There was a time, not so long ago, when it was nigh on impossible to imagine a more timeless up-top look than a starched shirt with the collar buttoned up tight. It was no- nonsense and felt so pleasingly pared-back that you couldn't imagine how it could be usurped. And now, here we are, breaking free from the rigour of those masculine influences in favour of the breezy femininity of the blouse. Who'd have thought it?The blouse has a history of cleverly spanning the frivolous and the practical, which might explain why today's iterations are so appealing. Before the 1900s they were either the scratchy uniform of the poor or the ostentatiously frilly garments worn by dandies, sailors and Romantics. Then, as separates took off for women in the 1900s, blouses became a canvas for opulent embroidery and embellishment, before segueing into hippie trail must-haves and workwear staples in the 1970s."They were our attempt to be feminine, but fit into what was then a male world," said the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Meg Whitman, in the documentary, Makers: Women Who Make America, of the pussy bow-style blouses Margaret Thatcher popularised."I have always loved the associations of the blouse: it's about empowerment, emancipation. It's about taking a traditionally masculine item and reinventing it as unabashedly feminine," says Leila Yavari, fashion director at Stylebop.com.The beauty of the current blouse revival is that they work perfectly for that very modern nine-to-nine dressing dilemma - an outfit which sees you through from work to drinks or dinner.It shouldn't matter that the blouse has been legitimised by the catwalk. But it's always nice to see high fashion and practicality coincide. The northern hemisphere's spring/summer 2016 collections offered up a myriad blouse references, from Marc Jacobs' glamorous 1940s Americana designs - recently worn with aplomb by Olivia Wilde - to Gucci's geek-chic pussy bows via Isabel Marant's Rajasthan-inspired embroidered versions.It's nice then that there isn't a single blouse "look" to clinch right now, rather it's about choosing one you love - be it Vivetta or Jupe by Jackie's playfully prim cotton blouses or the Hitchcockian elegance of Joseph and Red Valentino. But getting the styling right is key."I wear mine tucked into wide-leg trousers or raw indigo jeans with heels. It's very Lauren Hutton - understated, with just a hint of sensuality," said Yavari. Who doesn't want to buy into that aesthetic? © The Daily Telegraph..