tea dress

Noun

tea dress (plural tea dresses)

1. Synonym of tea-gown.
   • Miss Hawthorne was here all day to make me a 5 o'clock tea dress.2007, Frances Hoffman, Ryan Taylor, Much to Be Done: Private Life in Ontario from Victorian Diaries, page 138
   • 'I suppose I'll wear my Victorian tea dress again,' said Grace. 'Maybe I can borrow a pith helmet or something.'2010, Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, page 150

   Synonyms:

   tea-gown

2. A short, semiformal, dress appropriate for afternoon tea or similar occasions, relaxed enough for dancing, and usually made of light printed fabric.
   • The tea dress conjures up the quintessence of traditional Englishness. Both feminine and formal, it is nonetheless relaxed enough to be worn at all manner of social occasions from a summer wedding or garden party to a drink in the local pub. Because of its attractive versatility, the flowery...2009, Design Museum Enterprise Ltd., Fifty Dresses that Changed the World
   • The tea dress can be worn with heels or flats, buttoned up for a prim look or undone for a more sensual, casual vibe. It suits every figure. The Second World War tea dress often had little puffed sleeves with small pads in the shoulders and a sweeheart neckline.2014, Kerstin Rodgers, Ms Marmite Lover's Secret Tea Party