The hits and boobs in a year of high fashion

We lost Oscar de la Renta, but John Galliano returned and Rihanna wore almost nothing at all

The world lost a fashion legend

OSCAR de la Renta's death in October saddened the world. The 82-year-old designer had succumbed to cancer, which he had been battling intermittently since 2006. In a tribute, the family said: "He died exactly as he lived: with tremendous grace, great dignity and very much on his own terms. While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. Oscar's hard work, his intelligence and his love of life are at the heart of our company."

The fashion world also mourned the loss of acerbic-tongued comedienne and Fashion Police host Joan Rivers, 81.

Not to be forgotten is Lauren Bacall, the silver screen siren who died on August 12, aged 89.

The fashion world fell for Lupita Nyong'o

It was a huge year for the Mexican-Kenyan actress. She won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave, scored a contract with Lancôme, starred in a campaign for Miu Miu and won over the entire fashion world with her style. Her playful take on red-carpet dressing made awards season a delight - and won her stylist, Micaela Erlanger, third place on The Hollywood Reporter's Top 25 Power Stylists list for 2014. Nyong'o's stylish few months climaxed at the Academy Awards, where she wore a beautiful sky-blue Prada gown inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, Champagne bubbles and her Kenyan heritage.

Ghesquière made his Louis Vuitton debut

One of the most anticipated fashion shows in recent years took place in March, when Nicolas Ghesquière presented his first collection as creative director of Louis Vuitton, where he succeeded Marc Jacobs. The autumn/winter 2014 collection was a resounding success, and one particular bag won the storied brand a whole new legion of fans - the Petite Malle, a tiny version of a travelling trunk.

The very fashionable rise of Kendall Jenner

The 19-year-old Kardashian clan member made her modelling debut in February as she walked the runway for Marc Jacobs - wearing a see-through top, no less - and since then her career has rocketed. From walking in Chanel shows to becoming the face of Estée Lauder and Givenchy, there's been no stopping Kendall.

We went wild with wedding fever

Kim Kardashian tied the knot with Kanye West in a sumptuous Italian wedding, for which the entire wedding party was outfitted by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci.

Angelina Jolie finally married Brad Pitt, opting for a traditional gown created by Versace's haute couture master Luigi Massi, paired with a cathedral-length veil embroidered with doodles drawn by her six children.

Then there was Amal Alamuddin, the British barrister who won George Clooney's heart and wore some fantastic clothes in the process - from her made-to-measure Oscar de la Renta wedding gown to her Giambattista Valli post-wedding brunch dress and the bespoke Stella McCartney trouser suit she wore for the civil ceremony.

Finally, we can't forget Solange Knowles, whose cream-themed wedding saw her wear no fewer than four spectacular outfits.

John Galliano came back into fashion

Three-and-a-half years after that drunken incident, Galliano found himself a very high-profile new fashion job - as creative director of Maison Martin Margiela.

Renzo Russo, owner of Margiela, said when announcing the appointment in October: "John Galliano is one of the greatest, undisputed talents of all time - a unique, exceptional couturier for a maison that always challenged and innovated the world of fashion."

Galliano's debut Margiela collection will be shown in London next month.

Pharrell's hat became more famous than its wearer

The oversized Vivienne Westwood "Mountain" hat became as ubiquitous as singer Pharrell Williams's Oscar-nominated hit Happy. The chapeau first appeared on his bonce in January at the Grammys, sparking a raft of memes and its own Twitter account. The 41-year-old kept the momentum going by wearing it in a rainbow of colours at various events, before it became the star at the Oscars.

Kate Moss turned 40 with a bang (and a boob)

The Peter Pan of the fashion world hit the 40 milestone, but proved she's every bit as in demand now as she was 25 years ago. Mossy celebrated her birthday with a star-studded party at The Dorchester on January 16, but made sure the celebrations kept going throughout the year by launching a Champagne glass moulded from her left breast in October. In the interim she launched a comeback collection for Topshop after a four-year hiatus. She's still got it.

Fashion got fugly

Barely a week passed without a formerly uncool trend suddenly becoming cool. Orthopaedic sandals? Check. Dad-style fleeces and waterproof coats? Yep. Child-like dungarees? Here. Mom jeans? Here, miss. Unflattering culottes? Present. Admittedly, some won us over - cough ... Birkenstocks ... cough ... culottes ... cough - but others, we feel, should have remained where they were - languishing in fashion hell.

Alexander Wang took over H&M

The designer brought his sporty-chic cool to the masses with this collaboration. Months of teasing from Swedish retailer H&M finally ended on November 6 when the collaboration went on sale.

Kimye's kontroversial Vogue cover (and ko-ordinating kleavage)

March saw the release of a very kontroversial kover, US Vogue starring Kanye West and then-bride-to-be Kim Kardashian. Some loved it, but most hated it - many even saying they would stop buying the mag in protest.

Boo. The issue failed to meet the expected sales targets, but editor Anna Wintour maintained that the reality star was a wise choice. "Kim, through her strength of character, has created a place for herself in the glare of the world's spotlight, and it takes real guts to do that," she reasoned.

The couple continued a fashion-heavy year with a trip to October's Paris Fashion Week, where they sported some impressive matching kleavage.

A new Moss arrived in town

As Mossy turned 40, her little sister took her first steps towards becoming a model herself. Lottie Moss, who shares a dad with Kate, was signed to Storm Models on her 16th birthday, the very agency that spotted her big sister when she was just 14. Work for Calvin Klein and Valentino soon followed. But at just 1.65m, it's unlikely we'll see Lottie on the catwalk any time soon.

The Apple Watch got a very fashionable welcome

Just a month after its much-hyped introduction, the accessory made it onto the cover of Vogue China, worn by model Liu Wen - despite the fact that it won't be available for purchase until some time next year.

Audrey Hepburn's granddaughter stepped out of the shadows

Emma Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn's only granddaughter, made her modelling debut on the pages of Harper's Bazaar in the US - and the world went crazy for her. The 20-year-old art student posed for Michael Avedon, the grandson of Richard Avedon, the man who famously photographed Hepburn throughout her career. Appearances in the front row at Paris Fashion Week followed, and then she was signed by Storm Models, the same agency behind Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Cindy Crawford, meaning we expect to see a lot more of her pretty face in 2015.

Rihanna's crystal compensation

It was ironic, really, that Rihanna turned up the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Awards to collect the fashion icon award wearing 216000 Swarovski crystals and not a lot else.

The pop star successfully stole the show in the custom-designed fishnet creation by Adam Selman, her longtime friend and personal costumier. "Even as a child I remember thinking: 'She can beat me, but she cannot beat my outfit,'" said the singer in her acceptance speech. "And to this day, I mean, that is how I think about it. I can compensate for all my weaknesses with my fashion." And compensate she really, really did.

Cate Blanchett looked a million dollars

Scooping the best actress award at this year's Oscars for her role in Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett quite rightly dressed the part - to the tune of $18.1-million. The lion's share of the huge sum went on her accessories. Her nude, crystal-embellished couture Armani gown took up just $100000 of the eye-watering price tag.

The other $18-million went on her Chopard jewels: earrings of 62 opals with a combined 33 carats, a brown-diamond bracelet and pear-shaped diamond ring. Now that's what we call red-carpet dressing.

Versace resurrected that safety pin dress

Twenty years after it first found fame on the body of Liz Hurley, the Versace safety pin dress made a comeback by way of sister line Versus's spring/summer 2015 collection. The brand unleashed two new versions of the iconic dress - which was first worn by Hurley on the red carpet alongside Hugh Grant in 1994 - during its presentation at New York Fashion Week in September. Both were created by designer Anthony Vaccarello to appeal to starlets of the 21st century - which means they were dramatically shorter than the original and available for instant purchase on the internet. How very 21st century.

Victoria Beckham cleared out her closet

The former Spice Girl gathered together more than 600 items from her wardrobe and teamed up with The Outnet to raise money for charity Mothers2Mothers.

In fact, it was a bumper year for VB's do-gooder tendencies; she was also announced as agoodwill ambassador for the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids, giving a heartfelt speech at the UN in New York. Bravo, VB. Bravo!

Famous faces of the future

It really was a year for fashion offspring - clearly the best accessory. From Flynn Bloom (son of Miranda Kerr and Orlando) in Vogue, North West in CR Fashion Book, Kaia Gerber (daughter of Cindy Crawford) in Teen Vogue and Romeo Beckham back for Burberry, to elder brother Brooklyn making his modelling debut for Man About Town and Dylan Brosnan for Saint Laurent.

Dolce & Gabbana cleared of tax evasion

After five years of legal proceedings, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were finally cleared of tax evasion relating to the sale of their D&G and Dolce & Gabbana brands to a holding company in Luxembourg in 2004.

"We were certain! We are honest people!" tweeted Gabbana after the verdict, given on October 24.