What to Wear WHERE: Afternoon Tea

SUMMER OUTFIT #10

Last week I shared what to wear on a date night.  This week for our final summer outfit for the What to Wear WHERE series, I’m sharing what to wear for an afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea.  High Tea.  Aren’t they the same?  Nope.  They are different.  Here’s what I learned years ago.

Legend has it that afternoon tea was started by the Duchess of Bedford in the mid-1800s.  Around this time, they had only two meals each day; mid-morning meal and late dinner.  The Duchess found herself feeling fatigue and hungry during the long wait between meals.  She decided to invite friends over for assorted snacks and tea, which later spread across high society and became a favorite pastime of ladies of leisure.

By the 1920s, Afternoon tea spread beyond the highest echelons of society and went from being a few snacks with a “cuppa” served on a fancy tea tray, to massive, highly-fashionable social events, where women dressing up in their fanciest long gowns, gloves, and hats just for the special occasion.

“High Tea” is typically serve later in the day around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m.  This term originated sometime during the Industrial Revolution when workers returned home after a hard day of labor.  Therefore, the “High Tea” was the main meal of the day.  And, you can be dressed in casual clothes and eat your meal away.

I love “High Tea” and “Afternoon Tea.”  Where there are good snacks and tea there’s me 🙂

I always make an effort to look presentable whenever I’m invited to have tea with friends.  We usually meet in a tea place.  It gives us a chance to catch up with each other without distractions.

And if you do plan to attend one soon or later in the near future, I found some classic timeless dresses and shoes for less than $100 that would make you sip your tea in style whether it is high tea or afternoon tea.

STYLING TIPS

My advice is to dress like you would if you were attending a nice daytime luncheon or wedding.   You can’t go wrong with dresses because they are comfortable and fashionable, but I would stay away from jeans or shorts.

DRESSES UNDER $100

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SHOES UNDER $100

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SHOP THE POST

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H&M DRESS | MGEMI VELVET PUMPS (OLD, SIMILAR STYLE) |  PRADA HANDBAG |

Allison of Never Say Die Beauty is hosting this week’s Fashion Flash Linkup so don’t forget to check it out.  Fashion Flash is an online group of women bloggers covering beauty, fashion, fitness, lifestyle, and travel.  We do a link roundup every Monday.  You will find a lot of tips, advice, and stories the expert bloggers in Fashion Flash have provided this week.  I’m also linking up to #iwillwearwhatiwant, Visible Monday, Hello Monday Linkup, and Currently Wearing.