Tea gown

Jessie Franklin Turner, an American couturière working in New York beginning in the 1910s, played an early role in shaping key elements of American style. Her designs are alluring, even glamorous, but defined by ease in both aesthetic and practical terms–minimally adorned, relaxed in their construction, and versatile in their suitability to a range of occasions.

Turner built her reputation on artistic tea gowns, which, through shifting social conventions and her own ingenuity as a designer, gradually became suitable for less intimate settings. This example is typical of Turner’s approach to fashions for at-home entertaining and displays a simple but thoughtful construction that allows a customized fit in a ready-to-wear garment. Loose panels of fabric are drawn into place by a ribbon tie that adjusts the gown through the bust and waist, forming a seductive, body-skimming line. The layers of silk chiffon in complementary shades of peach and apricot create a subtle, blended effect that exemplifies Turner’s sensitivity to color.