In addition to storybook gamine, I resonate with the phrase romantic tomboy, which is of course just another version of Angie's girly tomboy. Would you believe that before I joined the forum, I didn't realise I enjoyed a touch of romance to my clothes? Even though my closet is full of detailed woven blouses? Funny what you don't notice about yourself.

This particular blouse is about as romantic as it comes: in blush coloured silk, with a very subtle polka dot pattern, featuring puffed sleeves, pintucks, waist-defining shirring in the back and tiny self covered buttons, not to mention the jaunty collar. I'm in danger of toothache just describing it. This is definitely the very limit of how far I can push my style in this direction, but I really liked the built-in waist shaping and the colour, and it would be a nice upgrade for a blush tee I own that has seen better days, plus I find silk irresistible at the best of times, so I decided to give it a shot.

For its first outing, I paired it with my new-ish loose grey summer trousers, that I've completely fallen in love with, as they're so comfortable even in the 100+ degree (40C) heat. They were the element of the tomboy, and so with the rest of the outfit, I felt free to play up the vintage/romantic angle with my platform sandals and delicate pastel jewelry (um, attempting to photograph earrings while wearing them is a challenge). I did choose my mushroom brooch instead of one of my 'girlier' ones, to give the outfit a tiny bit of extra grounding. The hair went up, because my short neck can't handle a collar/buttoned up blouse and long hair, plus it's more comfortable in the heat. I opted for a simple tuck though instead of my crown braids, which I thought would push it dangerously close to costume territory. Rather than fussing with a topper, I just wore my linen mitts for sun protection (they came off when I was around people, so I didn't photograph them).

I wasn't sure whether to tuck or not: I'm new to fully tucking into trousers, so I can't quite trust my eye yet. I love paper bag waists, so I liked that tucking showed that element of the trousers & it seemed more vintage-feeling, so that's how I wore it. However, I've also included the untucked version so you can tell me which way I should opt for next time.

I realise this is going to be way too romantic/girly/fussy for some people & that's fine! I half expected to get the outfit on & pull it back off or fiddle with it all day, but surprisingly once it was on I just sort of forgot about it, which tells me it's still in my comfort zone. But don't let that dissuade you from leaving critiques/tweaking suggestions: I genuinely welcome negative as well as positive feedback.

Please let me know whether tucked/untucked works better (or if they both work), either proportions-wise or vibe-wise. Try to overlook my awkward poses: my poor arms never seem to know what to do in front of the camera. Also, is the blouse too fancy compared to the trousers or do they play reasonably well together?

And if you have any other styling suggestions for either the blouse or the trousers, suggest away! I have a pretty big closet, so unless you advise a pencil skirt or v-neck top or something in a bright colour, I'll probably be able to come up with something close to your suggestion. Shoes are trickier, so perhaps stick to clothing recommendations. Thanks in advance!