Prim, proper and feminine - these are the trends defining fashion today. While black is back in the spotlight, so is smart tailoring. This fall, there's a return to the Edwardian era, recreating nuances of styles worn in Victorian England. Victorian and Edwardian fashion elements highlight the importance of hourglass shaping and waist definition. Think high-necked blouses with ornate deep cuffs and lace inserts all teamed with full taffeta skirts often with ruffles or flounces. Fancy that?

Before the transition to a more liberating style, the ideal beauty was to see women in exaggerated silhouette, wrapped up in a busted corset and bearing layers upon layers of draped fabric. This dramatic look is bringing back the fantasy costume to couture. The change of proportion on the runways today is a modern adaptation to the heavy and constricting festive gowns. "Over the centuries, the female has been glorified, exaggerated, disguised, revealed and tortured, all in the name of style. It seems no erogenous zone has been left untouched," explains Hamish Bowles, Fashion Writer and European Editor at Large of Vogue.

Even though fashion had the same feminine elements throughout the 19th century, it evolved from the Empire to the Romantic to the Bustle period, all the while maintaining the gracious look of Victorian women. The hourglass frame was accentuated and emphasized with ruffles and flirty insertions. Handmade dresses featured brilliant creations using delicate techniques and traditional application. Lace was applied in almost all costumes in a form of high-neck shirts or with decorative detailing like the entre-deux, smocking and embroidered edging. Sleeves were enhanced and given a lot of attention. During the Romantic period, lavishly enlarged sleeves made the fuller appearance graceful and elegant. These beautiful expressions continued throughout the bustle stage, defining the turn of the century.

Sexy is more subtle this fall, as the designs give rise to a dramatic mood stemming from a vintage costume look with gothic hints that describe all that is Victorian. For example, at Chloé, the brand's signature feminine style was an inviting boudoir for comfort and refinement. Despite the absence of designer Phoebe Philo, the design team presented dedicated clientele with the season's hot looks including Victorian accented jackets, empire lace dresses and of course the famous Chloé loose white shirt. At the Comme des Garçons show, we witnessed an intriguing collage of romantic pieces finished with a traditional yet gloomy touch. Also at Rochas, designer Olivier Theyskens has revived the fashion house's identity with his classy vision and his ability to carry out haute couture elegance in prêt-à-porter. For his fall collection, Theyskens chose fragile fabrics like chiffon, and beautifully matched curve-hugging skirts, ruffled in a delicate sequence with high-neck blouses, detailed at the front. The feel of the show was Edwardian, and the designer manipulated the conservative look to embody the mysteriousness of women: "I wanted something more sober and restrained, but like the girls had been photographed in the morning sunlight," he explains.

It is the season where the girl matures into a woman and upper class luxury dressing is revived. So keep your hair a little undone and opt for simple appliqués, show aristocratic elegance and release your inner empress.