Tea gown
Clothes for Women
Inventory number
2019.4.12.3ac.CW.SU.C1915.USAuthor:
O'Malley (American, 1st half of the 20th century)Description
Women set for tea consisting of a jacket, a dress and a reticulle bag. All 3 pieces in blue and green changeant silk taffeta with embroidered silk and metallic gold appliques: on dress modesty piece and sleeves of navy chiffon, cuffs of taffeta, jacket lined in white China silk printed with humming birds among lilac floral boughs.The so-called tea gown was an alternative to clothes worn with corsets; however, it matched the fashion silhouette of that time. Tea gowns were mostly made from taffeta, velvet, chiffon or tulle.
Tea gowns were a peculiar transition in fashion. They were loose-fitting, worn without a corset or with a loose-fitting one and could be worn in the afternoons, at home or in the company of close friends. Tea gowns enabled the wearer to be free of a corset before changing for dinner or for an evening occasion. The origins of the corset come from the Artistic Dress and the Aesthetic Dress of the second half of the 19th century that offered an alternative to clothes with rigorous corsets. The very beginning of the 20th century brought the so-called "Victorian dress reform" that could be worn outside home. It took some courage to wear it!
Material
TaffetaOrigin
circa 1915 Philadelphia, United StatesExhibitions History
• 2018.10.02–2019.04.21. ‘1918. The luxury of independence from Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ In collaboration with Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation. Fashion Museum, Riga, Latvia.• 2021.09.17–2021.11.14. ‘To Play To The Gallery. Fashion And Portrait.’ Together with Museum of Art and History, Geneva, Switzerland. Museum of Art and History, Palatine’s room, Geneva, Switzerland.