With the return of IRL red-carpet events and runway shows—as well as celebrities and street style stars actually being able to venture outside—2022 has been a big year for fashion.
But while some celebrities found it hard to give up their tracksuits and trainers (EmRata wore both to Paris Fashion Week this year) others are embracing the opportunity to take things up a notch and get dressed up for every occasion, even a trip to the supermarket (we’re looking at you, Julia Fox).
While style is hard to define and taste varies from person to person, the people on this list—who are presented in no particular order—have captured our attention over the past twelve months, spearheading trends and starting conversations. Some are old timers in the midst of a renaissance and some are new players, making fresh and daring statements with the way they dress. What they all have in common is a creative and joyful approach to getting dressed, something perhaps we should all strive for into the new year and beyond.
Ahead, the most stylish celebrities of 2022.
Rihanna
When Rihanna stepped out in New York City with her rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky wearing a long pink jacket unbuttoned at the bottom to reveal her growing baby bump adorned in a gold cross and colourful jewels, she redefined everything we know about maternity style. The singer and FENTY founder spent the rest of her pregnancy in skin-tight, bump-baring looks that celebrated—rather than tried to hide—her growing belly.
Julia Fox
Was there anyone more talked about than Julia Fox in 2022? The ‘Uncut Jammmms’ star and muse of Josh Safdie has been bringing sexy, skin-tight moments to the streets of NYC for nearly a decade now but it was during her whirlwind relationship with the artist formerly known as Kanye West that her style got the attention it deserves. From her signature look—black OTT eyeshadow that blends out and upward to the temples (also known on TikTok as “Black Swan eyeliner”)—to traipsing around Milan in a balaclava (yes, you read that right), Fox has continued to turn heads long after her relationship with the controversial rapper ended.
Paloma Elsesser
Body positivity activist and model Paloma Elsesser definitely won 2022 when she wore Miu Miu’s viral micro-mini skirt set on the cover of ID, in perhaps one of the most iconic fashion photographs of the year. But it’s not simply her refusal to only wear “stretchy dresses” or be pigeonholed as a plus-sized model that makes her a style icon of our time. Elsesser has a natural cool that comes through in how she dresses, whether she’s wearing a corseted Coach gown inspired by Courtney Love to the Met Gala or a pair of red Margiela Tabi ballet flats on holiday in Italy.
Emma Chamberlain
The YouTuber who has been dubbed “the most popular girl in the world” earned her fashion chops in 2022. Not only did she stun in a tiara and two-piece look by Louis Vuitton at the Met Gala but she became a certified Ganni girl, starring in the brand’s new campaign for their collaboration with Levi’s and attending their SS23 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Her personal style saddles the gap between Y2k baby bags, trucker dad styles and preppy private school girl, and her looks, as documented on Instagram and YouTube have launched their fair share of trends this year.
Adwoa Aboah
Model / actress / activist Adwoa Aboah has made a name for herself as always being ‘one-to-watch’ when it comes to what she wears. The British cool girl has pulled out some memorable looks this year including a custom-made pale pink silk faille bustier gown by designer Tory Burch for the Met Gala, a slick vintage leather dress coat at the premiere of Top Boy 2 and a stunning silver Christopher Esber dress at Vanity Fair‘s Oscars after-party.
Bella Hadid
It’s hard to think of a celebrity who launched more trends in 2022 than Bella Hadid (dubbed by some as “the Bella effect”). Adidas Sambas, ballet-core, Ugg boots and Bermuda shorts were all championed by the eternal “It girl” this year and cemented her spot as a street style star (and Depop queen). On the runway, she was the centre of one of the most iconic moments of the year when at the finale of the Coperni at Paris Fashion Week she had a white dress sprayed onto her body.
Anne Hathaway
This year Anne Hathaway experienced a fashion renaissance, proving it’s never too late to redefine your style and stand out from the crowd. Whether she was rocking a minimalist Armani column gown, a cone bra minidress by Gucci or a sequined Schiaparelli suit, she always appeared to be expressing a cool and confident aura that can only be achieved when you love the way you look.
Amelia Dimoldenberg
She’s YouTube’s favourite interviewer, but Dimoldenberg’s show Chicken Shop Date—in which she interviews celebrities over nuggets and chips at some of London’s finest fast food haunts—is as much a stage for her bright, kitschy looks as her trademark wit and sarcasm. In 2022—as the show blew up—Dimoldenberg’s playful yet preppy style was taken to new heights, riding around London in a Fiat with Louis Theroux wearing a silk Gucci headscarf tied under her chin and hitting the red carpet in a black latex lace gown by Berlin-based designer Kasia Kucharska.
Timothée Chalamet
In 2022 Chalamet heard the cries of millions of women and vowed to show us some skin. And boy, did he deliver. In March, the 26-year-old heartthrob attended the Oscars wearing a sequined Louis Vuitton suit without even the suggestion of a shirt underneath, and at the Venice Film Festival in September he wowed in a backless blood-red, lamé Haider Ackermann haltersuit, bolstering his reputation as one of Hollywood’s boldest dressers.
Keke Palmer
When Keke Palmer appeared on SNL wearing a sleek brown Sportmax coat—that she subsequently unbuttoned to reveal a cropped brown top, trousers, and her exposed baby bump underneath—she was doing more than just announcing her pregnancy. She was cementing her status as a style icon. This year Palmer was the undisputed queen of low-rise Y2k dressing, wowing red carpet onlookers in a corset top and low slung tube skirt by Marc Jacobs.
Katie Holmes
Cardigan queen and denim enthusiast Katie Holmes continued to make a name for herself as one of the world’s most stylish celebs in 2022. Think matching floral sets from Ulla Johnson paired with black knee-high boots from Khaite, teeny tiny mini dresses over the top of distressed jeans (controversial to say the least), or an all-brown look offset with bright yellow ballet flats.
Nicole Kidman
The 55-year-old Australian actor is one of fashion’s most surprising break-out stars of the year, celebrated for her daredevil, age-defying approach to dressing. In February, she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair‘s “Hollywood Issue” in the notorious Spring-Summer 2022 Miu Miu micro-skirt, and in July confidently made her runway debut for Balenciaga, wearing black evening gloves and draped one-shoulder silver dress that took the atelier 160 hours to make.
Emma Corrin
Famed for their unique style, Corrin has become somewhat of a fashion trailblazer in 2022. On red carpets, the non-binary actor often opts for playful, head-turning pieces while their off-duty style makes nods to the 1970s, with cropped chevron jumpers in neutral tones, chic white blouses and flared jeans.
Harry Styles
In 2022 Harry Styles got dressed up. Whether it was for his blockbuster Love on Tour tour, the release of his third album, Harry’s House, or that scandalous Don’t Worry Darling press tour, Style’s spent the year in wide-leg trousers, loud prints, baby doll-blouses, custom Gucci overalls, sequins and sweater vests, cementing himself as the face of a seventies-esq “soft boy” aesthetic.
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