Best of 2008 Round Up

2008 spawned a tremendous flurry of fabulous Fashion Week shows. Let's see, there were New York Fall and Spring shows, Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, and LA Fashion Week. Oh, and don't forget all of the ravishing Resort and Pre-Fall collections. Some of my faves were Proenza Schouler's Fall line, Alexander Wang's Spring offerings, and Balmain's Spring collection in Paris. All different, all divine. Which were your favorites? Jog your memory, and check out all of our 2008 Fashion Week coverage.

• 2008 Fall New York Fashion Week Coverage
• 2008 Fall Paris Fashion Week Coverage
• 2008 Fall Milan Fashion Week Coverage
• 2008 Fall London Fashion Week Coverage
• 2009 Fall LA Fashion Week Coverage

To see the rest of our Fashion Week coverage, read more

While it's fun seeing celebrities model high fashion, we were ecstatic to witness 2008 as the year of the return of the supermodel. Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Stephanie Seymour, and our fave, Kate Moss, came back full throttle across numerous Fab ads showing us what separates the super from the model. Past, present, and future; these ladies will always reign supreme.

• Christy Turlington for Chanel
• Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy, and Natalia Vodianova for David Yurman
• Gisele Bundchen For Versace
• Claudia Schiffer for Chanel
• Kate Moss For Agent Provocateur Bridal
• Stephanie Seymour for Loewe

To see the rest, read more

I love it, you love it, we all love Target. This year, we were blessed with a tremendous amount of Target collaborations from some of our favorite designers such as Jovovich-Hawk, Richard Chai, Erickson Beamon, Sigerson Morrison, and Alexander McQueen. Alas, some of these collections have yet to hit the racks but all in due time, my dear. Take a trip down memory lane and check out all the Target team-ups in 2008. Which was your favorite?

• Subversive Jewelry For Target
• Botkier For Target
• Jovovich-Hawk Collection For Target
• Hayden-Harnett For Target
• Converse For Target

To see more Target collaborations, read more

This year, our condolences were not only extended to people, they were also given to businesses. It was the gasp heard around the world when Yves Saint Laurent passed in June. Mr. Blackwell, the man known for his annual worst-dressed list, also left us, as did Pinup queen Bettie Page. But more shocking were the deaths of longstanding retail stores such as Mervyn's and Steve & Barry's. What's more, Bill Blass decided to close its doors and the great Valentino Gharavani retired. Let's pay homage.

• Valentino bids adieu to the fashion world.
• Rest In Peace Yves Saint Laurent.
• Rest In Peace Mr. Blackwell.
• Rest In Peace Mervyn's.

To see the rest, read more

If you think you were busy this year, wait until you see how many designers expanded their businesses in 2008. Hint: It took me a crazy long time to round them all up. Majors like Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang, and Stella McCartney added more to their plates, as did smaller brands such as Members Only and Paige Denim. From jewelry and shoes to entire contemporary lines, these companies did what they could to boom their business.

• Agent Provocateur dives into swimwear.
• Alexander Wang adds shoes to his diffusion line.
• Proenza Schouler expands its world to include handbags and footwear.
• Handbag designer Devi Kroell designs clothes.
• Banana Republic introduces its own line of sunglasses.

To see who else branched out this year, read more

When you're in dire need of insider styling tips, guess who's at your beck and call? That's right, moi. Throughout the year, I helped you get rid of nasty armpit stains, stay chic in the chill, and keep dark clothes, well, dark.

But that's not all. I also created Fab Body Guides to make short look tall, stubby toes appear slender, and to dissect the differences between cropped and long leggings. Let's recap, shall we?

Style For Style

• How to look chic in the chill.
• Sweaty feet fix.
• Removing nasty armpit stains.
• How to stuff your boots.
• Back-friendly handbags.

To see more Style for Styles and Fab Body Guides, read more

I officially declare 2008 as the year of the celebrity designer. Seriously, who didn't try their hand at fashion designing? Some granted rave reviews, others, well, you tell me. From reality stars to actresses to singers, these celebrities all had something to say about style this year. Nicole Richie offered up her affordable line of chic jewels, The Hills girl Whitney Port debuted her designing talent with Eve & A, and even LL Cool J grabbed a piece of the action with his Sears line! That's only the tip of the fashion iceberg, keep on scrolling to see all this year's celebrity designing endeavors.

• Avril Lavigne launched her junior apparel line, Abbey Dawn, for Kohl's in July.
• Lauren Conrad showed her first Lauren Conrad Collection at LA Fashion Week.
• Rachel Bilson reached out to DKNY and created her Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans collection.
• Whitney Port created her contemporary line dubbed Eve & A.
• Ashlee Simpson partnered up with Wet Seal to design a collection of tops.

For more designer collaborations of 2008, read more

This year a handful of ballsy designers, celebrities, and industry insiders broke free from their comfort zones and undertook revolutionary projects. Diane von Furstenberg created a Wonder Woman of a collection, Viktor & Rolf broke runway tradition, and Barneys New York's Simon Doonan tied the knot . . . with his boyfriend! But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Read on.

• Viktor & Rolf sparked a new virtual runway trend.
• Rihanna became the Gucci/UNICEF spokeswoman.
• Vogue Italia published its first ever, all-black issue.
• Simon Doonan married longtime beau Jonathan Adler.
• Victoria Beckham did it all. She created a dress collection, judged Project Runway Season Four's finale, modeled for Marc Jacobs, and signed a deal with Emporio Armani underwear campaign.

To see more fashion trailblazing acts of 2008, read more