Every year brings monumental moments in the world of fashion. But this year seemed like it was almost bursting at the seams with drama. From voter fashion to a royal wedding to Marc Jacobs reintroducing us to grunge, it’s been a pretty packed year. Designers relocated to different fashion houses, Queen Elizabeth hit up London Fashion Week, fur lost its fashion foothold and Rihanna blessed us with a papal red carpet look and her Savage X Fenty lingerie line.
Ahead, the 19 fashion stories that defined 2018. See you next year.
2018 Fashion Year in Review
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The Golden Globes Blackout
This year’s Golden Globes was a sea of black with (almost) everyone sporting the shade in solidarity with the #MeToo movement and Time's Up. The gowns still dazzled on the red carpet.
Image: Kevork Djansezian/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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Designer Musical Chairs
We had another exhausting year of designer ins and outs. Back in February, Carolina Herrera passed the torch to Wes Gordon after her Fall 2018 showing. The collection featured some of the legendary designer’s greatest hits of her career. Hedi Slimane took over at Celine, starting the new versus old Celine debate (we’re staying neutral). Riccardo Tisci made his much-anticipated debut at Burberry, taking the reins from Christopher Bailey. Chloe’s Clare Waight Keller went over to lead Givenchy. And even the menswear lines were shaken up: Kim Jones parted ways with Louis Vuitton to go to Dior Homme, leaving Virgil Abloh to step into the artistic role at LV.
Image: Imaxtree
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The Queen Attends Richard Quinn's Show
Queen Elizabeth usually steers clear of London Fashion Week, but she got a front row seat to Richard Quinn’s scarf-heavy Fall 2018 show. She almost upstaged the collection...almost.
Image: YUI MOK/AFP/Getty Images
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Gucci Gives Us Decapitated Heads and Baby Dragons
Alessandro Michele is still heading up Gucci and the OTT designer really took accessories to another level for the brand’s Fall 2018 show. Decapitated heads and baby dragons never trended, though.
Image: Imaxtree
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In Memoriam
We lost some designer icons this year. Kate Spade committed suicide in June and many paid tribute by uploading pics of their Kate Spade bags to Instagram. Givenchy founder and Audrey Hepburn stylist Hubert de Givenchy also passed away this year. Clutch designer Judith Leiber was another fashion mainstay we said goodbye to in 2018.
Image: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
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Rihanna Wins the Met Gala
With a theme like "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," you just knew this year’s Met Gala would supply some crazy looks. But leave it to Rihanna to outshine everyone. She went all-out with a flashy pope outfit by Maison Margiela.
Image: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
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The Royal Wedding
Everyone had royal wedding fever in May. And why not? Meghan Markle’s white Givenchy haute couture gown designed by Givenchy newbie Clare Waight Keller was worth the wait (as was that epic veil). And the newly crowned duchess’ Stella McCartney reception dress was pretty stellar, too. Guests like Amal Clooney and Serena Williams gave us even more fashion eye candy.
Image: Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images
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We Really Do Care
Melania Trump had a few fashion missteps this year, but none was bigger than the now infamous "I really don't care, do u?" jacket she wore to visit detained children at the Texas border. We’re pretty sure Zara wasn’t happy about the endorsement.
Image: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
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50 Years of Ralph Lauren
Fifty years just flew by. To mark the milestone, the designer staged a New York show boasting over 100 looks that really brought out the stars (Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton and more).
Image: Pietro D'aprano/FilmMagic/Getty Images
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Serena Williams Aces Court Style
From the Off-White x Nike tutus to that sleek catsuit that was banned from the French Open, Serena Williams brought fashun to tennis.
Image: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
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Designers Go Fur-Free (Finally)
Call it the latest trend, but the list of fashion houses willing to go fur-free keeps expanding. This year Burberry, Versace, Coach 1941, Diane von Furstenberg and even Chanel all decided to join the movement. In other words, expect faux fur to be everywhere in 2019.
Image: Imaxtree
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Rihanna Unveils Savage x Fenty at New York Fashion Week
A lingerie show at New York Fashion Week? Hey, why not. Rihanna showed off her new size-inclusive Savage x Fenty line with a truly diverse cast, including two pregnant models. Slick Woods actually went into labor after the show.
Image: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty
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Diversity Wins at New York Fashion Week Spring 2019
We’ve definitely been noticing a steady uptick on the diversity front during fashion week. But the Spring 2019 New York shows boasted the most diverse cast of models ever. Even plus-size and transgender models were (relatively) well-represented. Hopefully the
trendmovement continues.Image: Imaxtree
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Nike Backs Colin Kaepernick
Sure, some Nikes were set on fire, but the brand’s backing of Colin Kaepernick really upped its profile. After being ostracized in the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem to shed light on racial injustice in the United States, we love Nike’s decision to shine a spotlight on the athlete and the cause. (In case you’re wondering, we still have our Nike gear and are planning on picking up even more in 2019.)
Image: Robert Alexander/Getty Images
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Get Out the Vote
As if we needed more incentive to vote in this year’s midterm elections, a bunch of designers put out voting merch to motivate us. Tory Burch, Prabal Gurung and Proenza Schouler all gave us something to wear while we cast our ballots. Plus, most of the money from sales were given to charity. Win-win.
Image: @toryburch
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Marc Jacobs Goes Grunge, Again
Nineties nostalgia reached an all-time high when Marc Jacobs reiussed his 1993 grunge collection that got him fired from Perry Ellis. And we want it all...again.
Image: @marcjacobs
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Dolce & Gabbana Cancels Its Shanghai Show
Runway diversity may be at an all-time high, but Dolce & Gabbana really stepped in it by making offensive videos (like a promotion featuring an Asian model trying to eat Italian food with chopsticks) for its Shanghai fashion show. The show was eventually canceled, but we don’t know if anyone learned a lesson.
Image: Imaxtree
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Kaia Gerber Proclaimed Model of the Year
In a year where Vogue promised to only hire models 18 and over, 17-year-old Kaia Gerber was named Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. Must run in the family...
Image: Mike Marsland/BFC/Mike Marsland/Getty Image
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Michelle Obama and Her Sparkly Balenciaga Boots
There have been a lot of revelations revealed thanks to Michelle Obama’s memoir and corresponding book tour. But the greatest moment was when the former first lady showed up to chat with Sarah Jessica Parker decked out in a yellow Balenciaga dress and the brand’s delightfully OTT glitter boots.
Image: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
