11 Defining Moments in 2021 Fashion

The Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden was a cathartic day and filled with surprisingly joyous fashion moments. There are almost too many to name (Lady Gaga's massive Schiaparelli peace dove; Amanda Gorman's red Prada headband and braids; Maisy Biden wearing Nikes; the rainbow parade of great coats from Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and more; Michelle Obama inventing the color plum), but there was one iconic moment that rose above the rest: Bernie Sanders's mittens. The nation fell for Bernie bundled up in a Burton coat and cozy mittens, sitting alone in a folding chair with a quietly disinterested expression. It was the first great meme of 2021, and the Sanders team capitalized on the gleeful popularity of the image by creating merch: a sweatshirt printed with the Vermont senator that ended up raising over $1.8 million for charities.

As if that weren't enough sweetness for one story about a pair of mittens, Bernie's pair have an adorable, must-read origin story.

Amanda Gorman took to the stage as the youngest inaugural poet in US history to recite her poem "The Hill We Climb," and the world was captivated. Her words were moving, her outfit was beautiful, and her braids were iconic.

While headbands are usually a preppy accessory, Amanda's oversize, padded Prada version (in a shade fabulously named "fiery red") looked more like a crown perched high on her braids. And the significance of her beautiful braids cannot be undersold. Black women are often criticized for wearing their hair in braids and natural styles, especially in politics (see: US Representative Ayanna Pressley's story about being discouraged for wearing her hair in Senegalese twists or the backlash 11- year-old Malia Obama faced when she wore her hair in twists instead of straightening it). The gravity and importance of seeing Amanda wearing her hair in braids during an illustrious, joyous moment on the national stage was a reminder of how much representation matters.

On a quiet Saturday at home on May 15, Ariana Grande married real estate agent Dalton Gomez. The pop princess looked amazing in a custom gown by Vera Wang (who had promised Ariana during a conversation at the Met Ball that she would make her wedding dress, whenever the happily ever after came). The simple but chic ensemble, like the wedding, was a surprise. Ariana's affinity for ballgowns was well-known, but she pivoted from the usual bridal voluminosity to a simple slip dress and short veil reminiscent of Jo Stockton's (played by Audrey Hepburn) wedding dress from the 1957 film Funny Face. The move was gorgeous and iconic and ushered in a new, modern-vintage aesthetic for brides everywhere.

It was the outfit that launched one million memes. The Met Gala — that little party that Vogue loves to call "fashion's biggest night" — is always a viral event, but Kim Kardashian stole the 2021 red carpet by wearing a faceless, black Balenciaga ensemble that obscured her famous curves.

It was a brilliant move, an outfit that echoed the polarizing feelings on the famous Kardashian herself. It was all at once a silly meme and a cerebral statement about celebrity vs. anonymity. Hate it, love it, or laugh at it — Kim did what she does best and gave us another iconic pop culture moment to argue over.

This was really "The Year of Gasping at Zendaya's Fashion." Every time the actor stepped on a red carpet, she was the moment. The Dune press run, the CFDA Awards (where she picked up the fashion icon award), the Venice Film Festival, the BET Awards, the Oscars — everywhere she went, she left a trail of slack-jawed spectators in her wake. Thank God we're heading into the Spider-Man: No Way Home press run, because I cannot wait to see what Zendaya and her stylist, Law Roach, have in store for us. What a time to be alive!

I am eternally grateful for Lizzo's main-character-energy fashion. With help from her stylist Jason Rembert, she pulled off an entire year's worth of head-turning looks as enviable as her ability to relentlessly flirt with Chris Evans and party with BTS. Case in point: for a stroll through Manhattan's midtown neighborhood, she wore a campy-fabulous coat from the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture AW21 line. The gorgeous coat and pageant sash were a literal, glittering reminder that it's far too boring to be a drag, just be a QUEEN.

When Billie Eilish appeared on the Met Gala stairs, you could almost hear the collective gasp the world let out. The ultraglam Oscar de la Renta ballgown was a huge departure for the singer. Gone were her purposefully baggy clothes and long, black-and-green hair. She was still the coolest girl in the room, but the Holiday Barbie-esque makeover doused her with a tidal wave of glamor and maturity.

Even better: this outfit marked a major step on the road toward kinder fashion. Billie, who was cochair of this year's gala, agreed to wear the stunning corseted peach dress if Oscar de la Renta stopped using fur in its designs. 10s, 10s, 10s across the board, Billie!

This is it, my buon fiends: we are currently living through one of Mother Monster's greatest fashion eras.

It's almost too much to take in. Both House of Gucci's costumes and the corresponding press-tour looks were a nonstop parade of gorgeous — so much so that it's hard to pick whose outfits we love more, Gaga's or her character Patrizia Reggiani's.

Here's just a sampling of my favorite on- and offscreen moments: her '80s wedding dress with a bouffant tucked under the lace-edged veil, the sweeping purple chiffon gown with thigh-high stockings, the jewelry-heavy ski 'fit accessorized with a giant white fur hat and Adam Driver in a cable-knit sweater, the gasp-worthy British Vogue spread, and on and on.

It's all a reminder that what Lady Gaga does with her styling isn't just wearing clothes. She elevates fashion to performance art, and we bow before her eight-inch platforms. In House of Gucci we trust.

This year's biggest pop culture surprise hit was Squid Game. We all collectively lost our minds for the South Korean import, and 111 million of us binged the Netflix original, tried to make dalgona candy, followed HoYeon Jung on Instagram, and bought one of the iconic teal-green tracksuits and white slip-on Vans for our Halloween costumes.

And just like that, a fashion icon returns.

Just shy of a 20-year hiatus, Carrie Bradshaw is back in her Manolos! Sex and the City's return to HBO had been hyped up all year long as paparazzi pictures leaked of Sarah Jessica Parker and other stars filming (sometimes fake!) scenes on the NYC streets. This particular 'fit confused/delighted the internet and became one of 2021's best Halloween costumes.

EveryOutfitOnSATC, one of the best accounts on Instagram, described Carrie's wacky outfit perfectly: "It's giving… Batsheva, babushka, deranged Gucci brand ambassador, Little Edie glamor, It-girl-turned-serial-killer in a housekeeper disguise, wacky West Village resident with a rent-controlled apartment, Sylvia Miles as that woman who sprinkles lithium on her ice cream, and….?!" Yes, please. We've lived so long without Carrie Bradshaw's fantastical outfits in our lives, the return of her OTT fashion feels as good as the first sip of a cosmo.

Sad Girl Fall was ushered in by Taylor Swift's long-awaited "All Too Well" era. The world stopped to listen to the long-awaited 10-minute version of the song, then watched the short-film adaptation (starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, and directed by Swift), then watched the Easter-egg-packed "I Bet You Think About Me" music video (starring Taylor and Miles Teller, and directed by Blake Lively), and then collectively stewed about all our own sh*tty exes.

In 2021, the (now mythic) red scarf moved from being a metaphor about a heinously uncaring ex-boyfriend to a symbol of Taylor's continuously evolving empowerment. It's invisible proof that the singer-songwriter is only getting better as she becomes more confident. Get it, Taylor.