As 2014 nears its end, we’ve taken a look back at some of the year’s most memorable red carpet and street style looks to compile our annual list of best dressed women. This year, it was a mix of perennial red carpet favorites (Diane Kruger, Alexa Chung), emerging style stars (Lupita Nyong’o, Lizzy Caplan) and sartorial geniuses who style themselves and work in the industry.
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Read on to find out whom we picked and why, and to see some of their best looks this year. Think we missed someone? Tell us in the comments.
Rihanna
Like any good pop star, Rihanna knows how to reinvent herself, sometimes on a weekly basis. One day she’s rocking a t-shirt with jeans and Timberlands; the next it’s a Tom Ford look with pasties or an elegant gown. Regardless, she always looks incredible.
Emma Watson
If you read this website, you know that we’re more than a little obsessed with Emma Watson. With a little help from her stylist Sarah Slutsky, Watson attends every event looking appropriate, sophisticated and just a little edgy. What a human.
Keira Knightley
With stylist Leith Clark, Keira Knightley has been dressing like she walked right out of a Lula or Violet magazine editorial. She somehow manages to do that dreamy, girly thing without looking like it’s put-on or overly sweet.
Diane Kruger
A best dressed list is never complete without Diane Kruger. Year after year, red carpet after red carpet, Chanel couture dress after Chanel couture dress, she still has it. Did we mention she’s her own stylist?
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o first captured the fashion world’s attention in late 2013, and she maintained that momentum throughout awards season and the rest of this year. Her fearlessness when it comes to wearing real fashion and real colors has made both her and her stylist Micaela Erlanger fashion industry darlings.
Kiernan Shipka
Kiernan Shipka has style wisdom beyond her years. Perhaps thanks in part to being brought up working on such a stylish show as “Mad Men,” Shipka knows how to dress for her age and body type better than anyone else her age in the biz.
Emma Stone
A combination of knowing what looks good on her lean frame, what complements her red hair and being able to wear clothes without them wearing her makes Emma Stone one of our consistent style crushes and sources of inspiration.
Eva Chen
This year, Eva Chen was an inspiration, not only in life, but also in how one can looks super cute all the time while pregnant. Her and her bump totally killed it during this past fashion month.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner was pretty ubiquitous this year, not only in ad campaigns and editorials, but also on red carpets. Like any model, Jenner can wear pretty much anything, and her fearlessness when it comes to slits is commendable.
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Felicity Jones
British beauty Felicity Jones has been charming us with her outfits for a while now, but she was thrust into the spotlight this year during her “The Theory of Everything” press tour. Her demure, sweet red carpet looks were consistently lovely.
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung manages to look insanely cool whether she’s wearing jeans and a sweater or a fancy gown. She just has “It,” and we can’t get enough.
Caroline Issa
Caroline Issa is one of those street style stars who doesn’t feel like she’s peacocking or trying too hard. She looks happy, confident and incredibly elegant everywhere she goes. No wonder Nordstrom just tapped her to design a capsule collection.
Nicola Peltz
Nicola Peltz was one of the breakout style stars of 2014, thanks to the clean lines and well-tailored red carpet looks her stylist Leslie Fremar helped devise for the actresses’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction” press tour.
LIZZY CAPLAN
You know her (perhaps as Janis Ian), you love her, but you probably didn’t know Lizzy Caplan was a red carper mastermind until recently. The “Mean Girls” and “Masters of Sex” star has been on a roll this year, looking great in labels like Donna Karan, Wes Gordon and Marchesa. She definitely has that, “I’m a real girl wearing fashiony stuff that I feel comfortable in” look down pat.
JESSICA CHASTAIN
Jessica Chastain is an example of why playing it safe on the red carpet isn’t always a bad thing. She consistently looks elegant and put together, and her unfussy clothing allows her best assets — her face and hair — to shine.
DAKOTA FANNING
We hate to play favorites, but Dakota’s younger sister Elle has been a subject of adoration for us for a long time. However, we think Dakota came out on top this year style-wise with many a daring choice. Feel free to debate this in the comments.