AustLit

'The tea gown (or, alternatively, tea-gown, tea dress, or robe d’interieur) first appeared in 1877 (Cunnington 283) and peaked in popularity in the 1890s and 1900s. The major difference between a tea gown and a regular dress was its loose fit and the fact that it did not require a corset: the bodice (the fitted portion of the gown which extends from shoulder to waist) itself might be lightly boned, and it might either have an empire waist (cinched in directly beneath the bust, thus fitting loosely over the stomach), a princess waist (having no waist seam at all, but long darts instead), or a loose belt. Because of this lack of undergarments, it was generally not worn in public or by unmarried women. According to Patricia A. Cunningham, the tea gown constituted “the upper end of th[e] class of comfortable ‘at home’ clothing” (7). The tea gown was either derived from artistic dress or from the peignoir, a sort of fancy dressing gown; there is some discussion on this topic among fashion historians.' (Introduction)