Fashion 2004: The good, the bad and the Britney

Most high-profile dress

When Keisha Castle-Hughes became one of the youngest Oscar nominees at this year's Academy Awards in Los Angeles, she wasn't swayed by the chance to wear couture by one of the world's biggest-name designers on the red carpet. Instead, she remained loyal to her country and chose to wear the pink silk chiffon dress and capelet Liz Mitchell had run up for her specially. By virtue of her being a Best Actress nominee, the dress came in for quite a bit of international attention. And while the dress wasn't in quite the same league as the ones the grown-ups were wearing - such as the 30s-feel Tom Ford for Gucci number, Liv Tyler's chic black Givenchy Couture or Sofia Coppola's simple black Marc Jacobs dress - Mitchell made a little girl's dream come true. Castle-Hughes said she felt like she was "floating".

Best in television

Was there anyone who didn't want the ample wardrobes of Carrie and her girlfriends in Sex and the City? Without a doubt, the show turned its audience into unrepentant clothes horses, marvelling at Carrie's fabulously styled character thanks to the genius of principal stylist Patricia Field. Many of us are still saving for a pair of Manolo Blahniks. And yes, we were all sucked into the gargantuan corsage phenomenon.

Worst in television

Like reality TV, there's always plenty of bad fashion on the telly. Footballers' Wives character Tanya Turner is your quintessential Essex girl - all cleavage, slap, long fake fingernails and tight clothes. It's like she learned how to dress by watching too many episodes of Coronation Street, with ageing barmaid Liz McDonald as muse, rather than Posh, who, at least is the real thing and knows her Versace from her Dolce & Gabbana. Prize for the single worst outfit in a drama goes to Liz's daughter-in-law Karen McDonald and her wedding gown, which looked like Emily had turned her net curtains into sleeves.

Best local fashion

The time to see this was during New Zealand Fashion Week in October. In the strongest line-up since the event started four years ago, there was plenty to love: Carlson's fabulous frock trip back to the 70s and her cool, new line Cherry Cotton Candy designed by two of her young staff; Zambesi's consistency; everything from Kate Sylvester's Love in a Cold Climate collection; those wrap dresses from Helen Cherry; and Karen Walker's ability to make everyone want a safari shorts suit.

Best-dressed A-lister

Nicole Kidman continues to do no wrong as a fashion plate. But there was a small indiscretion at this year's Golden Globes when she wore a gold-sequinned flapper dress by Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent. Fine in itself, but it was the matching gold headband that had the fashion police concerned. Otherwise, Kidman continued her reign as the high priestess of couture, becoming the face of Chanel No 5. 

Worst-dressed celebrity

It hasn't been Britney Spears' year. Although she managed to marry twice in 2004, she needs someone like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Carson Kressley to take her in hand. Key here would be to do as he says, not as he did on his fleeting visit to New Zealand - the purple jersey tucked into pinstripe pants is not exactly killer fashion. It must be hard for Spears though. Every time she whips into McDonald's the paparazzi are on hand to snap as many unflattering pictures of her mid-chew as they can. Still, there's no excuse for the ridiculous lace mini she wore to a music awards ceremony this month.

When fashion stunts go wrong

On a global scale, the fashion outrage of the year was directed at Janet Jackson and her breast reveal at the Super Bowl. Mass prudishness ensues. Surely, these born-again moral crusaders overlooked the real crime - weird nipple jewellery.

Locally, Morrinsville designer Annah Stretton shocked the fashion crowd at this year's Fashion Week by throwing a boar's head on the head of a model wearing one of her evening dresses. The audience was stunned by such a cheap trick. The problem was compounded when the designer pinned dead birds on her outfits. Beastly stuff.

On an emperor's-new-clothes note, Sally Ridge's james&august undies line pre-Fashion Week publicity promised cool things with underwear, but it was nothing we haven't seen a million times before in K-Mart and the like.

Most outrageous fashion

No one does outrageous quite like British designer John Galliano. During Paris Fashion Week early this year, his collection for Dior was inspired by the pharaohs and gods of ancient Egypt. Models appeared looking for all the world like Nefertiti in a full-throttle spectacle that could well have been a bit of panto around the back of the pyramids during Khufu's day. But it wowed the fashion elite.

Our own Roisin Dubh also looked to ancient Egypt as her inspiration for the 2005 range she showed at Fashion Week, although it didn't have the same magic.