Edwardian Dresses

Edwardian white lace tea dresses

Victorian Edwardian Tea Dress and Gown Guide

A summer time tea is a vintage themed event that all decades enjoy recreating in the summer. The vintage tea gown’s heyday was centered in the Edwardian era (1900-1920) where white lace dresses pose against a luscious green garden. The enormous flower covered picture hats are also perfectly suited for an outdoor tea.

Today we will look at a bit of history of the tea dress and then some helpful tips on dressing for your own Victorian Edwardian tea party this summer.

History of the Victorian & Edwardian Tea Dress or Tea Gown

Lighter, free fitting form of house dress worn at the time of afternoon tea- roughly 3 to 6pm. It was a formal house dress gown suitable for entertaining guests in one’s home. It need not be as formal as a dinner gown but formal enough to be seen among one’s peers. It was often an expression of a woman’s artistic abilities where the dress coordinated with her parlor room decor.

“The tea gown, on the other hand, drapes the figure loosely so as to fall in graceful folds, and may be regarded as a distinct economy, as it so often takes the place of a more expensive dress.” – The Evolution of Fashion, Florence Mary Gardiner 1897

The 1870s Victorian tea gown looked unfitted with large draping train at the back and pleats along the front (somewhat like Regency gowns.) They resembled fancy bedroom robes. With the rise of the bustle era the tea gown followed the bustle shape too. Lighter fabrics and delicate details and sometimes a lack of corset (gasp!) continue to make the gown look relaxed even though most women still needed to wear full foundations. In the late Victorian era tea time and the tea dress took on a rather naughty connotation. Taking afternoon tea at home with a husband away taking tea elsewhere, women (and men) could entertain their romantic lovers. The looseness of the gown with a strikingly similar look to boudoir robes made them quite inviting to their lovers.

By the Edwardian era, tea gowns were a regular part of a woman’s wardrobe outside of her home too. Tea time became more flexible as well as the location changed to outside porches and gardens. The sexual overtones vanished as these dresses became part of everyday summer fashions of the teens and early 20s. Nearly all Edwardian tea gowns were white eyelet, embroidery or lace inset sheer gowns. During fall and winter darker color gowns were worn.

Your Edwardian Tea Dress Costume

Creating your own Edwardian to 1920s tea dress costume shouldn’t be too difficult. While you certainly don’t need to choose a white dress, most women will want one. You can buy vintage dresses or new vintage inspired dresses.

Dress – For vintage you might be able to find an original Edwardian lawn dress in good condition at an antique clothing shop. Otherwise I find many wonderful 1980s does Victorian/Edwardian style dresses a little easier The white dresses were often wedding dresses with lace or mesh inserts, plenty of ruffles and trim. Name brands include Jessica McClintock and Gunny Sax.

For a vintage inspired tea dress my favorite brand is Nataya. They are lacy and romantic and perfect for a tea party. Not just white dresses either they have shades of green, rose, brown and black