This Year’s Biggest Stories

It was a year dominated by a fall from grace and a rise to royalty. John Galliano’s arrest after an anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar led to his removal from the top posts at Christian Dior and his own fashion house. The succession rigmarole is still unresolved, with characters as disparate as Haider Ackermann and Marc Jacobs rumoured at points to be thisclose to taking his place.

And who could forget Kate Middleton’s smile as she approached Westminster Abbey? The Duchess of Cambridge processed her way into the world’s hearts in her bespoke Alexander McQueen gown—and indeed, in every closely scrutinised outfit she has worn since.

Other weddings followed. Kate Moss married Jamie Hince in a Galliano gown, Lily Allen announced her pregnancy at her country nuptials, and Sofia Coppola wore a lavender dress by Azzedina Alaïa to wed her rocker beau.

Later, fashion brands intensified their focus on Asia, an increasingly important luxury market. The passing of Elizabeth Taylor provided us with a chance to remember a legendary woman's career. Lady Gaga made her catwalk debu