Year In Review, Part 2

Designers may be the masterminds behind trends, but it's the girls who wear these outfits, that bring most of the attention to popular styles. In 2012, the E! red carpet specials will introduce us to new upcoming actresses, models, or wannabe socialites but let's not forget who truly made an impact this year. Here's a fashion spotlight on the fabulous fashionistas of 2011. No matter what happens in 2012, just remember girls...we'll always have award season!

4.

Zoe Saldana

One big issues with the combination of Hollywood and fashion is that actresses aren't models. This raises the debates on whether they should even be on the cover of Vogue and why these starlets are pressured to stay perfectly thin. These women are only playing characters on screen yet when promotion or award time comes around, they are expected to present a flawless persona. Zoe Saldana is one actress who is not afraid to step up to this challenge. While some ladies are just looking to get by on the red carpet without being torn apart, Zoe takes chances. Ms Saldana wears the high fashion looks and shows what it means to actually be a fashion risk taker. 

3.

Rachel McAdams

So she wasn't everywhere this year, but she was easily the trendiest film festival darling. Let's be honest, Rachel McAdams' wardrobe was the highlight of Cannes. Between her platinum blonde hair and classic styles, Rachel was just as beautiful as the scenery shots in Midnight in Paris. After that Marchesa dress from her recent premiere, here's to hoping for more McAdams in 2012. 

                   

2.

         Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

I'm not always a fan of these "model turned actress" stints but Rosie's style is the only reason I was able to tolerate the Transformer movies this year. Was anyone really paying attention during promotion to anything else except for Rosie's outfits? I never saw the film so I can't exactly comment on her as an actress, but I can say that Rosie was one of the most stylish fashionistas of 2011!

1.

Mila Kunis

The ultimate fashionista of the year! Natalie Portman might have won the Oscar and gotten pregnant, but it really was Mila's year. The former "That 70's Show" star caught everyone's eyes this past award season. Mila wowed in A-Lister looks like Elie Saab, Alexander McQueen, and Vera Wang. There was never a dull moment when Mila was walking the red carpet in 2011!  

"It's a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together."

-Alexander McQueen

Year In Review, Part One

As 2011 comes to a close, so does many of this year's trends. To celebrate the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another, I've decided to make a two part post reflecting fashion in 2011. In this first part, I'm sharing some styles that I loved wearing and what I'm looking forward to seeing in 2012. You'll have to excuse the poor quality and backdrop of these pictures. Unfortunately, the decor of college dorms is not exactly on par with the Plaza Hotel.

Splash of color! Working in bright colors into basic looks happened to be one of my favorite trends of the year. However, since bold colors are usually more of a summer thing, I used dark fall colors to make my outfit fit the season. My jewelry obsession helped this look, without it being too matchy matchy.

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It's not fall or winter unless you're breaking out some animal print. When the weather gets chilly(and I live in Boston, believe me it gets chilly), it's typical to throw on comfy and dark clothes. In fact, one of the reasons I love the winter is because it's acceptable to be a cliche and wear all black. Despite the lack of colorful patterns in this season, you can still jazz up your look. I love adding a pattern, like animal print, to keep my outfit from becoming plain and dull, but not being over the top. 

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

Never be afraid to blazer it up! Blazers are the easiest way to keep a look classy while still wearing a casual outfit. I paired my navy stripped blazer with jeans instead of leggings to avoid looking too dressed up. I loved wearing this look because it could easily be transformed for various environments, whether it be for work or just a typical Tuesday. 

Get the Look: Blazer: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

The perfect cardigan is always hard to find during winter. Sometimes they aren't heavy enough to keep you warm or the length is wrong. After getting sick of constantly throwing a black sweater over my shirts, I decided to put the pop of color on the outside. While shopping at Express, I came across this cozy cream sweater. I knew it was love because not only did it go perfectly with the brown glittery shirt I was purchasing but it also could match the majority of my jewelry sets. It was my idea of a match made in heaven!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

Ombre styles have been a big trend this year! There have been ombre hairstyles, ombre nail polish, and ombre clothes. Again, I was drawn to this shirt because I could see the variety of ways I could wear it. Any piece of clothing that can transformed for widely different settings is an investment in my eyes. 

Get the Look: Shirt: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It took longer than expected, but near the end of the year I finally got to wear my lace shirts! This particular piece worked better for night wear but could also work for different events depending on the color tank top put on underneath. For this night, I kept the look tame with a light pink tank.

Get the Look: Lace Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

This cardigan was one of my biggest obsessions of the year. I purchased it in the fall thinking I wouldn't be able to really wear it until spring, but it had surprisingly worked well for a couple of outfits this winter. I can already tell I'll be using it a lot in 2012!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Roni, Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Boots: Steve Maddden, Necklace: Avon, Bracelet: So Good

Can't wait to combine these trends with the new styles of next year! Look out for the second part of 2011's best fashion tomorrow, with the spotlight on the top fashionistas of the year. 

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Kate Middleton at The Sun Military Awards

4.

Kate Moss in London

3.

Kate Middleton in London

2.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in LA

1.

Charlize Theron at the premiere of Young Adult

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Maria Menounos on the set of "Extra"

4.

Michelle Pfieffer at the premiere of "New Years Eve"

3.

Giuliana Rancic leaving a taping of the "Wendy Williams" show

2.

Rachel McAdams wearing Marchesa at the premiere for "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"

1.

Lea Michele wearing Valentino at the premiere for "New Years Eve"

Fashion Friday: Top Five Favorites of the Week

5.

The beginning of December is not only about the stressful Christmas shopping and decorating. It also marks the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The angels put on a flawless show while ranking some of their highest ratings. Possibly their best show since 2006 when JT performed Sexy Back?!

4.

Saks Fifth Avenue Light Show has become a huge Christmas tradition in New York City. Now you can see holiday show in 3D. Beautiful! 

3.

Having trouble finding the perfect Christmas gifts to buy someone(or yourself)? No worries! Create a showroom on Shoe Dazzle and you'll find gorgeous shoes that fit your style or would look great in a loved one's wardrobe.

http://www.shoedazzle.com/#156

2.

Best Christmas album this year? Hands down, it's Michael Buble. Nothing more stylish than a Frank Sinatra Jr. singing a beautiful version of Mariah Carey's hit, "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

1.

Breakfast at Tiffany's...no literally. My mind was blown on Thursday morning when my Twitter feed filled up with tweets about fabulous ladies being invited to a breakfast event in Tiffany's. I pretty much died when @Stylelist retweeted this picture. New goal: get invited to this some day. Seriously though, is this not the ultimate fairytale come true?!