Tea time!

I had some errands to run today, so I had the pleasure of walking miles to my car (parking at my school = not good) in the freezing cold. It was snowing a little when I left, but as I was driving home, it really started coming down. I suppose I should feel lucky that I didn't have to drive long in the blizzard, but instead, I chose to sulk as I walked the miles back to my dorm. As I approached main campus, there was one desire in my mind: tea.

Now, I know this is a fashion blog, and a phrase that begins with "one desire" is usually followed by "a pair of Saddlelite jeans," but I promise, this does have to do with fashion. Teen Vogue (shut up, I like it) had a cute little spread on teens having tea parties in their last issue, and it made a good point: sometimes, it's nice to take some time out of your (freezing cold) day just to hang out with good friends and drink some hot beverage. Tea being the posh old institution that it is, it's also a good opportunity for a little bit of a fashion show.

After all, where do you think the term "tea-length dress" comes from? Teatime is an opportunity to make yourself look nice and a bit formal, but in a relaxed, easy way. I say "relaxed" and "easy" because it's important to look ladylike at teatime--it's certainly not eveningwear, and it's hard to make eating a crumbly cream scone look sexy. So, there are a lot of lovely little dresses out there that aren't meant to be worn out to the clubs, but aren't exactly meant for class, either, and I'd like to point a few out.

If you're on a tight budget, this dress by Necessary Objects would be a good choice. It's cute, it has a nice, unpretentious amount of detail, it's probably comfortable as can be, and furthermore, you could wear it over jeans for a casual look. Lots of bang for your buck.

A slightly showier option is this shift from Topshop. It's making me regret coming back to the states (reason #1253. . .), because I love the simple shape and complex pattern, the color palette is to die for, and it's just really, really, really divine. Of course, if I had this, I would wear it everywhere, so it might get a little shabby for tea, but hey, I could throw a bohemian, avant-garde tea, and I would fit right in. So there.

Finally, if you're willing to drop a little cash, this Marc by Marc Jacobs dress is the definition of lovely. I assume that most of you who are reading this can see it, so you can see why it's so lovely, and you don't need me to explain. Mmmm. Lovely.

But I must admit, when I get all my friends together in my room for afternoon tea (sometime!), I'll be wearing the typical college student uniform of a tee shirt (tea shirt?) and jeans. Hey, a good hostess would never make her guests uncomfortable.