Best dressed in 2009

BY KATE WATERHOUSE

Forget safe, middle-of-the-road style - we want risks, writes Kate Waterhouse. Either outshine your sequins or make a red-carpet disaster that will have us talking for years. So for your Christmas season pleasure, we've chosen the stars and turkeys for 2009.

BEST DRESSED

Eva Mendes

Mendes has always epitomised sultry style but she took it to another level at this year's Golden Globes. The Dior white gown she wore was absolutely stunning and, topped off with a gorgeous turquoise necklace, it was my hands-down favourite look of that night. Bucking the size-zero trend, Mendes embraces clothes that complement her curves. She never puts a Louboutin-clad foot wrong.

Erin Wasson

Wasson always attracts a lot of attention with her stunning good looks. This year she took the fashion world by storm by launching her own collection, Erin Wasson x RVCA, in collaboration with surf and skate lifestyle brand RVCA. She exudes a sexy confidence with everything she wears. An outfit that could be a fashion faux pas on someone else becomes a fashion statement when she puts it on. Wasson pushes the boundaries, standing out with her cool and edgy approach to clothes.

Alexa Chung

Chung has come out of her shell this year and blossomed into a worldwide fashion icon. After leaving Britain in April, she moved to the US to pursue her career. She quickly landed a gig hosting It's On with Alexa Chung for MTV and this year was awarded the Elle Style Award for best television presenter and Glamour magazine's award for best television presenter. Her reluctance to follow mainstream fashion and beauty is refreshing; she is often seen with straggly hair and mismatched outfits but her unique charm always shines through.

Emma Watson

It was Watson's coming of age this year as she morphed from Harry Potter schoolgirl to the stylish face of the Burberry autumn-winter 2009 collection. After years of watching Hollywood teens dress inappropriately, it's refreshing to see someone with so much maturity and class at such a young age. The red-carpet regular always looks elegant in super-stylish designer threads but still keeps her look innocent, with modest hemlines and minimal make-up. If only the Paris Hiltons of the world would take a leaf out of Watson's style book.

Olivia Palermo

Palermo was a refreshing change for reality TV when she graced the streets of New York dripping in designer clothes on the set of the series The City. For years we watched LA style at its worst thanks to the likes of Spidey (Spencer and Heidi Pratt from the reality TV show The Hills). Palermo, with her day job at Diane von Furstenberg, was already in good hands before the cameras rolled on The City.

BEST AUSTRALIAN TALENT

Dannii Minogue

Minogue showed she has become a serious fashion player this year, going head-to-head with The X Factor co-judge Cheryl Cole to take out the style stakes. Minogue's cropped hairdo and more daring choice of clothes has really made her a standout. J'Aton and Victoria Beckham designs have been a favourite of Minogue's this year as she wowed viewers. Keep it up Dannii, we're loving it!

Miranda Kerr

When you have a department store as your wardrobe, it would be hard to put a foot wrong. Whether on the beach in Australia or trotting on international red carpets, the David Jones darling nails her look wherever she goes. This year, she has really upped the ante in the fashion stakes, going from gorgeous girl next door to sexy siren. She got it spot on at the 2009 MET Costume Institute Gala, wearing a revealing black dress from Jil Sander's spring-summer collection.

Lara Bingle

The blonde bombshell, who hails from the Sutherland Shire, is always dressed in cutting-edge fashion. As Bingle matures, so does her sense of style. She has been working closely with her stylist Christine Centenera, fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar, to create fashion-forward looks that always impress. Whether Bingle is dressed for a casual occasion or a formal affair, our local beach girl consistently looks fab and is one to watch.

Jodi Gordon

It may have been a tough year for Gordon but she still managed to look fabulous in the face of adversity. She just gets more and more beautiful every time she hits the red carpet and each outfit is more impressive than the last. Her classic beauty complements her sophisticated style. She was my choice at this year's Logies and I can't wait to see more of her next year.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Madonna

You would think if you are the face of a luxury brand then you would get it right but no, not Madge, who looked like a Playboy bunny when she wore a Louis Vuitton ensemble. Madonna is old enough to be my mother, so when I saw this catastrophe I nearly died at the thought of my own mum wearing it. Miniskirts at her age is bad enough and thigh-highs are just a no-no from the start but bunny ears? Bad, bad, bad. There is nothing more to say.

Carine Roitfeld

The editor-in-chief of the French edition of Vogue is usually so ultra-stylish that her fall from grace was almost too good to be true. This year saw the first big slip-up for Roitfeld when she attended a function minus her pants. The see-through number with thigh-high boots was a definite faux pas that will take a long time for Roitfeld to live down. But needless to say, I still love her and I can't wait for her comeback next year.

Cate Blanchett

Cate, Cate, Cate, what happened? You are normally one of my favourites and then one day you leave the house wearing the blanket you slept in the night before. The normally style-savvy Blanchett took a turn for the worse when she wore a crochet patchwork dress, which would not look out of place on nanna's divan. Although it was designed by the fashion-forward Australian label Romance Was Born, it did nothing for Blanchett and left me scratching my head.

- © Fairfax NZ News