The 2013 Style 100: The Best Looks and Trends of the Year

By InStyle Staff
Updated Dec 09, 2013 @ 5:00 am
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Credit: Landov; Getty Images for AFI; Startraksphoto.com

Restraint? So 2012, Hal Rubenstein writes in InStyle's December issue. No where was this more evident than on the runway, where designers showed off brazen colors, bold graphics, and lots of leather. What's more, we couldn't get enough of the drama on TV (hello, Scandal), the big screen (like in Baz Luhrmann's deco-drenched film, The Great Gatsby), and in our newsfeeds. (The term "twerking" blew up so much it was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online.) Frankly, we're surprised we were able to narrow it all down to just 100 moments.

From royal maternity clothes and orange lips to green nails and selfies, see the looks, trends, and pop culture moments that defined 2013. If you don't want to miss a thing next year, subscribe to InStyle now to keep up with all the fashion, hair, makeup, and style trends you'll need to know about in 2014.

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MORE:Shop 192 Gifts for Him, Her and Everyone In BetweenCheck Out Holiday Hair Trends for 2013Holiday Dresses You'll Love Under $100

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No.1. Reese Witherspoon in Louis Vuitton

Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

At the 2013 Oscars, the Academy Award winner dazzled in a bright blue gown with a black trim along the neckline. See more of her best looks.

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No.2. Tilda Swinton in Chanel

Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage

As she often does, Swinton bucked red carpet tradition by wearing a tailored Chanel jacket with white wide-leg trousers to the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival. See more of her high risk looks that came with a high reward.

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NO.3. Gatsby’s Razzle-Dazzle

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

We could make a case for Tiffany amp Co.’s being a leading player in Baz Luhrmann’s deco-drenched film, as ropes of pearls and diamond tiaras stole scene after scene. (And, for a period of time, the jeweler’s famed Fifth Avenue windows in N.Y.C. Better than popcorn: Ordering ‘Gatsby’-inspired pieces of jewelry, apparel and more.

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NO.4. A Surfeit of Selfies

Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage

We bet the snap Bradley Cooper is taking at Wimbledon with Gerard Butler (both oh-so-adorable in a gray Paul Smith London suit and a Boss blue blazer) isn’t sharp. But that won’t stop him—or millions of others—from treating his smartphone like a scrapbook of his whereabouts. Still learning to perfect the self-portrait? Take our Selfie 101.

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NO.5. Scandinavia

Credit: Jorg Greuel/Getty

Stockholm—land of blond exoticism, jazzy clubs, and daring cuisine at hot spots like Frantzen and Gastrologik—has the allure of Paris. Go. Now. Can’t make it? Find a few celebrity chef-recommended hot spots a little closer to home instead.

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NO.6. Design Your Own Manolos

Credit: Courtesy Photo

Manolo Blahnik’s made-to-order BB shoes (inspired by Brigitte Bardot) are available online from Neiman Marcus for $595. It’s maybe the sexiest virtual show ever.

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NO.7. Céline Plaid

Credit: Imaxtree

After 21 fall looks in crisply cut neutrals hit the runway, Phoebe Philo’s blazing plaid warp coat appeared, as dynamic as lightening caught in a prism. See this and more of ‘InStyle’ Fashion Director Cindy Weber Cleary’s favorite fall 2013 looks from Fashion Week.

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NO.8. Phillip Lim Hits Target

Credit: Time Inc. Digital Studios

On Sunday, September 15, this $45 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target bag went on sale along with his $80 trench and $30 graphic top, all echoing Lim’s designer collection. By Monday, if you went to your local Target, all you probably came home with was laundry detergent! Even Lim himself was shocked by the response.

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NO.9. Kerry Kicks Up a ‘Scandal’

Credit: ABC/VIVIAN ZINK

As Olivia Pope, Kerry Washington shines in a role as delicious as her real-life smile. She’s chic too, dressed in the likes of Burberry, Escada, Gucci, Michael Kors, and Tom Ford. See more of her onscreen looks, and get insider info on the thought process behind each from the show’s costume designer.

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NO.10. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Host the Globes

Credit: Gavin Bond/NBC

Too often, expectations lead to a letdown. Not this time. Our award for smart, funny, and beautiful hosts goes to Fey and Poehler. And thanks to them, we have another reason to look forward to 2014 and 2015’s shows.

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NO.11. Brooklyn

Credit: Getty

First it was the food. Then the new parks. Now, from Boerum Hill to Bushwick, Brooklyn is way cooler than Manhattan’s FiDi, Noho, or ViVa.

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NO.12. Anne Hathaway in Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci

Credit: Doug Peters/PA Photos/ABACAUSA.COM

The actress wore a demure dress by the design house to host the 2011 Oscars, and then went full-on glam in this backless gown at the world premiere of ‘Les Miserables’ in London. (She later scooped up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, where she shaved off her trademark luscious long locks.) See more of her best looks.

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NO.13. Brouges

Credit: Time Inc. Digital Studio

The appropriation of menswear classics escalated with brashly colored and highly ornamented brogues by companies like AGL and Cole Haan and designer Christian Louboutin, making plain ol’ flats look, well, so flat. See more of our favorite shoes—from flatforms to sporty spikes—from 2013.

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NO.14. Kate Bumps Up Maternity Style

Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty; REUTERS/John Stillwell; James Whatling/Splash News

The Duchess of Cambridge’s became ever lovelier as her baby bump grew, thanks to a wardroom that was tailored, English, and always surprising, we chronicled it every step of the way. Her one constant accessory: a bewitching radiance, even at her first post-baby appearance (far right).

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NO.15. NPH’s Tony Style

Credit: Heather Wines/CBS /Landov

Armed with cheeky lyrics, a mischievous twinkle, and a sharp gray Calvin Klein Collection tux, Neil Patrick Harris celebrated the Tony Awards’ return to Radio City Music Hall with an opener that was “bigger” and better than most Broadway production numbers. Check out some of our favorite looks from this year’s show.

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NO.16. Anna Faris in ‘Mom’

Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS /Landov

In the CBS sitcom, our fave House Bunny sheds her sexy Monique Lhuillieresque persona for mom jeans and button-downs in a lovably vulnerable performance. Even so, we still love to see her in designer dresses.

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NO.17. Kelly Clarkson Is ‘O Beautiful’

Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty

On inauguration Day, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson serenaded the POTUS, but the roar was for Kelly Clarkson’s “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Listen to it now.

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NO.18. Lucy Liu in Carolina Herrera

Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty

The actress went super-feminine in a blue floral gown by the designer at the 2013 Golden Globes. See more of our favorite of Liu’s looks and from the awards show.

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NO.19. Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta

Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage

At the 2013 Oscars, Adams—nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in ‘The Master’—chose a gorgeous gown with a beaded bodice and tulle-embellished skirt. See more of our favorite looks from Oscar night.

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NO.20. The Bulgari Serpent Watch

Credit: Time Inc Digital Studios

As irresistible as the snake that lured Eve, the jeweler’s signature coil has a new 18kt pink-gold skin and winds round your wrist till it faces you with 228 diamonds. Tempted? Sofia Vergara and Rachel Weisz were, and the reptilian trend has since taken off. (Starting at $5,150 at bulgari.com).

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NO.21. Quvenzhané Wallis and Emmanuelle Riva

Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

These two: one, the youngest ever nominated in the Oscar best actress category at age 9, for ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’; the other, the oldest at age 86, for ‘Amour.’ OK, so Jennifer Lawrence actually won, but these gifted artists prove that talent, charm, and magic are blind to time.

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NO.22. Cronut Madness

Credit: Time Inc. Digital Studios

The line forms at 6 a.m., two hours before N.Y.C. chef Dominique Ansel opens his SoHo bakery, for the fried croissant-like dough filled with creme and then glazed. The pastry’s name is trademarked. (As Victoria Beckham found out the hard way.) Its recipe, a secret. The calorie count is guesstimated at over 500; the cost, $5. Is a cronut worth it? Try one. Then wake us up if it is.

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NO.23. The White Tuxedo

Credit: Donato Sardella/Getty; Imaxtree; Dave M. Benett/Getty

The menswear trend found new life for spring 2014. From L-R: Stella McCartney opted out of classic black and instead sent down tailored pieces washed in a much lighter hue. Tilda Swinton (in Timothy Everest) adopted the look on the red carpet, pairing her cream-colored suit with an optic white button-down and pumps. While donning a tuxedo (let alone one in all white) can be intimidating, take a cue from Nicole Richie and feel out the trend with a white tuxedo blazer first. Shop the look.

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NO.24. Rainbow Leather

Credit: BEImages/Jim Smeal; Imaxtree; Jennifer Graylock/WireImage

It’s official. Leather has severed ties with its tough, biker origin. From L-R: Consuelo Castiglioni had the right idea, making over the classic material with a rainbow spectrum of colors on the Marni runway. Kerry Washington (in Marc by Marc Jacobs) managed to make her red-hot leather shift look both sexy and ladylike. Aim for key colorful leather pieces that you can seamlessly ease into your wardrobe rotation, like Olivia Munn’s forest-green moto jacket. Shop the look.

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NO.25. Animal Patterns

Credit: Rob Kim/Getty; Imaxtree; Venturelli/WireImage

Look to the animal kingdom for inspiration: leopards, zebras, giraffe-anything goes. From L-R: Christopher Bailey speckled Burberry Prorsum’s iconic silhouettes in leopard spots, and Ziyi Zhang (in Giambattista Valli Couture) earned her style stripes in zebra print. For a more casual approach, copy Coco Rocha’s look with snow leopard print skinnies-they’re neutral enough to go with everything. Shop the look.

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NO.26. Modern Florals

Credit: Matt Sayles/Invision for THR/AP; Imaxtree; Christopher Polk/Getty

Yes, florals do readily call to mind springtime blooms, but the too-sweet motif is a thing of the past. Modern-day florals still embody femininity, but they’re bolder, moodier and graphic. From L-R: The trend has blossomed everywhere, from the Rochas runway to the red carpet a la Adele in (Valentino Couture). See why we love the trend and how to wear it.

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NO.27. Graphic Black and White

Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Imaxtree; Robert Rosano/startraksphoto.com

From crafty color blocking as seen on the Narciso Rodriguez runway (pictured, left), to strategically placed abstract lines on the red carpet, as seen on Julianne Moore (middle, in Tom Ford), it’s clear that the quintessential color combo will never go out of style. For an everyday look, find outfit inspiration from Rose Byrne’s graphic black-and-white print top that she paired with dark skinnies (pictured, right). Shop the look.

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NO.28. Flame Dresses

Credit: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com; Imaxtree; Byron Purvis/AdMedia/Retna

Blaze the trail-literally. Perhaps that was the thinking behind Diane von Furstenberg’s runway look, or Rihanna’s stunning Azzedine Alaia gown, or Kate Beckinsale's draped Donna Karan dress. All we know for sure is that these looks are hot, hot, hot. Look for dresses in flowy scarlet-red fabrics that seem to emulate the flickering flame of fire. See more reasons why we love the look.

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NO.29. On Our Lips

Credit: Time Inc. Digital Studios

Dramatically hued clothes can’t go it alone. You could do red, but why not pucker up with a can’t-miss orange ( MAC Cosmetics lipstick in Morange) or ox-blood (Nars Semi Matte lipstick in Scarlet Empress)? Plus, get more makeup artist-approved dark lip picks.

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NO.30. Liz’s Gems

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When a star in the Milky Way dies, you still see its light for years. When one of Hollywood’s big starts passes, her film roles shine forever. In Elizabeth Taylor’s case, so does her jewelry. Julianne Moore wore the 85-carat emerald piece, given to Taylor by Richard Burton in the '60s.

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NO.31. The New Fred and Ginger?

Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

Dancing in the dark returned to this year’s Academy Awards with a graceful number by Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron. Watch it here at the 9:20 mark.

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NO.32. Dior’s Florals

Credit: Imaxtree (2)

Raf Simons’s first ready-to-wear collection for Christian Dior at Paris Fashion Week for Spring 2014 blossomed with a finale of printed skirts that redefined modern romance. Sneak a peek at our Style Director Melissa Rubini’s photo diary to see what else she loved that week.