Victoria's Secret is doing away with sexy ... or at least scaling it back a bit. CEO Sharen Jester Turney recently acknowledged that the brand had gotten a little too steamy. The televised parade of glittering goddesses floating down the runway, a seductive "What Is Sexy?" advertising campaign, and even a line of intimates named the "Very Sexy" collection may have had something to do with creating that perception.

Turney said the company, which continues to have mass appeal among teens and 20-somethings but has lost ground with more mature shoppers, would return to being the "ultra-feminine" lingerie brand it once was.

Chris Hunt/AJC (ENLARGE)

Pagode boyshort, $223, and Paciuli bra, $265, in blue and green with lace detail by Argentovivo at the Blue Corset Co.

Chris Hunt/AJC (ENLARGE)

Handmade nylon tricot slip with lace detailing by Just Slips of Atlanta, $135.

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According to Turney, the "Victoria" of Victoria's Secret was initially conceived as a British woman of privilege.

Back to the manor they go.

And it's not a moment too soon.

Well before Victoria's Secret announced plans to reverse course, signs of a shift in lingerie trends had popped up right here in Atlanta. The city recently became home to two new purveyors of fine lingerie, each catering to shoppers who want something more refined than risque, more gorgeous than garish, more pretty than ... you get the idea.

"In Europe, they seem to have a different attitude about lingerie," said Amanda Nixon, owner of the Blue Corset Co. in Buckhead. "They actually celebrate lingerie as if it is part of your outfit." When Nixon opened in December, she found her boutique concept appealed to many women who felt they'd been squeezed out of the Victoria's Secret demographic. She furnished the space with plush seating, dressing rooms for two, and copious amounts of bubbly. And she stocked up on bras, camisoles, bustiers and more in tastefully provocative styles from Italian and Dutch designers. "I want women to start a love affair with lingerie," Nixon said.

At almost the same time, Kimberly Snead was dreaming the same dream just a few miles away. Snead opened Leis on Pharr Road in October. "I wanted to appeal to the more mature lady that is sexy, but still classy at the same time," said the Atlanta native, who designed her space in a black and red boudoir style.

So just what is classy?

Snead stocks knickers (a European term for the cringe-worthy American word "panties") with ruffles, silk and high waistlines. She also has bras in sheer materials with lace, satin or pearl accents.

What isn't classy? Anything that is too tight or too revealing, offered Nixon.

"What's sexy takes you to a point, but leaves you guessing," she said.

Victoria's Secret, take note.