When a young actress known for tight mini dresses and a provocative style suddenly puts on a linen blouse with embroidered flowers, it's not a coincidence - it's a sign a trend has finally hit its peak. The Spanish actress Ester Exposito appeared in New York in an all-white linen set with delicate floral embroidery, confirming the return of an aesthetic fashion calls "cottagecore".

The set - a blouse and an asymmetric skirt of ivory-coloured linen and cotton, with embroidered flowers that look drawn onto the fabric - comes from Tory Burch's summer collection. Details like mother-of-pearl buttons and drawstrings to cinch the sleeves and waist give it a handmade, artisanal tone. The white bag and pointed shoes break the excessive rusticity and bring back a dose of sophistication.

But this trend wasn't invented yesterday. "Cottagecore" - an aesthetic of flowers, rural landscapes and cottages - exploded during the pandemic, as a collective escape from urban stress and too many screens. Taylor Swift's album "Folklore" and the series "Bridgerton" further awoke a love of romantic silhouettes, embroidery and light fabrics.

The roots, though, run much deeper. Back in the 18th century, Marie Antoinette built an artificial village at Versailles - the "Queen's Hamlet" - to escape court life and play at an idyllic country existence. The same nostalgia for simplicity, for handiwork and for beauty in small things repeats across centuries, from the rococo painters to the Arts & Crafts movement.

Behind every trend sold as "natural" and "simple", though, stands a whole industry that charges for exactly that feeling. The Balkan reader knows it well - the "like I didn't even try" look usually demands the most effort and the most money. But if an illusion is to be bought anyway, linen and embroidery are at least more comfortable than last season's tight dresses.