I have delayed this post for two months now, certain that I will find an even more romantic blouse to illustrate my point. But it never happened: this 29 euro Zara version, if I remember the price correctly, was one of the first takes on the trend and I haven’t encountered anything markedly better (although this one is nice).

And for once, I’m writing about a proper trend (although I’m a little late – see above). It’s been long since romanticism in general and romantic blouses in particular have been in fashion. For years, it has been about simple silk shirts, probably by Equipment, no sentimentality permitted. Now, the blouses are back with a vengeance: there are pussy bows and bell sleeves; lace and eyelet; small ruffles and big; plant patterns and embroidery; 18th and 19th century influences.

There are no prizes for guessing which genre is my current favourite. I love the high neck and billowing sleeves of this Victoriana-lite Zara blouse. In fact, I liked the blouse so much I almost bought it twice: it took me a while to realize that this beautiful item on the rail is indeed the very same one I had already bought the day before and was wearing that very moment. My only problem with this blouse is that I want the neck to be even higher and the sleeves even more billowy.

I like it best with boyish, not too slim cropped jeans, but it works great with a midi-length pencil skirt for work and a long skirt for evening. It also looks good combined with wide tweed trousers or a riding jacket, but probably not with both of them simultaneously. For a fresher approach, I would layer it under a sleeveless minidress.

I don’t think this trend will disappear any time soon (the white dress of the summer was also part of the same romantic movement), but for autumn and winter, you might want to go darker. I haven’t yet found a perfect dark romance blouse, with the possible exception of this Givenchy number. Unfortunately, it costs about 100 times more than the one from Zara, so I’m still looking.