A model displays a creation by Ralph Lauren at the Spring 2008 Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week

In many ways, we’ve had it easy for far too long. For seasons, we’ve been swishing about in slinky dresses or flumping around in smocks. Skinny jeans aside, the fashion silhouette has been loose and flowing, with a nod to softness and comfort. I haven’t worn anything seriously tailored for years. Like many women, I haven’t felt the desire for it. But just a couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I dusted down a seasons-old Burberry Prorsum jacket and slipped it on. I checked out my shoulders, which were suddenly sharp and defined. I admired my apparently long and slender arms and thrilled at my nipped-in waist. “Tailoring,” I thought. “Why not?”

Designers have had a similar conversion. The big story for autumn is the death of the juvenile, baby-doll aesthetic (all flounces, frills and abbreviated hemlines) and the return of a strict, more grown-up silhouette.

The skirt suit, last touted as a must-have in the 1980s heyday of power dressing, is back on the fashion menu, along with the fitted shift dress, which is darted to create an hourglass look. Proper trousers, either skinny or wide, are also strong wardrobe contenders.

Daywear hasn’t looked so smart for years. But are we ready for this spruce silhouette? What will legs used to the stretchy simplicity of leggings or the casual carelessness of skinny jeans make of trousers lined with silk, complete with a proper waistband? And what about all those women who have spent the past few years happily cocooned in billowing baby-dolls or comfy smocks? Are they really about to reveal themselves in a sharp sheath dress?

I, for one, welcome the return of tailoring, largely because it might put an end to the spectacle of 30-somethings dressed as pre-schoolers. But if the vogue for dressing like a child inadvertently revealed a generation unwilling to grow up, it also reflected women’s desire to be playful with their clothes. Fashion should be fun.

An Oscar de la Renta dress

So, how have designers looking to revive a sleek, tailored silhouette got around that one? The new structured look is certainly a more serious proposition than a frilly dress, but it is not all dour.

Prada, for instance, has a wonderful coat that is tailored like a man’s at the front, but gathered at the back by a pretty little bow placed just below the bottom. The clever mix of deadpan masculinity and sweet femininity makes for a very modern fashion statement.
Tailoring may speak of discipline and rigour, but that doesn’t need to translate as conformity. There is room for interpretation. Capes should appeal to unconventional types.

Jil Sander’s linear, almost futuristic designs have real youth and energy. For sirens, the sexuality of a pencil skirt is secure, and for women who have been looking for an alternative to girlie trends, the trouser revival must seem a godsend.

Great tailoring gives you a fabulous shape — which is not necessarily the one you were born with. It defines your silhouette, corrects imperfections and creates the illusion of a better body beneath. Bad tailoring is bland, lumpen, joyless, ageing, unflattering and yawnsomely dull.

So, how do you tell the difference between the beautiful and the boring? Look for pieces that are well cut, with pleasing proportions and considered details. Check out the buttons; scrutinise the lie of the pockets (do they sit in a flattering way or add unwanted bulk?); see what the lining is made of. Then try on your chosen item and take a deep breath. If that dress, pair of trousers or coat transforms you into a dreary drone, not a queen bee, then leave it on the rail. Great tailoring should make you feel as good as it looks.

Do you prefer flowing to fitted clothes? Tell t2@abpmail.com