Who Cares: It's Only Fashion...

I asked for risks, I got risks, and lots of color! This is what I'm talking about ladies!

A very fun red carpet for a change and as per usual Diane Kruger outdoes everyone...

It's no secret Alexa Chung was one of my favorites of 2009. I oooohd and aaaahd over every move she made and watched for every new outfit inspiration she gave us. She didn't have a movie to promote like the rest of the girls, but she did have a brand spanking new (now defunct) MTV talk show and a fantastic It Girl personality to introduce to the US.

Sadly it seems that Alexa was not as big of a hit with the MTV set as she was with the fashion set. While fashionistas called to her and wanted to make her one of the biggest deals NY's seen in a while, MTV decided her particular brand of British humor wasn't working for them after a mere 6 months. She was front and center at many of NYC's most prominent fashion events and of course a fixture during fashion week (I even had a few sightings myself). Her cool Brit It girl style translated perfectly and gave us tons of inspiration and a new outlook on the ability to wear black booties with everything (for me at least). 75% of my inspiration folder consists of Alexa's daily looks (courtesy of the now defunct What Alexa Wore Today blog) and we hope that the demise of her shortly lived MTV talk show doesn't mean that we New Yorkers will lose our dose of the coolest girl out there.

We have a feeling that Alexa won't stay unemployed for much longer...

No one quite made me go "sigh" in 2009 like Diane Kruger. And it wasn't just because a certain Pacey Whitter accompanied her on most red carpets. Ms. Kruger continued to make a name for herself as a constant red carpet do in throughout the year. Kruger's Inglorious Basterds promotional tour looks not only showed off some of the greatest designers fashion has to offer but managed to even outshine the great Angelina.

Doesn't hurt that the German born beauty had arm candy like Josh Jackson and Brad Pitt by her side throughout the year. But Diane managed to carry herself with the utmost class even while rocking some of the edgiest looks that had graced the runway. Modern, rocker, fashion forward, bohemian, romantic and classic - all words that could be attributed to Diane's 2009 style. In our book that makes her a grand winner amongst the style set. After all who doesn't like to change things up a little and play around with different styles! More Diane and Josh in 2010!

Disclaimer: while Diane's perfect red carpet looks were many - Marchesa, Chanel, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Jason Wu, Miu Miu to name just a few - it was virtually impossible to break it down to just a few so please forgive me if one of your favorites has gone missing.

Our little Hermione Granger certainly grew up quite a bit this year. While promoting the 6th film in the Harry Potter series Emma Watson showcased not only a sophistication well beyond her 19 years (can you believe she's 19? I would have said 15 b/c for me she will always be 12 but ok) but a knack for putting together effortlessly stylish looks. She's another one of those girls who looks like she's just thrown the first thing on that she saw in her closet but magically it's perfect on her. And of course the public wasn't the only ones noticing, Ms. Watson's quickly become one of the darlings of the fashion industry, gracing numerous magazine covers in 2009 as well as scoring the staring role in Burberry's Fall and Spring 2010 campaigns. And all of this while managing to apply and get into an ivy league university.

While we are beyond proud of this Brit It for getting her priorities straight and giving teens a good example to look up to, we do hope this doesn't mean she will no longer be a fashion week fixture. Welcome to the big leagues Hermione.

Zoe Saldana what would 2009 fashion be without you? Sure I've followed your rise to fame since Center Stage and Guess Who? but most of the world didn't get to know you until the world wide promotional tour for Star Trek. And wow them you did with looks so incredibly stylish that they landed you on every best dressed list from here to Timbuktu. Alaia, Prabal Gurung (props on being the first to wear a dress from the then relatively unknown designer), Emilio Pucci and so on and so forth. And did she stop there? Hell no. Ms. Saldana kept the fashion party going in 09 with the promotional tour for Avatar - yes that would be her second major blockbuster of the year. For Avatar Zoe's tastes became even more sophisticated. Show stoppers included a mini Versace and a silver RM by Roland Mouret mermaid dress.

And that doesn't even count Zoe's endless red carpet appearances outside of the promotional circuit. The pseudo newcomer really made a name for herself with her ballerina like long legs and Audrey Hepburn like carrying of the neck - a perfect posture for carrying a dress from the most desired designers in town.

Ladies and gentleman we present you nominee number 1 for 2009's Top Gun...Zoe Saldana. We know 2010 will give us way more Zoe fashions, lucky for us she has at least one movie to promote (Death at a Funeral) and you know the Avatar DVD release will get a big red carpet to do.