Soothe all your 2017 anxiety and take a look at some of the best, dreamiest, swoon-worthy gowns of the year.
May we all wear gowns in 2018!
And don’t forget to vote at the end for your three top favorites!
Kirsten Dunst in Christian Dior at the Oscars
Embed from Getty ImagesKirsten was my best dressed from the Oscars, and almost a year later this still holds up. This is the kind of gown you could look at 50 years from now and still swoon over.
Mindy Kaling in Naeem Khan at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party
Embed from Getty ImagesMindy just had a baby this week – Katherine Kaling! Such a refreshingly normal celebrity baby name. I have always been a fan of Mindy’s style, and loved this one particularly.
Emmy Rossum in Zac Posen at the Emmy’s
Embed from Getty ImagesEmmy was my best dressed at the Emmy’s. Like Kirsten’s, this dress is classic.
Kate Bosworth in J. Mendel at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was my favorite gown from the VF party. You don’t see this color a lot, but it’s lovely.
Skai Jackson in Ong Oaj Pairam at Black Girls Rock!
Embed from Getty ImagesSkai here is only 15 years old, but has already had a few great red carpet outings this year. I had never heard of thus designer before, but was completely charmed by the constellations of small animals dancing across the bottom of the skirt. A classic silhouette, with youthful flair.
Rebecca Hall in Armani Prive at the Venice Film Festival
Embed from Getty ImagesI adore the Armani collection this dress came from, and we have seen a few looks from it on celebs. There’s something so joyful about the neon confetti.
Cara Delevnigne in Iris van Herpen at “Valerian” LA Premiere
Embed from Getty ImagesI have been THRILLED to see more of Iris van Herpen’s sculptural creations making their way onto the red carpet. This is transfixing – it’s such an elevation of the sheer trend – sure it’s sexy, but it’s badass too.
Zendaya in Dolce and Gabbana at the Met Gala
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is probably my favorite look of the year, and certainly my favorite from the Met Gala. It’s just phenomenal. She looks like she stepped out of Renaissance painting. Transcendent.
Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen at the ACM’s
Embed from Getty ImagesMcQueen had a lot of interesting looks this year – many interesting patterns and pieces of embroidery. This one has embroidered owls, goats, and other fun critters. I wish Nicole hadn’t wasted this look on an event where she was just supporting Keith.
Brie Larson in Ralph and Russo at European King Kong Premiere
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother of Brie’s looks from this press tour made it onto the “Best of Cocktail” list. This is damn sexy.
Paz Vega in Jorge Acuña at the Goya Awards
Embed from Getty ImagesI’ve always been a sucker for the full skirt/casual top look. This is very high drama. Mostly though, I just want to pet the skirt.
Zendaya in Elie Saab at the London Evening Standard Theater Awards
Embed from Getty ImagesAs I said when I covered this earlier, this is completely transfixing.
Thandie Newton in Schiaparelli at the SAG Awards
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is like the grownup version of Skai Jackson’s gown. It was divisive at the time, but I love its whimsy.
Cobie Smulders in Schiaparelli at the Tony’s
Embed from Getty ImagesA lot of Schiaparelli made it onto my best dressed this year. This is just really fun.
Priyanka Chopra in Ralph Lauren at the Met Gala
Embed from Getty ImagesI thought this was the most clever dress of the year. It’s the same idea employed at Monse – taking a traditional, recognizable item like a button down shirt or a trench coat, and deconstructing it or morphing it into something else entirely.
Caitriona Balfe in Delopozo at the Golden Globes
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother one that I might be alone in loving, but I find Delpozo’s bright colors and architectural construction really unique.
Olivia Culpo in Zuhair Murad at the Golden Globes
Embed from Getty ImagesThis gown is a Chagall painting come to life and I adore it.
Queen Letizia in Stella McCartney at King Willem-Alexander’s Birthday
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is the best Letizia has ever looked. Sure, Karlie Kloss wore it first, but I think Letizia wore it best.
Isabelle Huppert in Gucci at Cannes Photocall
Embed from Getty ImagesHow god damn cool is she? Effortlessly chic.
Elle Fanning in Christian Dior at Cannes
Embed from Getty ImagesI always forget that the younger Fanning is still only 19 – it feels like she’s been around forever. Thrilled she gave this gown a chance, rather than opting for the absurd Dior branded underwear dresses every other starlet trotted out.
Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood at Cannes
Embed from Getty ImagesI am on the record as not being a fan of Vivienne Westwood, but this is the exception that proves the rule. I even liked it enough to include Elle on this list twice from the same festival! One of the best things about Cannes is the level of drama, and the phenomenal overhead shots the photographers get (see picture 2). This dress was tailored made for this moment.
Tessa Thompson in Rosie Assoulin at the Emmy’s
Embed from Getty ImagesMy best dressed runner-up at the Emmy’s, it’s hard to look at this dress and not smile.
Fashion Wonk 
Kirsten’s dress reminds me of your prom dress, which you looked like a starlet in!
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