FROM Brat Summer to Bridgerton Boobs – it’s been a cracker of a year in the fashion world, says Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend.
From best revenge dress to best trend setter, we reveal the winners of Fabulous’ Fashion Awards.
NICOLA COUGHLAN
THE Bridgerton leading lady became an icon this year — and not just for those steamy sex scenes in series three of the hit Netflix period drama.
During a press junket in June, the 37-year-old had a perfect response when told she was “very brave” for daring to bare her very normal-sized body on screen.
“You know, it is hard because I think women with my body type — women with perfect breasts — we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough,” she fired back, as ladies around the world fist-pumped in admiration.
Later speaking about her sex scenes, Nicola said it felt like the ideal retort to the endless conversation surrounding her size, and we couldn’t agree more.
Her cleavage is so magnificent no wonder sales of balcony bras were boosted this year — up 61 per cent — as we all clambered to recreate Bridgerton Boobs.
J-LO
IN August, Bennifer called it quits for the second time, with Jennifer Lopez filing for divorce from Ben Affleck.
In September, she did what any self-respecting woman would do — and bounced back with a knockout revenge dress.
Not content with posting a series of sexy snaps on social media, the 55-year-old actress wore a Tamara Ralph couture gown at the premiere of her film Unstoppable at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The dress featured hundreds of small mirrored discs that made J-Lo shine like a disco ball.
With large cutouts along each side held together by black velvet bows, it was a seriously show-stopping number.
Even if Ben, 52, wasn’t seething with jealousy, we were — over how amazing she looked.
RIHANNA
IN a year that saw the return of the legendary Victoria’s Secret catwalk show, after a six-year absence, Rihanna is still the queen of our smalls.
Now a mum of two, the 36-year-old creator of undies brand Savage X Fenty has been refreshingly upfront about the changes her body has been through post-children.
In April, she told Interview magazine: “You just see ripples coming from places you never knew, and it’s all in your thighs, because your thighs are carrying the weight of your baby and uterus.”
Creating sexy lingerie for every body shape, the singer is single-handedly making us feel better about our own wobbly bits — one pair of knickers at a time.
Charli XCX
TIKTOK trends change faster than the weather, and this year we’ve seen everything from demure to “mob wife”.
Reigning supreme, however, was the Brat look, named after Charli XCX’s sixth album, released in June with an iconic slime-green cover. A celebration of youthful hedonism, Brat Summer was about being carefree, cool, chaotic and unashamedly yourself.
Think laddered tights, no bra, and what (slightly older) folk would call 90s grunge.
The trend became so ubiquitous that MP Emily Thornberry played a song from the album during her Labour conference DJ set, and TikTok was taken over by Charli’s hit song Apple, which amassed over 1.4million #brat TikTok videos.
ZENDAYA
IT’S been one hell of a year for the 28-year-old American actress, with lauded roles in two of 2024’s biggest movies — sci-fi epic Dune, and sexy tennis romp, Challengers.
But on the red carpet, she took things to a whole new level with what her stylist Law Roach dubbed “method dressing, kind of like method acting”, AKA wearing outfits inspired by her films.
In February, to promote Dune, it was a futuristic hooded gown and cyborg catsuit by Mugler, while Challengers in April featured tennis whites and stilettos with tennis balls.
Game, set and match to Zendaya.
Paul Mescal
FROM his off-duty Gaelic football shorts, to his fashion-forward red-carpet clobber, Irish heart-throb Paul Mescal, 28, reached style-god status this year.
We had an inkling of his fashion power when Normal People hit screens in 2020, with Connell’s chain getting its very own Instagram account and sparking a wave of jewellery-wearing blokes.
Come 2024, and the Gladiator II star is in a league of his own, rocking athleisure-wear and ankle-swinging tailored trousers with equal panache. And it’s not just us who think so — GQ crowned him their Most Stylish Person Of 2024, too
LABOUR LAIDES
LABOUR’S return to power in July saw Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s impeccably dressed wife Victoria thrust into the spotlight.
The NHS worker loves British fashion brand ME + EM — which duly sold out of anything she wore.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner swapped sensible suits for a series of block-colour looks from the brand. It turned out the 44-year-old had got the £2,000 haul for free.
A shout-out goes to ex PM, Tory Rishi Sunak for nearly killing off the Adidas Samba trainer, when he wore a pair during a video promoting tax policies.
ABBEY CLANCY
THIS year, A-listers swapped Bond Street for the high street, with a slew of big-name collaborations.
From Kate Moss at Zara to Victoria Beckham at Mango and Claudia Winkleman at Marks & Spencer, we’ve been blessed with a variety of price ranges and tastes.
But it’s model Abbey Clancy who wins our High Street Honey award for her collections with F&F at Tesco.
The 38-year-old mum of four released a Christmas capsule collection in October which quickly went viral.
Sell-outs that shoppers couldn’t get in their trolleys quick enough included a sequin cardigan with black bow ties, £29.50, and a gold long-sleeved sequin mini dress, £35.
More please, Abbey!
PAMELA ANDERSON
FROM Baywatch to a critically acclaimed turn in new film The Last Showgirl — to say Pamela Anderson has come a long way is an understatement.
Finally taken seriously as an actress, the 57-year-old has also found herself at the top of every invite list in fashion as she continues to ditch make-up and champion bare-faced beauty on the red carpet.
This year, she has rocked impeccably chic looks from top designers including Elie Saab, Oscar de la Renta and Loewe.
In November Beyonce dressed up as two of Pammy’s characters — from Baywatch and her 1996 flick Barbwire — with a platinum blonde wig and ’90s brows in an Instagram video.
If that’s not the perfect homage, then we don’t know what is.
KATIE HOLMES
A-LISTERS including Jennifer Lawrence and Megan Fox embraced scruffy dressing (despite their bulging bank balances), as so-called slobrity style peaked.
But it was Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes who really flew the flag for mums worldwide, by nailing laid-back style.
When not on the red carpet, the 46-year-old actress was often spot-ted shuffling around New York in baggy jeans, with an oversized bag, clutch-ing a coffee and her packed lunch.
Can we relate, or can we relate?
Katie’s street-cred rose even further when she was spotted wearing some low-key arm candy from British high street brand Dune, this October.
Needless to say, the XL Deliberate brown tote bag sold out before we could nab one.
But we still salute Kate for making dressing-down look so good — and for being the reason our iron is now gathering dust.
THE SWIFTIES
TAYLOR SWIFT’s epic Eras tour boosted our economy by £1billion, and saw ticket-holders spend an average £56 on a new outfit to wear for it.
If you were lucky enough to get to one of the 15 UK concerts between June and August, you would have seen a sparkly, bejewelled army of Swifties dressed for the occasion.
Fans flocked to eBay to find pre-loved looks, with searches for “Eras Tour” seeing a 400 per cent increase, and a 60 per cent rise in online hunts for “sequin dress” in just a week.
And it wasn’t just the kids — TikTok videos of “Taylor Swift Older Fan Outfit” amassed 9.7million posts, too. Swifties, we salute you.
