Best Dresses of 2012... Better Late Than Never ; )

Well, it’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Ranking the best dresses of the past year, that is.

I know that I am a little late on this. 2013 is well underway and by now you have probably gotten into your new routines and forgotten all about 2012, but these dresses were so beautiful and well-chosen that I couldn’t let them slip into history without one last little bit of recognition, even if it is just from little old me. : )  

Here are your best dresses of 2012:

10. Shalom Harlow, Stella McCartney

If for no other reason, this dress earned itself a spot for its sheer popularity. Available in navy and white or black, cocktail or full-length, and with or without the gold belt, this dress was easily one of the most popular over the year and worn by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Brooklyn Decker.  I know what you might be thinking, just because everyone jumped off a bridge, would you too? My answer for you would be no, but that when so many people make a similar decision you should probably take a look at why it is so popular. When I looked, I liked what I saw, and I liked it best on Shalom Harlow.

9. Jessica Chastain, Calvin Klein

I think when you are born with such pretty colouring as Jessica Chastain is, you owe it to yourself to, even if just once in a while, wear a colour that really shows it off (think of Nicole Kidman in that chartreuse dress many years ago).  The classic style of this dress ensures that the cerulean colour and how it highlights Jessica Chastain’s natural beauty are what stands out most.

8. Shailene Woodley, Calvin Klein

Some things never change, one of which being my love of slip dresses and the feeling that no one designs them better than Calvin Klein.  Replacing the classic black or white with bone and adding the silver neckline provide a current take on the dress that is the ultimate in simplicity.

7. Stacy Keibler, Valentino

I know this isn’t the most exciting or original dress, it is just a great dress that looks even greater on Stacy Keibler, and sometimes I think that is actually the braver choice. I give a lot of credit to someone who looks at a dress and says “nice colour, looks great on me”, “nice lines, looks great on me” and that’s all they need.  The only statement Stacy Keibler made was the best one you can, just simply how beautiful she looked.

6. Jessica Pare, Jason Wu

I think Jessica Pare looks like a dark-haired Grace Kelly in this dress.  It could be the 1950s, the 2010s or anywhere in between and this dress would always be in style (and a good choice!).  The single piece of material on the shoulder is a distinctive and delicate touch and my favourite part. : )

5. Angelina Jolie, Ralph & Russo

This may be the most controversial of my choices, as I can see some people thinking this dress is too old and possibly even matronly, though I disagree. If Angelina Jolie was an unknown person who made their first appearance in this dress, I may not have chosen it, just because I think this dress is a risk and it would be hard to tell if Angelina Jolie liked it for the same reason that I did. But because I have seen many of her dresses, and I always like how she dresses (more recently), I think we are on the same page. : ) She is a pretty classy dresser, I would say, often sticking to neutral colours and/or classic styles, minimal jewelry or accessories, and basic hair and makeup. Therefore, could Angelina Jolie have been thinking what I was thinking, that this dress is pretty in white and silver and slightly daring though still elegant with the single sleeve and flower? Quite possibly… : )

4. Faith Hill, Roland Mouret

If you had told me that in 2012 there would be a beautiful dress that was stylish and had puffed sleeves, I wouldn’t have believed you. I thought puffy sleeves on dresses were one of those things that you liked as a little girl that had accidently carried itself with you into adulthood but you knew you could never actually wear again. But little did I know that Roland Mouret had designed a dress that not only had sweet white puffed cap sleeves, but was also black and worn by Faith Hill, someone who I think is one of the most beautiful people. The dress and the way it looked on Faith Hill was everything I had dreamed it would be and proves that dresses with girly details can still be sophisticated.

3. Zoe Saldana, Prabal Gurung

This dress is an example of how the illusion of being revealing can actually be more appealing than actually being revealing (that was a little bit of a tongue-twister). If there were no material and just cut-outs showing bare skin where the sheer pieces are, this dress would actually be a little tacky, and although risqué, nobody would take it seriously. But being full-length with long-sleeves and the sheer, this dress is modern and a little bit mysterious. Her slicked-back hair and almost no jewelry only add the allure of this dress.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Ford

Truthfully, I don’t know how if you were compiling a list, this dress could not be on it. Minimalist in nature, this dress is the epitome of refinement and Gwyneth Paltrow with her tall and lithe frame looks absolutely regal in it. She is even wearing a cape for goodness’ sake. : )

1.       Joan Smalls, Michael Kors

It was a struggle to decide between Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tom Ford dress and this dress for number one. The Tom Ford dress has received much (well-deserved!) acclaim, while this one flew a little more under the radar, so I decided this pretty little number deserved its time in the sun. I, of course, like the simplicity of this dress. If you have taken nothing else away from my lists over the last two years, I hope it is that simple lines and cuts always win. If you are wearing a bold colour, classic lines are your best chance (along with picking a bold colour that goes well with your colouring) of hitting a home run. If you’re wearing neutral colours, you can take a little more risk with lines, but keeping them simple doesn’t necessarily mean your dress will be boring. There have been a few examples on this list alone

that show great bones and a neutral colour can result in the most simple and elegant dress that make you, not just the dress, do the shining. : ) But back to this dress. I also like the little surprise bottom. When looking at the top, you think it is just going to be a great tank dress, but then when you look down, you see the tiered ruffles.  But best of all, and the reason this dress ranked so high, would be to quote Project Runway, the “execution”, hehe. Michael Kors did a wonderful job of blending those ruffles in so simply that the dress is still classic not over-done. The way they are cut allows both the ruffles and the dress overall to flow and lie beautifully.

I hope you enjoyed my little list that was actually quite long, hehe. Thank you for reading and letting me play Fashion Editor once again, I always have so much fun doing it. : )

I hope your new year has gotten off to a very fashionable start. ; )

 xoxo