Unsure what to wear as the hostess for the holidays? Relax and take a cue from Edwardian tea gowns!

Comfort and style are in! Ditch the heels for (Chervet) slippers say fashion experts

These days, we've gotten more comfortable with, well, being more comfortable and hosting a holiday party doesn't mean you have to ditch the relaxed fit for snug pants or tightly cinched dresses. It's time to revisit the allure of the Edwardian tea gown where "loose-fitting" and "stylish" were not mutually exclusive.

A recent article in the WSJ ("Sorry Betty Draper:  How Hosting Style Went From Stifling to Cool"), notes that with the impact of Covid and the onset of vaccines, people have returned to entertaining, but with smaller groups in more intimate settings, primarily their homes. While there is a renewed interest in dressing up, it's not the stiff, binding attire of the June Cleaver or Betty Draper era women are keen on emulating, but a throw back to the beginning of the last century where hostesses would greet guests in elegant but loose-fitting tea gowns. In fact, as we've mentioned in earlier posts about such festive frocks, it was the only dress (in the many changes an aristocratic women would make during the day), that did not require a corset. Who wouldn't be excited to get to tea time?

Tea gown of late 1800's, less comfy than those of the early 20th century 

(But, take care to get the tea gown from the right century. French socialite, Countess Greffuhle (said to be have been the inspiration of Marcel Proust's character Duchess de Guermantes in "In Search of Lost Time") was a women with an impressive social circle, however, she primarily entertained at home, wearing such "tea gowns" created by Charles Worth (the Gilded Age designer). One such dress of the Countess from 1897 - on display at Paris' Palais Galleria - is certainly beautiful, but doesn't quite evoke lounge-worthy.)

In the WSJ article, Sherri MacMullen, who owns MacMullen Boutique in Oakland California, advises that "fluidity and comfort are important". Claire Olshan, owner of a New York snack company and frequent party goer, not only agrees with MacMullen, she pushes the envelope further, feeling anything goes - even sleepwear. However, she qualifies that by saying if one chooses pajamas, they "should be the most decadent, glorious pajamas".  And, how about this? - Olshan also gives the green light to barefeet(!) or slippers for acceptable hostess footwear.

Not quite "anything goes" for hostess pajamas

I must hastily add, in fair and honest reporting, that the pajamas recommended for hostesses are a bit more fanciful than the flannel puppy-print top and pants I favor. Highlighted in the article is a shimmery "lounge suit" from The Sleeper.com for $270. The slippers are also not fleece-lined crocs, but Charvet velvety slides that I found on-line, on sale, for $194 (down from $390).  

Getting closer to acceptable hostess attire. Loose fitting tea gowns and Allbirds slippers

So, bottom-line, there's probably a happy medium (or, to be really comfy, an "extra large") with all of this. I may not wear a sparkly lounge suit or velvet slippers this holiday entertaining season, but I'll leave the doggie jammies and heavy socks in the dresser drawers until I go to bed.