Antique blouses scare people. They look like they belong in a museum, and the prices on some of them suggest the same. But a lot of Victorian and Edwardian blouses were everyday clothes, made of cotton voile and simple lace, and they turn up secondhand for less than many new designer shirts.

The easiest way to wear one is with jeans. A high-necked white Edwardian blouse tucked into straight jeans with loafers is a completely modern outfit, and the contrast makes the old piece look intentional instead of costumey. Roll the sleeves if they are long and fussy. Leave the cameo brooch at home. A plain navy cardigan over the top is the easiest way to make it work for the office.

If you want the look without an actual antique, a ruffled or lace blouse from the last few decades gets you most of the way. This grid mixes both. There is an Alexander McQueen cream silk blouse with a Victorian ruffle collar, a Vivienne Westwood Red Label check shirt with a ruffled jabot and a Saint Laurent cotton shirt with a ruffled bib. There are also two more antiques hiding in here, an Edwardian batiste blouse with filet lace and a Victorian cream Battenberg lace top.

What I would skip: blouses where the ruffles are so big they wrestle with your jacket, and anything in stiff polyester lace. The ruffle should sit flat under a blazer or cardigan. Cotton and silk lace soften with wear, and a good antique piece will keep going for years if you hand wash it in cool water and dry it flat.