The year in fashion: a roundup of 2009 retrospectives

The year in fashion: a roundup of 2009 retrospectives

Drew Barrymore's "daring" TIFF dress (Photo by James Helmer)

• Judith Thomson takes a look at the most memorable fashion moments of the Obama era. The highlights: the cardi-skirt combo Michelle Obama wore to meet the Queen, Aretha Franklin’s bowed inauguration hat and Sarah Palin’s glasses. [The New Yorker]

• The fall of Eatons, the rise of fashion week, the influx of starchitecture and seven other noteworthy Toronto design moments of the oughts. [Now]

• Topping People‘s snoozy best-dressed list is Kate Winslet, who wins for her body-conscious red carpet looks. Michelle Obama scored the award for most accessible style, and Cameron Diaz has the year’s best jeans. [People]

• Celebrity style bible In Style has put together a slide show of the most daring dresses of the year. None of the looks come close to J. Lo’s plunging Versace gown from 2000, but one of our favourite TIFF outfitsDrew Barrymore’s Alexander McQueen tattoo dress—made the cut, though we’d hardly call it risky. Barrymore’s dye job, on the other hand… [In Style]

• Probably the only best-dressed list on which Hills star Kristin Cavallari appears is from Seventeen. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised—they also named Miley Cyrus the Style Star of the Year. [Seventeen]

• With nary a Hills cast member in sight, Teen Vogue’s 2009 best-dressed list includes such edgy picks as MIA, Kristin Stewart and Manhattan DJ Harley Viera Newton. But Disney princess Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) nabs the top spot. This is a magazine for tweens, after all. [Teen Vogue]

• Starting with Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards and ending at “zippers,” an A to Z guide to the year’s biggest style moments.  [Flare]

• The definitive roundup: Style.com’s Year in Style, subtitled “welcome to fashion as entertainment.” [Style.com]