Thursday, April 17, 2008

Dressed-to-a-Tea

Tea Time Dress in this weeks topic for the Gracious Hospitality Blog-a-Thon. This framed advertisement, a page that originally appeared in the Woman's Home Companion magazine, hangs in the tea room. It features the Correct Five-O'Clock Tea Frock, designed by Grace Margaret Gould. With a Copyright date of 1911 noted, they are selling the patterns for this outfit, which includes a Double Waist With V-Shaped Yoke, and a Gored Skirt With Foot Band. The price for each pattern is ten cents.
Noted in the ad... Though this five-o'clock tea costume is most simple in its lines, yet it is the simplicity that stands for correctness. The material is satin, a very soft, very supple quality, and the coloring tan and brown. Also in the picture, is a tea table complete with tea pot and several cups. (In order to see some of the details, click on the photo to enlarge it.) This is one of my favorite framed pieces, and I like to imagine that my Correct Five-O'Clock Tea Frock is at the Dry Cleaners.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely. I have always thought of myself as a 'medium size' but I certainly don't have a 26 inch waist! Women must have been smaller back then, do you think? A lurker who loves your blog, Judy

La Tea Dah said...

What a lovely and proper tea outfit! Our cozy dreams of jammies and jeans for tea need to be replaced with such a proper tea outfit! It's so complete and elegant, nicely illustrating such a proper lady. I'm sure there are many lessons regarding attire and behavior that can be learned by simply viewing this picture!

Thanks for sharing!
LaTeaDah

Linda Jennings said...

Simply elegant! Definitely the proper way to dress for tea!

Sweet Necessi-Teas said...

What a beautiful picture! How elegant she looks... Thanks for sharing!

Carrie said...

That is a fabulous vintage graphic. It so well evokes what many consider appropriate tea attire -- even though for daily occasions we wear whatever we please.

Steph said...

Wow - that is a marvelous piece of history! I love it! Too bad the pattern isn't still around - or maybe it is somewhere!

Sandra said...

What an elegant outfit. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see ladies wearing clothes like that again even once in awhile? Very pretty!

Grace said...

what great information!!! I am afraid though I will never be quite the proper lady!!! But I still love my tea

Sandy said...

Love the description of your five o'clock tea frock! The illustration is just wonderful! Look at that waist! SIGH! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Wow. That is wonderful! Can you imagine being able to function while wearing something like that? :)