It’s now the final week of 2012 & fashion critics everywhere are compiling their lists of the best looks & best dressed throughout the year. Of course you have the A-listers like Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Rihanna, Diane Kruger, & Jennifer Lopez who always make a fashionable entrance, but I wanted to share my list of the Top 10 Style Darlings To Watch For 2013, meaning the gals who’ve made their mark on 2012, but still have a lot to share for the upcoming year. This list includes, in no particular order, Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr, singer / DJ Solange Knowles, stage & screen siren Jessica Chastain, America’s latest sweetheart Emma Stone, Oscar-nominated Rooney Mara, the pillowy-lipped Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, former House star Olivia Wilde, blonde bombshell Malin Akerman, Twilight starlet Ashley Greene, & Indian beauty Freida Pinto.
Miranda Kerr has single-handedly reinvented street style for the mom-on-the-go. Avoiding leggings & oversized tunic sweaters, she’s busting her gams in towering heels, skimpy shorts, classic pencil skirts, & modern looks to show that everyday is a runway. Here we see the Aussie in a belted white dress by Willow while taking in Sydney. She shows off her tough side in a biker jacket, green sweater by Acne, Tabitha Simmons lace-up booties, & a chic Christian Louboutin bag while in New York. The model isn’t afraid of matching prints in this Helmut Lang shorts suit, paired with Tabitha Simmons ankle strap sandals. Miranda certainly knows how to dine in style in a sultry pewter column gown at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Lastly, she’s effortless in a Balenciaga printed skirt matched with black separates, including an enviable Givenchy tote bag.
News of Beyonce’s baby girl, Blue Ivy, might have started off 2012, but it was little sister Solange Knowles who really made it a year of newsworthy style. She plays with prints & proportion, never afraid of letting her personality show, often experimenting with bright colors. Just last month the singer partied in Miami in a Kenzo sheath dress with transparent sandals. She plays with colorblocking in this demure red & black ensemble with a sparkling tote back & bow bedecked heels. For a garden party at the MoMa, Solange’s floral separates show off her feminine side, especially with killer nude Casadei pumps. While celebrating a Ferragamo event, the talented DJ wears colorful separates by the designer, along with tons of perfectly coiffed curls. Lastly, one of my favorite looks includes the printed Vera Wang peplum dress that she donned with matching heels for the Runway To Win Launch Party.
Jessica Chastain epitomizes what a modern-day movie star should be & she’s quickly climbing the fashion ranks with such a spectacular 2012 in front of the camera. She always brings out the nonstop glamour with every frock, cocktail dress, & gown that she wears- & they definitely don’t wear her. It was hard to narrow down five of her best looks since she’s yet to hit on a red carpet slump, but I love the green Karen Caldwell sheath dress paired with suede bold Barbara Bui slingbacks & Harry Winston earrings for an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman earlier this year. She went for an all-black sparkling gown with green Bochic earrings, which was to die for against her alabaster skin & rich red hair. At New York’s Beacon Theatre, this transparent beaded Marios Schwab dress caused quite the stir, but looked radiant with Harry Winston earrings & Giuseppe Zanotti satin heels. It’s rare that we see the Oscar-nominated actress in separates, but I love the look of her Kirna Zabête for Target ensemble, including a printed blouse, full blue skirt, black blazer, & peep toe heels. Lastly, for the opening night of her run on Broadway in The Heiress, Jessica wowed in a yellow lace Stella McCartney design with nude Christian Louboutins.
Emma Stone has been playing up her red & blonde locks on the red carpet, especially for the promotional tour for The Amazing Spider-Man, which catapulted this girl-next-door into super stardom. Everyone in Hollywood wants to be her friend & everyone else is coveting her wardrobe. This includes the two-tone jeweled design by Burberry with a sparkling green pencil skirt & ring by Jennifer Meyer. Emma’s bubble gum pink Valentino dress worn with the houndstooth pumps by Ferragamo was the match of the year in this feminine take on menswear-inspiration. For a premiere, she wore a party-worthy Chanel dress with Cartier jewelry & Christian Louboutins to finish the look. Emma not only sports a dress like no other, but she’s taken risks like this luxe black Elie Saab jumpsuit in London, as well as her Gucci suit with t-strap heels & emeralds by Tiffany & Co. for the People’s Choice Awards.
Rooney Mara not only kicked butt on-screen in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but she made one heck of a red carpet debut while promoting the film. Her minimalist style was a refreshing & much-needed dose of reality on while showing that you can be edgy & feminine at the same time. Her blunt bangs have set a trend, as well as her unforgettably mysterious look, mixing progressive silhouettes with that ambiguously flirty stare. Most recently, Rooney stepped out in Dubai in a custom sculptural dress by Calvin Klein. She showed off her love of primary colors in this green Louis Vuitton cocktail dress for the Santa Barbara Film Festival. For the Oscar nominees luncheon, she mixed a jumpsuit from ASOS with a chic white blazer by Thierry Mugler. When in Rome, Rooney choose a ravishing red gown by Valentino, clad soft lace details. Last, she continues her sometimes androgynous look with a jacket by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, mini skirt, & ankle strap heels by Louis Vuitton.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a regular featured in my posts for Red Carpet Review & Top 10 Celeb Sightings b/c she always gets it right. She’s turned heads not just b/c of her beautiful face & rocking body, but she brings a whole new level of taste to the red carpet as a model-turned-actress. She’s got movie-star looks & isn’t backing down from any opportunity to steal the spotlight, especially in the stunning two-toned cocktail dress by Burberry with metallic cap toe heels. One of my favorite looks of the year includes her green ruffled column gown by Gucci, topped off with Jennifer Meyer jewelry & white ankle-strap heels. Also, Rosie smoldered in a lace overlay design by Jason Wu with a sleek updo, black pumps, & a deep lip color. She knows how to work a trend, including the leather-detailed peplum dress with contrasting cap toe pumps. Finally, her street style is pretty amazing too, especially the Stella McCartney printed mini dress with a Jason Wu tote, Alexander Wang sandals, & Burberry sunglasses.
Olivia Wilde was all the talk last year & she’s lived up to her last name in 2012 with a series of looks only a chameleon could pull off. The green-eyed actress is slated for more than a dozen films in the next few years & she looks happier than ever. She’s a designer’s darling & can work any number of looks, including Old Hollywood, boho chic, contemporary bombshell, & so on. Whether she’s blonde or brunette, she can pull off a sleek LBD like this red-belted A.L.C. design paired with pointy toe red pumps. She looks ethereal in a silver embellished Carolina Herrera gown with a leather Jimmy Choo clutch. Olivia has made cocktail dresses look renewed again with this lace-trimmed frock by Prada, & I love the contrasting tone peep toe Aperlai slingbacks. She’s not afraid of playing with shapes, as seen in the Calvin Klein caped dress that she wore with strappy sandals & a House of Lavande ring. Lastly, she’s even effortless in L’Wren Scott separates with bowed Christian Louboutins at a premiere in New York.
Malin Akerman mixes her sunny smile with one of the biggest trends of the year: leather. She’s not afraid of blending her beachy blonde locks with the rock-friendly material, while constantly showing off her love of separates & classic black. There’s always a retro feel in everything she wears, including her plunging leather vest & leggings with a printed clutch by Barbara Bui & pointy toe Aldo pumps. She plays with shape in the leather-accented peplum top with trousers by J. Mendel, studded Walter Steiger pumps, & bangles by House of Lavande. At the Los Angeles premiere of Nobody Walks, Malin wore this classic-cut LBD in leather by Boss Black with a Stephen Webster cuff & suede peep toe heels. In support of designer Vena Cava, she wore the brand head-to-toe including flared printed trousers & a leather clutch. Last, the Swedish import looks nothing short of gorgeous in a high slit Cushnie et Ochs tangerine gown with a Coach clutch & sandals by Tibi.
Kristen Stewart might have been the talk of the town b/c of her affair & cheating on Rob Pattinson, but it’s Ashley Greene who’s emerged on top of the whole Twilight Saga, what with landing a campaign gig with DKNY & hitting every major red carpet looking bit a lady. She’s got the pose down & has designers in her back pocket, never failing to look age-appropriate, as a good role model for young actresses. At The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere, Donna Karan Atelier custom-made this one-shoulder blush gown for the actress, which she accessorized with Bvlgari diamonds. While attending a premiere in Los Angeles, Ashley sported another custom gown by the fashion house in fuchsia with jewelry by Kimberly McDonald. She sure knows how to play up her shape, especially in this nude Emilio Pucci dress with a statement necklace by Karine Sultan, a studded Christian Louboutin clutch, & Casadei pumps. Back in February at the Loveisrespect launch party, she choose black & white for this sequined Oscar de la Renta frock with Cathy Waterman jewelry. Last, she surprised in a peach lace design by Yigal Azrouel with suede pumps.
Freida Pinto is probably one of my favorite stars to emerge over the last few years since her debut in Slumdog Millionaire. She’s so beautiful & brings a fresh vibe to many of her red carpet looks. Whether she’s walking at Cannes or attending press events, she’s nothing short of sophisticated & youthful, all with the flash of her smile. At the Dubai International Film Festival, she accents her Sam & Lavi printed dress with layered necklaces by Lindsay Vallan & Roger Vivier sandals. Black on black has never looked so chic than on Freida while promoting Desert Dancer in a black AllSaints blouse with skinny jeans & heels. She mixes eras in a black & white collared top with a ruby red skirt by Contrarian New York & classic Louboutin pumps. When viewing the Ferragamo show at the Louvre, she donned a beaded dress by the label with a shimmering box clutch & satin pumps. Earlier this year, she played with color in an Yves Saint Laurent bustier with a pencil skirt & satin platforms.
Which celebrities are you looking forward to seeing more of in 2013? Who do you think has the best up-and-coming style? Which designers are on your radar next year? Happy Styling!
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Usually when I post something for Darling Of The Day, I share look-alike pieces that are much more affordable than what a celebrity is wearing. However, Revenge actress & style blogger extraordinaire Ashley Madekwe (who is making her second appearance in DOTD) calls on the pajama trend for a recent red carpet in support of a Topshop event. She showed up in the brand’s check dungaree jumpsuit ($110.00), which is currently available for purchase online. Yes, it’s a lot higher than I would pay, but the one-piece has a lot of versatility & plays with the same light flirtiness of a maxi dress.
During an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Hollywood’s glamorous flower child, 
I’ve been getting really inspired lately by all of the fabulous ensemble looks that celebrities are donning on the red carpet & for special events. Case in point: 
