The Fashion Charts: 2014 in Review

since this is the final FASHION CHARTS FOR THE year, instead we’ll have a look at the top fashion stories of 2014.

1. Though many stories appeared on our fashion radar, one of the biggest of the year was the death of fashion icons. In 2014 we lost fashion designer L’Wren Scott to suicide in March, Lauren Baccall back in August, Central Saint Martins ‘ director of MA Fashion Professor Louise Wilson, who passed away in her sleep back in May, comedienne and Fashion Police host Joan Rivers to complications following surgery in September; and greatest icon of them all Oscar de la Renta to cancer in October. We lost many bright stars this year and it seems only fitting that they are our top fashion story of the year. Rest in peace to all.

2. Kim Kardashian had herself a very good year. Not only did she get married in May, but she also managed cause a firestorm when she landed on two different fashion magazine covers. The first was her first, and much coveted, US Vogue cover with fiancé Kanye West back in April divided the fashion industry over whether they deserved the cover of the ‘fashion bible’ and whether the title of “First Fashion Family” was warranted. Then in November Kim Kardashian tried to break the internet by posing butt naked on the cover of Paper magazine, and undoubtedly created the biggest story surrounding a magazine cover all year. Whether you love her or loathe her, she’s had a fantastic year and her fashion credentials are firmly being cemented.

3. Celebrity weddings seemed to dominate the fashion news this year, as some high profile A-listers got married in couture pieces. There was Poppy Delevigne, who had two ceremonies and got married in both Chanel haute couture and a specially made dress by Pucci. Kim Kardashian got married to Kanye West in Givenchy, Olivia Palermo married her model husband an unusual creation made up satin shorts, a tulle skirt and a cashmere sweater by Carolina Herrera, Angelina Jolie married her long-term partner Brad Pitt in Versace haute couture and George Clooney finally went off the market when he married a British human rights lawyer, Amal Alamuddin married the actor in a custom creation by Oscar de la Renta.

4. H&M managed to pull off the most successful and sought after designer collaboration ever for the brand, when after months of hype and suspense the Alexander Wang collection for H&M was launched in November. And boy did it live up to its name as customers, fashionistas and ordinary people alike went back for his designs. The mad rush to own something of Wang caused H&M’s site crash both in the US and the UK and for the collection to be sold out within hours in shops. Now that gives the company a good year in publicity and profit margins.

5. 2014 was the year we saw some of the fashion brands dodgiest CEO’s finally ousted from their positions. Mike Jeffries, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, a CEO known for inciting controversy stepped down from his role at the start of December, after a year of wrangling, poor sales performances, investors growing increasingly tired of his handling of the company and his public comments regarding plus-size shoppers. Similarly, Dov Charney, who was suspended as CEO pending an investigation into misconduct back in July has finally been terminated from his contract. To those not in the know, this man has been courting controversy for years, and past employees and models have accused him of everything from gross misconduct to sexual harassment.

6. 2014 also saw the rise of Kendall Jenner, second youngest child of the infamous Kardashian clan and all it’s associated half-siblings, as she left her famous family far behind and became a fashion star in her own right. Though she might have been relegated as a mere celebrity wishing to make it in the fashion world at first, she soon proved her talent as a runway model and her desire to work. Needless to say, what started out as a spot on the Marc Jacobs runway back in February soon led to her dominating both the autumn/winter 2015 fashion weeks and the subsequent spring/summer 2016 ones too. Not to mention she landed her first high fashion cover with Love magazine back in September, went on to get two spreads in US Vogue among the many other fashion spreads. Don’t count this girl out; she may have had a big 2014, but in 2015 we predict she’ll become huge.

7. Fashion trends are always playful and irreverent, but this year saw the rise of food-based trends coming to the fore. Chanel displayed an entire collection in a custom-made supermarket with plenty of Chanel branded supermarket items for attendees to steal afterwards; Anya Hindmarch created a line of accessories  from everything from Daz washing powder bags to Kellogg’s branded handbags and accessories. This was also the year that Jeremy Scott released this fast food-inspired collection where the famous MacDonalds logo is replaced with the Moschino ‘M’. All in all, fashion was more kitsch and ironic than ever before and the fashionistas ate it all up.

8. After five years of legal wrangling in the courts, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were cleared of tax evasion in a Milan court in October. They celebrated and cheered and after the verdict was announced promptly returned their prestigious award the city gave to them back in 2009. I they haven’t forgiven the city for bringing the charges against them in the first place. 

9. With last year’s shock departure of Marc Jacobs from Louis Vuitton, we all awaited with bated breath what his successor Nicholas Ghesquiére would do. And with his first show for Louis Vuitton back in March. His first collection for the brand, the A/W 2015 was a resounding success and we all sighed in relief, knowing that one of the iconic brands was safe in his hands. 

10. In late November the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show, a chance for the most beautiful women in the world to parade around on a catwalk in elaborate pieces of underwear, came to London. It was a first for the brand, which had previously only held their fashion shows in the US, and boy did London welcome the brand and their angels with open arms. With Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Fallout Boy as musical guests, it was not only a delight to watch, but with some fantastic music too!