Fashion highlights of 2021: a month-by-month look at the best style moments of the year

Despite a slow start with virtual red carpets, celebrities brought back their fashion game as the delayed awards season returned with a bang

There has been no shortage of striking fashion moments in 2021.

It was a slow start, with virtual red carpets and remote awards ceremonies, but the A-list brought their couture A-game to garden photoshoots.

The year then picked up with in-person ceremonies, the return of film festivals and the Met Gala, which may have been four months later than usual but did not disappoint from a style point of view.

Here, we take a month-by-month look at the best sartorial moments of the year, celebrating regional designers, including Elie Saab, Georges Hobeika and Zuhair Murad, as well as international favourites Gucci, Saint Lauren, Miu Miu and Schiaparelli.

The likes of Gemma Chan, Zendaya and Regina King have been chic year round, making appearances throughout, along with fashion risk takers Lady Gaga, Cynthia Erivo and Jodie Turner Smith.

While this is predominantly a look at the best dressed women of the year, it's impossible to talk about great style without giving a nod to the likes of Leslie Odom Jr, Timothee Chalamet and Jared Leto, who all feature.

January

As the year began, much of the world was still in lockdown with online events the norm. However, the inauguration of President Joe Biden was an in-person, high-fashion affair, with the likes of former first lady Michelle Obama, Ella Emhoff, Amanda Gorman and Lady Gaga all turning up in eye-catching outfits.

Although January is traditionally in the middle of awards season, 2021 was an anomaly, with almost all of the major movie events delayed by two months. Instead, celebrities promoted their films online, with shoots at home and haute couture styling.

February

As February is the month of love, the A-list played the game and brought plenty of rouge, blush pink and romantic styling from the likes of Rebel Wilson in Safiyaa and Amanda Seyfried in pink Oscar de la Renta. Lucky shades of red were also worn to celebrate the Lunar New Year on February 12.

We had one major red carpet event, the Golden Globes, which was held online and in-person on February 28. The likes of Anya Taylor-Joy stunned in Dior and Elle Fanning wore a slip-style satin Gucci gown to virtually attend the event.

March

With March, the fashion world was able to spring into action with several red carpet events, including the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.

Sequins and shimmer came via Gal Gadot, Seyfried and the perpetually best dressed Cynthia Erivo, for their various awards ceremony appearances.

April

With April came the sartorial highlight of awards season, the Academy Awards. It was an Oscars like no other in recent history, the ceremony took place at Los Angeles's Union Station, with no musical performances or montages to break up the show, and no host to tie the event together.

But that didn’t mean the fashion was any less dramatic.

The likes of Carey Mulligan and Odom Jr did their best impression of Oscars, dressing in statement gold looks, while Zendaya turned to Valentino for a striking cut-out gown.

Not the only ceremony to take place in April, stars also flocked to the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Costume Designers Guild Awards with flair.

May

In a traditional fashion year, May is arguably the most significant month with the honour of hosting the Met Gala.

While we didn’t have a fashion ball to contend with this May, we did have chic musical events care of the Brit Awards and Billboard Music Awards, and MTV delivered an entertaining purple carpet at its annual MTV Movie Awards.

WandaVision co-stars Kathryn Hahn and Elizabeth Olsen dazzled in black, while Yvonne Orji chose a multicoloured tasselled dress by Ghanaian designer Mimi Plange to wear at the event.

June

As summer was ushered in, there were less red carpets but no fewer standout fashion moments.

Turner Smith, Kerrie Washington and Angela Bassett dressed to impress for online press days, while Elizabeth Olsen brought androgynous style to The Late Late Show with James Corden care of an oversized Alexander McQueen suit.

July

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival was delayed by two months until mid-July. Models, actors and musicians descended on the French resort town for 11 days of photocalls, premieres and galas.

Gemma Chan stunned in an Oscar de la Renta gown that managed to seem futuristic, soft and feminine, while Bella Hadid grabbed headlines in a Schiaparelli gown with body jewellery in the shape of lungs and capillaries.

Away from the south of France we had the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which saw singer Misia stun in a multicoloured Tomo Koizumi gown at Opening Ceremony.

August

As summer drew to a close, the fashion highlight was brought by Dolce & Gabbana, who had celebrities flock to Venice, Italy for their Alta Moda show at the end of the month. Jennifer Lopez and Helen Mirren turned heads in their regal, embellished gowns in particular.

Earlier in the month, the Shang-Chi premieres brought stunning fashion moments care of Simu Liu, who is proving himself as one of the best dressed men in Hollywood, and Jhene Aiko.

September

The ninth month of the year was certainly a chic one, between the Met Gala in New York, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards and Venice International Film Festival.

Zendaya’s promotional tour for Dune started in full force and she looks so good she makes the monthly round-up twice, while Emily Blunt and Iman stood out at the Met Gala.

Honourable mentions go to Yara Shahidi, who looked princess-perfect in a classic Dior prom dress, and actual princess the Duchess of Cambridge, who made headlines in a gold Jenny Packham gown for the No Time To Die premiere.

October

The international press tour for Dune charged on, with more stylish looks from Zendaya to be celebrated in October.

The Eternals press tour also saw Angelina Jolie make a red-carpet return and Gemma Chan dazzled in a number of looks, particularly a sparkling hooded Zuhair Murad two-piece in London.

November

In November, Elle Fanning gave Gothic style a run with a striking sheer black Gucci look and a statement chain-style Balmain later in the month.

Naturally, London's Fashion Awards 2021 brought in a stylish crowd, with Gabrielle Union arguably best dressed, while the House of Gucci's run of red carpet premieres brought chic looks from both Gaga and Jared Leto.

The Crown's Gillian Anderson brought star style to the region, wearing a red floral Valentino gown to the Fashion Trust Arabia awards in Qatar in early December.

December

As the year drew to a close, red carpet events showed no signs of slowing down.

Deepika Padukone wore a striking coral Michael Cinco Couture gown for the Red Sea International Film Festival premiere of 83, and fellow regional designer Elie Saab was represented by both Lopez and Rachel Zegler on The Tender Bar and West Side Story premieres, respectively.

It's December, so there has been shimmer to be found care of Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Halpern on The Matrix Resurrections premiere red carpet and Jennifer Lawrence in Dior, who made her pregnant debut when promoting Don't Look Up.