Top 10 Fashion Moments
1. Vertiginous Heels
Heels just keep getting higher and higher, and nobody embraced this dangerous trend quite as emphatically as Gwyneth Paltrow, 36, who trotted out an endless parade of towering heels while promoting Iron Man in April. There she was in London in square-toed Alexander McQueen platforms, in Berlin in laced-up Burberry booties, and in Paris carefully clutching her bodyguard as she descended a set of stairs in boots said to be 7-in. tall. As her tour-de-force progressed to new heights, so too did onlookers' amazement.
2. Obama-mania
Some people wear their heart on their sleeves; designers and celebrities wear their political preferences. It was obvious that Obama-mania had set in when Barack-emblazoned t-shirts became must-have's for stars like Beyoncé, Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Madonna. Even high fashion labels like Rodarte were getting in on the act, sending a sweater dress with Obama's name down the runway at Sonia Rykiel's anniversary celebration during Paris Fashion Week.
3. Mourning Yves Saint Laurent
The fashion world shed a tear in June when the legendary French designer, Yves Saint Laurent, died of brain cancer in Paris at the age of 71. As a designer, he was as important to 20th century fashion as Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. After a stint at Dior at the tender age of 21, Saint Laurent opened his own house and set fashion on fire by elevating street clothes to the haute couture runway. His funeral was a veritable who's who of fashion, society, and French politics, and many of the women there wore trousers, which Saint Laurent is credited with making fashionable for the fairer sex.
4. Lace
After a spring season filled with eye-popping floral prints in a neon color palette came Miuccia Prada's refreshingly lace-filled fall collection. Not overly frilly or feminine, Prada's lace look projected a serious sophistication that verged on Goth and prompted countless copies.
5. Valentino Waves Goodbye
The Roman couturier said ciao to fashion this year, taking his last bow before an adoring crowd of movie stars, royals, designers, socialites and supermodels during Paris' haute couture shows in January. At 76, the designer most often referred to as the "sheik of chic" — and most famous for dressing Jackie Kennedy for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis — received a standing ovation and shed a few tears himself when he was surrounded by models clad in his signature shade, "Valentino red."
6. Michelle Obama's $148 Dress
By the time Michelle Obama appeared on The View in June, her sartorial preference for cool designers like Thakoon and Isabel Toledo was earning praise. So when she showed up on the morning gabfest wearing a $148 printed tank dress from the retail chain White House|Black Market, she immediately set blogs abuzz and women across the country feverishly trying to get their hands on it.
7. The Little Black Dress
If you pay any attention to runway trends, chances are that you too were captivated by the dress that opened Balenciaga's fall 2008 show in Paris. Simple, sculpted and slit high on the thigh, it was severe and not just a little bit intimidating. And as the economy spiraled downward, no single look captured fashion's new sobriety like this one: dark, determined and utterly chic.
8. Mrs. Sarkozy
When former supermodel Carla Bruni married the president of France in February, tongues were wagging over the anticipated glamor she would bring to politics. And on her first state visit to London in March, Bruni didn't disappoint. Clad from head to toe in Dior throughout the trip, the Italian-born singer (who turns 41 in December), was the subject of endless, breathless commentary by the press, who immediately drew comparisons to Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy.
9. The Return of the Supermodel
After more than a decade of lanky generic unknowns dominating runways and lucrative fashion advertisements, designers like Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, and Stefano Pilati resolved — seemingly in unison — that in uncertain times, consumers want to see certain beauty. Hence the triumphant return of the supermodel in fashion's biggest ad campaigns: Claudia in Chanel, Linda in Prada, Naomi in YSL and Christy in Escada. No last names required.
10. Boyfriend Jeans
Ever since Katie Holmes married Tom Cruise, the actress, who turns 30 in December, has stepped up her fashion game and shown a strong preference for sophisticated designers like Armani and Lanvin. But when she moved to New York City last summer, her sudden inclination for rolled-up, baggy, 'boyfriend' jeans left fashion bloggers and gossip rags baffled. Holmes' make-under — perhaps inspired by her new role as Broadway actress — garnered lots of attention, but less than rave reviews.
Heels just keep getting higher and higher, and nobody embraced this dangerous trend quite as emphatically as Gwyneth Paltrow, 36, who trotted out an endless parade of towering heels while promoting Iron Man in April. There she was in London in square-toed Alexander McQueen platforms, in Berlin in laced-up Burberry booties, and in Paris carefully clutching her bodyguard as she descended a set of stairs in boots said to be 7-in. tall. As her tour-de-force progressed to new heights, so too did onlookers' amazement.
2. Obama-mania
Some people wear their heart on their sleeves; designers and celebrities wear their political preferences. It was obvious that Obama-mania had set in when Barack-emblazoned t-shirts became must-have's for stars like Beyoncé, Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Madonna. Even high fashion labels like Rodarte were getting in on the act, sending a sweater dress with Obama's name down the runway at Sonia Rykiel's anniversary celebration during Paris Fashion Week.
3. Mourning Yves Saint Laurent
The fashion world shed a tear in June when the legendary French designer, Yves Saint Laurent, died of brain cancer in Paris at the age of 71. As a designer, he was as important to 20th century fashion as Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. After a stint at Dior at the tender age of 21, Saint Laurent opened his own house and set fashion on fire by elevating street clothes to the haute couture runway. His funeral was a veritable who's who of fashion, society, and French politics, and many of the women there wore trousers, which Saint Laurent is credited with making fashionable for the fairer sex.
4. Lace
After a spring season filled with eye-popping floral prints in a neon color palette came Miuccia Prada's refreshingly lace-filled fall collection. Not overly frilly or feminine, Prada's lace look projected a serious sophistication that verged on Goth and prompted countless copies.
5. Valentino Waves Goodbye
The Roman couturier said ciao to fashion this year, taking his last bow before an adoring crowd of movie stars, royals, designers, socialites and supermodels during Paris' haute couture shows in January. At 76, the designer most often referred to as the "sheik of chic" — and most famous for dressing Jackie Kennedy for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis — received a standing ovation and shed a few tears himself when he was surrounded by models clad in his signature shade, "Valentino red."
6. Michelle Obama's $148 Dress
By the time Michelle Obama appeared on The View in June, her sartorial preference for cool designers like Thakoon and Isabel Toledo was earning praise. So when she showed up on the morning gabfest wearing a $148 printed tank dress from the retail chain White House|Black Market, she immediately set blogs abuzz and women across the country feverishly trying to get their hands on it.
7. The Little Black Dress
If you pay any attention to runway trends, chances are that you too were captivated by the dress that opened Balenciaga's fall 2008 show in Paris. Simple, sculpted and slit high on the thigh, it was severe and not just a little bit intimidating. And as the economy spiraled downward, no single look captured fashion's new sobriety like this one: dark, determined and utterly chic.
8. Mrs. Sarkozy
When former supermodel Carla Bruni married the president of France in February, tongues were wagging over the anticipated glamor she would bring to politics. And on her first state visit to London in March, Bruni didn't disappoint. Clad from head to toe in Dior throughout the trip, the Italian-born singer (who turns 41 in December), was the subject of endless, breathless commentary by the press, who immediately drew comparisons to Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy.
9. The Return of the Supermodel
After more than a decade of lanky generic unknowns dominating runways and lucrative fashion advertisements, designers like Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, and Stefano Pilati resolved — seemingly in unison — that in uncertain times, consumers want to see certain beauty. Hence the triumphant return of the supermodel in fashion's biggest ad campaigns: Claudia in Chanel, Linda in Prada, Naomi in YSL and Christy in Escada. No last names required.
10. Boyfriend Jeans
Ever since Katie Holmes married Tom Cruise, the actress, who turns 30 in December, has stepped up her fashion game and shown a strong preference for sophisticated designers like Armani and Lanvin. But when she moved to New York City last summer, her sudden inclination for rolled-up, baggy, 'boyfriend' jeans left fashion bloggers and gossip rags baffled. Holmes' make-under — perhaps inspired by her new role as Broadway actress — garnered lots of attention, but less than rave reviews.
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