This week’s Rate the Dress is a tea gown in the aesthetic style which combines the comfort and (relative) ease of wear that was originally supposed to be the point of a tea gown, with the luxurious fabrics and whimsical use of trim and design features that came to be the defining characteristic of a tea gown.

Tea gowns are fascinating garments.  As personal items for an intimate setting, they didn’t have to fit any rules of convention.  As luxury garments they weren’t bound by practicality. These two mean they are often particularly unique and distinctive examples of their era.

I gave you an extra few days for Rate the Dress, because last week’s was so late. And I’m still feeling very rushed and busy, so have picked a Rate the Dress that’s all about relaxing, albeit in the poshest way possible. Last Week: an 1860s fancy dress Last week’s Rate the dress was fancy in a different way to this weeks: fancy dress, rather than fancy, fancy. But what we could see of the trim and construction was also quite fancy: indicating a very well made, high quality item, for a client with money to spend on a one-off costume. But that didn’t translate to likes: the ratings were all over the place, from 2 to 10. The final result? The Total: 6.4 out of 10 Personally, I have a sneaking suspicion it would have rated much higher if we could have seen how it was worn: fully accessorised and styled. This week: a tea gown by the House of Worth Tea gowns were always status symbols: the Victorian & Edwardian versions of designer jeans …