We are planning to do afternoon at Fortnum & Mason. I am still confused a little about the dress. Are capri pants okay or do we need to wear regular slacks or a dress?

Hi L,

Afternoon Tea is supposed to be special. Why spend the extra money if you are not going to make it a special occasion?

The Fortnum's website says Afternoon Tea is "Casual Elegant".

i don't see how that is making it not special. assuming said "pants" are part of a neat outfit, i do not see a problem, especially if you are talking about a summer visit.

I have been to the tea at the Ritz (which is probably similar) several times and while the men are always in coat and tie, the women's dress is really all over the board. Some ladies dress in business suits, some in fancy dresses, and some in just a pair of black pants and sweater. If the capris you are talking about are just as nice as the pants I would absolutely wear them in the summer(it will probably be too cold in the spring) but you may want to wear a heeled sandal or a dressier top with them.

Tea at F&M isn't really like tea at the Ritz. For Fortnum's one would wear what she would wear to shop there - Smart and appropriate, but not necessarily overly dressy. But it IS a very posh store so you don't want to schlepp in wearing really casual capris and sandals and a tee.

Capris would be OK if the outfit is stylish and something you would wear to a nice restaurant in New York.

I assume you are talking about the St James restaurant upstairs. If you mean the Fountain on the ground floor - then dressy isn't really an issue. It is nice but you can get away w/ much more casual.

I know there was some refurbishment/remodeling planned for the ground floor so not sure what is open and what isn't.

I agree with Janisj. I wore jeans, a nice shirt when I had tea there and didn't feel out of place at all.

I just checked the website and the tea is held at the Patio Restaurant rather than at the St. James Restaurant. The menu is not as extensive but the cost is a lot less. We have never done afternoon tea before. Do you think doing it in the Patio Restaurant will not be as nice? Do you think we should pay the extra money for St. James?