For a garment that combines many different design flourishes that are teetering on the edge of tooth-achingly twee, the tea dress manages to be so much more than the sum of its parts. Neat rows of buttons and gently puffed sleeves; ditsy patterns and sweetheart necklines; hems just crying out to be flipped and twirled: oh, they’re pretty, all right, but practical, too, conjuring the can-do attitude of the gals of the 1930s and 40s who wore them best.
I love them for their effortless elegance. Far from being fussy, they’re a fabulous way to look puttogether while still feeling supremely comfortable and carefree. And that’s as it should be, when you consider that the tea dress’s predecessor in the field of ‘clothes to wear while drinking hot beverages’ was the…
You're reading a preview of
The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2023