The Fashion Statement: The Best Dressed Women of 2010

by Kristin Young (RSS feed)
Dec 23rd 2010 at 8:00AM

This was the year politician's wives, fashion editors and designers shoved Hollywood (except for Carey Mulligan perhaps) and the music industry aside to become the best dressed women of the year.

Fashion blogs everywhere have been writing about what fashion insiders Japanese Vogue editrix Anna Dello Russo was wearing in addition to their daily chronicles of Lady Gaga. What was French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld wearing front row at Marc Jacobs? What was Elle's style director Kate Lanphear doing in an online campaign for CFDA/Vogue fund finalist Eddie Borgo? Wrote New York Mag's The Cut in July: "Borgo calls Kate, whose regular appearances on street-style blogs have won her an online cult following, the 'epitome of the modern-day punk.' If anyone needed more face time on The City, it's this woman. Then again, her elusiveness is one of the things that makes her so cool." As for Roitfeld (pictured above), who just this week shocked everybody by announcing she's bidding French Vogue adieu, proved that women in their 50s (she's 56) don't have to age.

Gallery: Best Dressed

We had a few stylish First Ladies to keep our eyes on, of course. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy patriotically favors French designers and has continued to be effortlessly chic despite wearing flats (so as not to be taller than her French president husband, we assume). Michelle Obama also favors American designers and for as many events as she has to be dressed for, has had surprisingly few clunkers. Both ladies channel Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and that's always a good way to go.

But there's a new player in town: When Prince William and long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton announced their engagement, it spawned a fashion frenzy called the Middleton effect. Women around the world scrambled to buy the Issa blue dress she wore to the press conference. And sales of sapphire jewelry inspired by the ring once worn by Princess Diana have shot up 300 percent, according to some reports.

Another Brit, Alexa Chung, set the blogs on fire. Chung recently took home honors at the British Fashion Awards for being a global ambassador for U.K. designers. She designed a collection for Madewell and is set to star in a PBS series on thrift store shopping.

American fashion designer Georgina Chapman showed us how pregnant women should dress.

And, finally, Lady Gaga was on our worst dressed list last week and and she belongs on our best dressed list this week. My issue with Gaga is that she does not have style, she puts on costumes for shock value. But sometimes they're so bad, they're good

Tags: Alexa Chung, Anna Dello Russo, Carine Roitfeld, CarlaBruni-sarkozy, Carrie Mulligan, georgina chapman, Kate Lanphear, Kate Middleton, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jeff Dec 23rd 2010 2:21PM

Ok, I get the joke now. Lady Gaga. I now realize that this list is satire. Very funny.

Mikki Dec 23rd 2010 4:28PM

Why didn't someone bother to post the names with the photos? I recorgnized a 'few' of the women but not all of them. Kate Middleton, the first ladies of the USA and France, who are the others?

equinmorgan310 Dec 23rd 2010 4:50PM

Best dressed. You must joking. They are awful looking.

mariday1 Dec 23rd 2010 5:18PM

I agree. This has to be a joke.

bapplb1 Dec 23rd 2010 5:00PM

"Best Dressed Women" ?? really..are you saying that Hollywood is the only place to find "women" to evaluate and praise for dressing nicely? I hate Hollywood crap

mariday1 Dec 23rd 2010 5:21PM

These are the worst outfits I have ever seen. You have to be kidding!!! These are the "worst dressed", not the "best dressed".

Lori Dec 23rd 2010 6:27PM

are you kidding me? I don't know who that first picture is - but Stacy and Clinton would have a field day with her

tecequip1 Dec 23rd 2010 6:15PM

It has to be a joke...Chewbaca Obama is hideous

Holly Dec 23rd 2010 7:28PM

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy does channel Jackie Kennedy. In almost every outfit she wears, you can imagine a young Jackie Kennedy wearing the same. Michelle Obama? Please! Comparing her style to Jackie Kennedy has become a sick joke. Can anyone in their right mind see Jackie wearing anything Mrs. Obama wears? Jackie wouldn't be caught dead wearing those short ill-fitting sweaters, wide belts, tacky brooches, awful print dresses, etc. Who does Michelle Obama really channel? RuPaul, maybe?

Holly Dec 23rd 2010 8:27PM

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy channels Jackie Kennedy. In almost any outfit she wears, you can imagine a young Jackie Kennedy wearing. Michelle Obama? Please! Comparing her to Jackie Kennedy has become a sick joke. Can anyone in their right mind imagine Jackie wearing anything Mrs. Obama has on? Jackie wouldn't be caught dead in the short ill-fitting sweaters, giant belts, tacky brooches, old lady print dresses, etc. that Michelle wears. Who does Michelle Obama channel? Phyllis Diller comes to mind.

MaryLou Michelin Dec 23rd 2010 7:14PM

Kate Middleton not only dresses beautifully she knows how to walk , stand and sit properly. The rest need to be on Mr Blackwell's worst dressed. Look at their feet and showing bowed ugly legs. The hems are wrong- the way they are standing is disgusting - they look like a bunch of elementary school kids playing in Mom's clothes-some of the clothes even look the wrong size- I could dress someone better in clothes from Good Will.