This was the year that reignited our love for fashion. After the truly heinous 2020 — a deeply traumatising year that gave us all emotional and mental scars — 2021 felt like a cautious step closer to being OK again. There was a collective feeling of "We all made it through the worst of it!" A global exhale of sorts that felt OK (or at least a little more OK) enough to celebrate silly, superficial things like fashion and pop culture again. Red carpets were back! It was OK to laugh at memes! Fashion Weeks returned [1]! Celebrity couple debuts were no longer relegated to just Instagram posts, so we were allowed to celebrate Bennifer 2.0 the way we were truly meant to [2]: through glorious paparazzi yacht pics from Saint-Tropez! Designers pivoted from cosy, homebound, tie-dye sweatsuits into ultra-aesthetics like cottagecore, dark academia, rodeo glam, and Y2K nostalgia [3]! It was a sigh of relief, a feeling of normalcy.
Of course, all is not perfect, and we have a long way to go, but I'm here to celebrate the little victories. Let's savour the sartorial wade into the shallow end and the return of fashion by reliving the very best moments from 2021.
— Additional reporting by Kara Kia
Tom Daley Knitting at the Olympics
Tom Daley made knitting very fashionable [4] in 2021. Since launching his dedicated knitting and crochet account, Made with Love by Tom Daley [5], he's convinced the fashion community to pick up a pair of needles, and make their own jumper by hand. Daley's knitting revolution hit its peak in 2021 when the Team GB diver was spotted knitting a pink-and-purple hat in the stands at the Tokyo Olympics — and we couldn't get enough of him. Dubbed the UK's sweetheart, Daley has taken his knitting to multiple Olympic events [6], introduced the wholesome hobby to the fans of Harry Styles and JW Anderson [7], had a cheeky pre-knit before the 2021 Met Gala [8], and finally launched his own knitwear line [9] in time for the festive season.
Everything Zendaya Wore
This was really "The Year of Gasping at Zendaya's [10] 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 [11]), the Venice Film Festival, the BET Awards, the Oscars — everywhere she went [12], she left a trail of slack-jawed spectators in her wake. Thank God we're heading into the Spider-Man: No Way Home [13] press run, because I cannot wait to see what Zendaya [14] and her stylist, Law Roach [15], have in store for us. What a time to be alive!
Squid Game's Green Tracksuits
This year's biggest pop culture surprise hit was Squid Game [16]. 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 [17], followed HoYeon Jung [18] on Instagram, and bought one of the iconic teal-green tracksuits [19] and white slip-on Vans [20] for our Halloween [21] costumes.
Lashana Lynch's Jamaica Gown at the James Bond Premiere
James Bond No Time to Die was one of the biggest movie releases of 2021. It was significant being Daniel Craig [22]'s final stint as the double agent, but it was also the first time a Black woman special agent entered the Bond franchise. British actor Lashana Lynch played the mysterious character Nomi in No Time to Die, and she made sure to represent her Jamaican heritage at the movie's London red carpet premiere [23]. Lynch, who shares Jamaican heritage with the James Bond franchise, wore a custom yellow-and-black Vivienne Westwood gown [24] with a hummingbird (Jamaica's national bird) embroidered on the bustle. Lynch's look was one of 2021's best red carpet moments [25] from British celebs.
Bernie Sanders's Inauguration Mittens
The Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden [26] 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 [27]; Amanda Gorman's red Prada headband and braids [28]; Maisy Biden wearing Nikes [29]; the rainbow parade of great coats from Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and more [30]; Michelle Obama inventing the colour plum [31]), 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 cosy 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 [32].
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 [33].
Emma Watson's Return to the (Green) Carpet
We have long been awaiting Emma Watson [34]'s return to the red carpet circuit, and the Harry Potter [35] legend indulged us with not one, but two fantastic outfits. Always for a good cause, Watson stayed true to form and chose to spotlight sustainable fashion by British designers for both of her red carpet appearances. The first being a two-piece outfit by gender fluid designer Harris Reed [36], which Watson wore to attend the 2021 Earthshot Prize [37] awards. For her second appearance, Watson showed up in a floral jacquard two-piece set by Emilia Wickstead [38] to interview environmentalist and politician Al Gore.
Ariana Grande's Chic and Short Wedding Veil
On a quiet Saturday at home on May 15, Ariana Grande married real estate agent Dalton Gomez [39]. 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.
Kim Kardashian's Dementor Couture
It was the outfit that launched one million memes. The Met Gala [40] — that little party that Vogue loves to call "fashion's biggest night" — is always a viral event [41], but Kim Kardashian [42] 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.