorphous form, it is said that men found an element of sexual intrigue in the tea dress. As women often hosted afternoon tea for both female and male guests while their husbands were away, the tea dress is often associated with stories of lovers. Because such dresses were designed to be easily donned or doffed, the man and his mistress had quick access for a timely foray.
If a woman was not entertaining guests with afternoon tea during the day, she might have been in her living room or private rooms. A woman was not to leave the house in her tea dress unless she was going to visit her family or a close friend of hers. Removing or adding complementary clothing segments would make an afternoon tea dress acceptable for the evening. At night, the neckline would drop, revealing more of the neck, chest, or shoulders.
Tea dresses were usually part of a woman’s daily wear for a season or two. Therefore, the dress had to be comfortable and attractive for the visitors, as well as for the woman herself. A woman may have designed her own tea dress or suggested to the dressmaker a dress that appeals to her individual style. The materials and accents of a tea gown also had to fit a woman’s budget.
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