As we all love the series “Bridgerton” and its popularity is leading a lot of people to the tea table. Today, the era might have changed but the tea party theme still remains which leads us to question – How to dress for a tea party?
Tea parties could be held at an upscale, glamorous, contemporary or historic hotel, garden or in the backyard of your home. Nowadays, you might get invited to tea party themed bridal showers, baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays and much more.
So, here I am to make you look like the ‘main character’ in every tea party and to help you answer, what is proper attire for a tea party?
Table of Contents
How To Dress For A Tea Party?
1. What to Wear to a Tea Party in Winter?
When going to a tea party in winter, wear a beige long dress and cozy off-white sweater on top of it. You can either wear a belt to enhance your figure on top of the sweater or you can do my hack if you are overweight.
I have a wonderful hack, you can look elegant for a tea party in a sweater, just wear a bra on the fitted dress and tuck the front bottom of your sweater in the bra. There you go, you will thank me after using this hack. Here’s how you can know about dressing elegant in winter.
Another look to go for would be crop fitted sweaters with long skirts or pleated midi skirts with a little pair of knee-high boots. You can also wear a French scarf or muffler with it. It looks feminine and chic. Accessorize it with a big belt as well to give you a flattering shape and catch an eye.
When attending a tea party in winter, make sure to bring a shawl or long coats. Belted coats look feminine when worn and also it complements the dress and jumpsuits as well.
2. What do Ladies Wear to a High Tea?
When going to a high tea, wear a beautiful pastel dress with puffed sleeves and it would be gorgeous with floral prints. When it comes to fabric, go with light and flowy fabrics like silk. That’s going to be your perfect tea party dress.
Talking about accessories, choose a small round bag and beautiful pumps. You can also wear a headband if you like but it’s completely optional.
Going to a bit of a formal British tea party? Choose a beige colour dress, it would be good to have an empire or wrap waist in a flowy dress. Again, you can accessorise it with the same shoes and bags if you like.
Don’t forget to wear mesh gloves and fascinator hats according to your dresses and your likes.
Related Post: Ultimate Guide to Plus Size Cocktail Dresses.
3. What to Wear to a Tea Party in Spring?
For a tea party in spring, wear a belted fit and flare dress with floral prints. Make sure the prints and the colours on the dress are something that is vibrant and beautiful. Accessorise it with strappy heels and a brown bag. It would be great to wear a round hat with your look.
If you can get dresses in full sleeves then it’s going to look amazing. These dresses have a flowy feel to it. Another dress to go for is a floral silk off-shoulder maxi dress with fabric belt on it. It’s the epitome of girly-girl fairy tale dress.
Sometimes it’s not easy to look elegant and girly when you are overweight, so here’s how you can look chic and perfect even when you are fat. These are one of those dresses that you just throw it on and you would feel easy and comfortable. You wouldn’t have to do much after wearing this dress because this dress alone would be enough for a tea party in spring.
4. What Shoes Should I Wear With a Tea Dress?
When wearing a tea dress for a tea party, wear closed front, pointed-toe shoes. Again, you should choose shoes according to the theme of the tea party. When going to a formal tea party, choose heels.
If you are not comfortable with heels then feel free to choose wedges. Wedges will give you the required heels while being absolutely comfortable with your feet. If you are wearing a simple pastel coloured dress, make sure to wear shoes with at least one sparkly jewel or adornment.
Do not wear footwear like flip-flops, crocs or sneakers because these are way too casual for such an event. If you are going for a garden tea party, you can wear sandals. Just be comfortable in whatever shoes you are wearing to the tea party.
5. How to Dress for a Tea Party Baby Shower?
For tea party baby shower, wear elegant midi dresses in pastel colours like light blue or blush pink. When it comes to sleeves, choose cold shoulder or strap sleeves. This will give you a feminine and ladylike look.
Choose dresses that are flowy and have the perfect cut which makes it look like it’s gliding on your body. Ruffles will make this dress more beautiful but it’s totally optional. Make sure you are comfortable in the dress you choose.
If you want something different and more casual then go for a jumpsuit but make sure it’s elegant and feminine because you would not want to look odd for a tea party. Tea party baby shower is not a formal event like a wedding. So, make sure the dress you are choosing isn’t too formal for a baby shower.
Generally baby showers are during the day so a feminine dress is the most appropriate. Don’t overanalyze it and if you ever think that you are overdressed, err on the fact that you probably are not. A lot of times people would think they are overdressed when they are actually underdressed.
6. What to Wear for Afternoon Tea?
Tea parties are very elegant and feminine affairs. Dress feminine and wear more pastel colours like light blue, light pink and beige. Wear pastels that make you look more ladylike. Dresses are one of the best options to go with especially when you are plus size. Talking about dresses, here’s how you can hide love handles in dresses.
For an afternoon tea, wear smart casual dresses but avoid looking very casual. If you are not a dress person then this is the best opportunity to include more dresses in your wardrobe for a better change. You can wear skirts and elegant jumpsuits as well but avoid trousers because it doesn’t look feminine.
Wear lace dresses because lace is feminine and romantic. Tea parties usually have a romantic vibe to them. Having a lace dress is going to be absolutely spot-on. When wearing something sparkly, make sure it doesn’t get too much because it’s a bit of a smart casual type of event. You should look like you are fitting in, not some first-time outsider who doesn’t know what they are doing.
7. What Colour Do You Wear to a Tea Party?
You should wear vibrant, pastels, and colourful dresses for tea parties. This is a smart casual or semi-formal event so choose the colour according to the theme. It’s better to avoid colours that might look odd for this event and also to the attendees.
Colours like black should be avoided as there is no vibrant effect to it and tea parties are usually about colours and femininity. When it comes to prints to wear to a tea party, choose dresses with florals, polka dots, fruits and lace.
When wearing solid colours without any prints, then make sure to wear a vibrant solid colour so that it covers the lacking of the print.
8. Can You Wear Jeans to a Tea Party?
No, you can not wear jeans to a tea party because jeans are too casual and carefree for this event as tea parties are semi-formal or smart casual events. Even when it’s a very casual tea party, you still can’t wear jeans.
Instead of jeans, I would suggest you to go for elegant jumpsuits, elegant wide trousers and also midi skirts. When wearing pants make sure it’s neutral more preferably in brown colour.
It’s better to wear pants in winter tea parties because then it would make more sense. For spring and summer, dresses and skirts are perfect to go with.
9. Tea Party Hats
There are many types of hats and a lot of tea party themes. So, I can understand how difficult it must be to select suitable tea party hats. It’s better to select the fascinator with the clothes that you are going to wear.
There are no specific rules regarding fascinators, choose what you feel like carrying according to the outfit. If you are going to a high tea party with a formal theme then you should choose fascinators that are elegant and small in size.
When going to an afternoon tea party with a casual theme then go for bright and vibrant coloured fascinator hats with flowers or feathers adorned on it. Tea hats are usually made with silk or velvet fabrics but it’s better to wear velvet fabric hats in winters.
If you are wearing a simple dress then fascinator hats are a perfect way to enhance your dress. It is a great opportunity to play with the fascinators which you might not wear on any casual day.
10. Can You Wear a Maxi Dress to a Tea Party?
Yes, you can wear a maxi dress to a tea party because tea parties are all about flowy dresses and maxi dress fits completely into the theme. When wearing a maxi dress, make sure it’s not too casual for the event.
There are a lot of maxi dresses that are made for smart casual or semi-formal events. Grab one of those and accessorise it with gloves or a belt. Choose a printed maxi dress that looks amazing and on theme. Wear wedges with maxi dresses to a tea party.
Wondering how to choose the perfect maxi dress when you are short? Here’s how you can look absolutely eye-catching in maxi dresses even when you are short and fat.
11. How to Accessorise a Tea Dress?
Accessorize a tea dress for a tea party by wearing suitable gloves, one statement jewellery piece, brooch, beaded necklaces or tiaras. Talking about gloves, save it for formal tea parties only.
You can not wear gloves to every tea party because nowadays, there are different types of events with tea party themes. It’s not necessary to wear gloves at every tea party. Before choosing dresses and accessories, make sure to ask and confirm everything about the theme and suitable looks.
Instead of going over the top with jewellaries, go for statement pieces only. It’s better to be less than more when it comes to jewellaries, especially at tea parties. Choose a statement necklace, ring, brooch, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, or just an old fashioned watch from your granny.
12. Can You Wear Black at a Tea Party?
No, you can not wear black at a tea party because it’s not acceptable traditionally to wear black. I mean c’mon ladies, there are a ton of events where we can glam up in a black outfit. So what is the need of wearing black at a tea party?
Tea party is all about pastels, neutrals, vibrant and bright colours. It’s better to stick to these colours as this is a great reason to play with colours. If you are a tomboy or less-feminine then tea parties are a great opportunity to explore your feminine side. I wish you a happy femininity journey.
13. What to Wear to a Formal Tea Party?
For a formal tea party wear a formal maxi dress. You can also wear smart casual or semi-formal dresses. To enhance your formal tea party look, wear elegant and beautiful gloves and make sure it’s long.
Long gloves are made for formal tea parties. Lacy gloves with little details are perfect for this event. I mean c’mon, when are you going to get such an opportunity to wear elegant gloves except the tea party?
Though gloves are not a compulsion, when it comes to a formal tea party, its better to be overdressed than underdressed.
Related Post: Plus size formal dresses for weddings.
Sophia Dcruz is not just an author at Curvardrobe; she’s a passionate advocate for self-love, body positivity, and all things fashion. With a genuine desire to empower plus-size women, Sophia brings a unique blend of style expertise and a heartfelt commitment to her role as a writer and influencer.
