The Londoner’s Guide To Wearing A Tea Dress—Without Grandma’s Pearls

We know, we know. Once again, those promises of a “British barbecue summer” have gone unfulfilled, and that tea dress you scored at the start at the season remains in your wardrobe, collecting dust.

You’ll no doubt be chuffed, then, to learn that there’s hope for the little frock yet. The vintage-inspired tea dress has major staying power for winter, acting as a flirtatiously feminine counterpoint to the season’s hard-edged leather and military trends and proving to be versatile enough to take you from day to play — to your favourite nightspot.

Whether partnered with a classic blazer and specs for the boardroom, sleek sportswear for the weekend, or killer heels and a biker jacket for the club, the tea dress is more than ready to break out of its granny-chic garden party roots.