Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe's dress! Miu Miu's inescapable mini skirt set! And the complete and utter omnipresence of Valentino pink! 2022 was a year full of fashion moments that got the industry (and the world) talking.
As the year draws to a close, there is no better time than now to reflect on the moments that captured the zeitgeist from celebrity pregnancy reveals (hello Rihanna!) to outrageous accessories (who remembers SJP's pigeon clutch?). Of course, 2022 was not without its sartorial scandals. Between the Balenciaga ad campaign backlash and fashion's fallout with Kanye West, there were certainly many controversies that captured our attention.
So without further ado, from the good to the bad, the stylish to the shocking, keep scrolling for a comprehensive guide to the fashion moments we couldn't stop talking about in 2022.
1. Bella Hadid's spray on dress at Coperni
It was the finale that launched a thousand Instagram posts. Bella Hadid poised, standing statuesque inside the Salle des Textiles at Paris's Musée des Arts et Métiers. The moment was seen the world over, as the model had a dress spray painted onto her body before the audience’s eyes. And my, did it make an impact! According to Karlo Otto, Coperni had the highest engagement of any fashion show in the Spring/Summer 2022 season. In fact, Karlo Otto's data predicts that the earned media value of that show alone was approximately $27.7M USD.
2. Rihanna's Chanel-covered pregnancy reveal
Rihanna's pregnancy reveal was the stuff of fashion fairytales, vintage Chanel puffer jacket included. The star had her baby bump on full display draped in multicolour jewels, pairing the look with ripped jeans and a Chanel logo belt.
Of course, this was just a first glimpse at Rih's maternity wardrobe and in the subsequent months the multihyphenate would go on to completely revolutionise pregnancy dressing.
3. Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe's dress at the Met Gala
As far as controversial outfits go, in 2022 this Kim Kardashian moment may have taken the cake. The entrepreneur wore Marilyn Monroe's crystal-covered "Happy Birthday Mr President" dress from 1962 to this year's Met Gala.
The decision made headlines when Kardashian revealed she went on a strict diet in order to fit into the gown, and many criticised the star for her choice given the irreplaceable dress has now been visibly damaged. Evidently, the moment piqued people's interest as Media Vision reports that it was the most engaged celebrity fashion moment of 2022. Accordingly to their data, over 1.3 million people engaged with a search term on the subject.
4. Julia Fox's low-rise everything
Despite having already appeared in Josh Safdie's 2019 film Uncut Gems, 2022 was the year Julia Fox truly captured the world's attention. After bursting into the headlines thanks to a brief romance with Kanye West, Fox made it her mission to advocate for the return of the ultra-low-rise silhouette, one paparazzi photo at a time. She was snapped repeatedly in New York sporting hip-bone skimming jeans, skirts and trousers, making her the true poster girl for the trend.
5. The Miu Miu mini skirt set
Last October, Miu Miu debuted its S/S22 collection which featured the now-infamous mini skirt set. However, it was at the beginning of this year that the set's popularity really skyrocketed. The two-piece was so popular it even garnered its own dedicated Instagram page and a hoard of publicity thanks to multiple celebrity sightings and magazine covers. From Nicole Kidman to Zendaya and supermodel Paloma Elsesser, everyone was seen in this look.
5. Richard Quinn's tribute to the Queen
For the last few years Richard Quinn has been the designer to close London Fashion Week, and this September his show felt like a particularly poignant finale. In a show dedicated to the late Queen, Quinn sent models down the runway dressed in head-to-toe black, set against the slow melody of 'Song To The Siren'. Simultaneously, videos from the Queen's youth played in the background. It was an emotional end to a sombre fashion week, in which several designers paid homage to the UK's longest-reigning monarch.
7.The inescapable reign of Barbiecore and Valentino PP Pink
Very few people will be surprised to hear that Barbiecore was one of the top trends of the year. Hot pink was practically inescapable this summer with everyone from Anne Hathaway to Lizzo and Florence Pugh sporting Valentino's pink PP collection.
The popularity of the colour was two-fold, bolstered by both Valentino's runway and the debut images of Margot Robbie from the set of the new Barbie movie. According to Lyst, after Margot Robbie was spotted searches for the colour pink increased by 416%. In addition to this, searches for pink also increased by 152% after Valentino debuted its completely pink runway set.
8. The Kanye West controversy
This year, several brands severed ties with Ye (previously known as Kanye West) after the artist debuted "White Lives Matter" t-shirts on his runway in Paris and subsequently made offensive antisemitic comments on social media. Adidas and Gap were amongst the brands that distanced themselves and ended their partnerships with the rapper, while West was also suspended from several social media platforms.
9. Timothée Chalamet went backless at Venice Film Festival
Eschewing the notion that men's red carpet outfits can solely consist of tailored suits, this year Timothée Chalamet took to the Venice Film Festival in a red, backless halterneck top and matching trousers. The show-stopping outfit was by Haider Ackermann and practically set Twitter alight with many a fashion enthusiast weighing in to offer their opinion on the unique look.
10. Loewe's blur dress peaked in popularity thanks to Kendall Jenner
Loewe's designs are always coveted by this summer when Kendall Jenner was spotted in the brand's Blur print dress the item's popularity sky-rocketed to cult status. The item was promptly snapped up by rental platforms and continued to be booked out all season. It was undoubtedly one of the most in-demand dresses of the summer.
11. Everyone was obsessed with the cast of Euphoria
At the beginning of this year, we were all frantically bingeing Euphoria and obsessing over just how cool the show's cast was IRL. Evidently, many members of the fashion industry were doing the exact same thing as several Eurphoria stars have since become It-kids of the luxury designer world. Hunter Shaefer walked the runway for Prada becoming the brand's latest ambassador, Sydney Sweeney appeared in ads for Miu Miu and Zendaya retained her status as the face of Valentino, appearing in the designer's A/W 2022 campaign.
12. Prada and Loewe offered an upgrade on the humble white tank top
2022 was the year the white tank top was given a designer upgrade, thanks to the likes of Prada and Loewe. Through the addition of logo appliques and embroidery, luxury tank tops became a must-have item of the summer. You only had to look as far as Instagram for proof, as influencers were regularly putting their logo-emblazoned singlet tops on display. Lyst even named Loewe's tank top as one of its hottest products for Q1 2022.
13. Sarah Jessica Parker's pigeon clutch
This October, the internet was a buzz with the first images from the set of And Just Like That season 2. Of course, many were excited to see Sarah Jessica Parker and Kirstin Davis back in the roles that made them household names, however, one tiny accessory seemed to steal the spotlight and the headlines. Parker was pictured holding a pigeon-shaped clutch by It-brand JW Anderson. A bold, quintessentially Carrie, choice indeed.
14. Salvatore Ferragamo appointed Maximillian Davis as Creative Director
Maximillian Davis is a true rising star in the fashion industry, and undoubtedly a designer to watch. This year, at just 27 years old, Davis was appointed as the new creative director at Ferragamo, trusted to helm the brand's men's and womenswear designs. The designer debuted his first collection at Milan Fashion Week in September and received an appropriately glowing reception.
15. Florence Pugh's red carpet reign
From film debuts to awards red carpets and runway shows, there is no denying that 2022 was Florence Pugh's year, sartorially speaking. The actress made countless appearances, taking to the red carpet in several stunning designs.
Most prominently, Pugh spent 2022 dressed in Valentino. The star wore the designer to the British Fashion Awards, the Don't Worry Darling debut at the Venice Film Festival and also to the premiere of her latest film The Wonder.
16. Daniel Lee announced as the new creative director at Burberry
In September, just a day after Burberry debuted its S/S23 collection, it was announced that Riccardo Tisci—the Italian designer who has helmed the brand over the last 5 years—would be exiting the company. His replacement, you ask? None other than Daniel Lee, the 36-year-old British designer credited for reinvigorating Bottega Veneta.
Lee held the Creative Director role at Bottega Veneta from June 2018 until late last year and certainly made his mark on the brand in that short period of time. With many referring to his aesthetic as "the new Bottega," Lee was responsible for the creation of the instantly recognizable pouch bag and Bottega Veneta's now signature (and viral) square-toe heels.
17. The Balenciaga backlash
Balenciaga found itself in hot water this year after a series of disturbing ad campaigns were released. The first set of images featured children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage harnesses, and the second depicted a handbag placed atop court documents pertaining to child abuse legislation.
The backlash was swift and it soon became clear that the brand's reputation had been damaged irrefutably damaged. Despite having issued a statement which outlines how the company plans to "learn from its mistakes," many people have vowed to never shop from or wear Balenciaga again.
18. Anne Hathaway had an Andy Sachs moment at NYFW
Sixteen years after the film's launch, Anne Hathaway had a 'Devil Wears Prada' moment at New York Fashion Week while attending the Micheal Kors show. Pictured wearing a chocolate brown roll neck, alongside a coat in the same colour, eagle-eyed onlookers couldn't help but notice just how much of a correlation Hathaway's outfit had with the costume her character Andy Sachs wore in the film all those years ago.
The moment became even more noteworthy when Hathaway was sat next to a very famous Editor-In-Chief for the event. Despite all this, Hathaway told the TODAY show that the similarities were purely coincidental.
19. A Selena Gomez and Hailey Beiber photo sent Instagram into meltdown
Much has been written about a hypothetical or imagined rivalry between these two women, but this year Hailey Beiber and Selena Gomez put that theory to bed once and for all. The two were pictured together smiling, pouting and having a generally good time at the Academy Museum Gala, sending the Instagram world into a collective meltdown.
20. Nike x Jacquemus collaboration
Crowned by Lyst as the collaboration of the year, Jacquemus' capsule collection with sportswear giant Nike was a match made in fashion heaven. The collab received a great deal of attention across social media and magazines alike, and promptly crashed Jacquemus' website upon its initial launch. In fact, Vogue Business reports that after the collaboration was announced, "the brands saw over 50,000 searches for 'Jacquemus x Nike' in the first 24 hours."
21. Paris Hilton took to the runway for Versace
It's become somewhat of a Versace hallmark to include at least one celebrity appearance on the catwalk, and for Spring/Summer 2023 Donatella turned to one Ms Paris Hilton. On the runway, the socialite wore a glittering pink mini dress, complete with a hot pink veil and her signature fingerless gloves. It should come as no surprise that Hilton also DJed Versace's after-party later that night. That's hot.
22. Katie Holmes' Y2K-inspired red carpet look
And last, but by no means least, Katie Holmes' throwback Jingle Ball red carpet look was the most recent moment to take the fashion world by storm. Featuring a strapless bustier top by UK-label Tove and relaxed, wide-leg denim jeans from Reformation you would not be mistaken for thinking that the image above was taken in the early 2000s. Though despite the fact that Katie Holmes has barely aged a day since appearing on Dawson's Creek, I can confirm that this photo is in fact from December 2022.
