From Kate Middleton's triumphant return in My Fair Lady glamour to J-Lo's revealing revenge dress.... The Wow! dresses that defined 2024

The key fashion moments of 2024 kicked off with Beyonce dressed as a couture cowgirl and ended with Kate Moss modelling her collection for Zara, with some magical moments in between. 

Here, SHANE WATSON picks her standout looks of the year ... 

J-Lo's ultimate revenge dress  

 Unstoppable premiere, Toronto, September

Revenge dresses were everywhere this year but first prize has to go to the one worn by Jennifer Lopez, 55, at her first red carpet event after filing for divorce from Ben Affleck. 

Never shy of showing some skin, on this occasion – the premiere of her film Unstoppable, produced by Affleck – J-Lo went all out in a silver Tamara Ralph dress consisting of two long sequin panels held together by a few well-spaced black velvet bows.

The message was: 'I've still got it and here it is,' and we all took it on board. 

Far from dowdy Dowager

Duke of Westminster's wedding, June 

The nuptials were the society do of the year but guests dressed disappointingly modestly. 

The person who accidentally stole the show was the groom's mother. 

The Dowager Duchess, 65, wore a fuchsia coat over a matching dress, with Manolo Blahnik heels and nails in clashing red and a firework explosion of a pink, red and white feather headpiece. 

History doesn't relate where it's from, but mothers of the groom everywhere would like to know. 

PM's wife steals the show  

London Fashion Week, September 

Before the election, we were only dimly aware of Victoria Starmer's style and then, shazam, there she was on the world stage wearing British designers Edeline Lee and Me+Em and looking, frankly, like the poster wife of a PM. 

By September she was in her stride wearing (one of our favourites) an Edeline Lee long, funnel-neck polka dot dress at London Fashion Week. 

We were slap-bang in the middle of 'Wardrobegate'. 

This was the row over undeclared donations from Lord Waheed Alli that went towards Lady Starmer's new No10 wardrobe and Sir Keir's glasses. 

Perhaps that's why we haven't seen so much of the PM's wife in the past few months. Missing those showstoppers. 

Daisy's glow-up  

Twisters premiere, London, July

Fashion watchers went mad for this. It's a va-va-voom dress and it's brown.

Brown! Yes, the colour of the season, but still it was a revelation to see how well it worked on the red carpet in place of the usual sequins or scarlet. 

Plus the dress had the vintage cachet of being Vivienne Westwood. 

This was also a 'Who's That Girl' moment for 26-year-old Daisy Edgar-Jones; a step up from the Normal People actress's usual understated style. 

Everybody noticed.

Taylor's record regalia

Wembley Stadium, August

The record-breaking Eras tour may well have broken records for the number of outfits Taylor Swift, 34, wore on stage, too. 

She wore more than 60 but the most memorable were her signature bead-slathered bodysuits, in particular the Zuhair Murad design she showcased at London's Wembley gig this summer.

Of her many corseted bodysuits, the midnight-blue creation — decorated with moons and stars and 10,500 beads — was the most magical. 

Bodysuits don't come more bedazzling than this. 

Sienna's style web

Birthday party, Isle of Bute, April

We now await the M&S X Sienna Miller collection the way we used to look forward to Kate Moss's for Topshop. 

There's always something there that is tempting. 

As for high points in the 42-year-old actress's calendar, the white, backless cobweb dress from Annie's Ibiza she wore to Lady Lola Bute's 25th birthday party on the Isle of Bute in April – wow!

Kate reigns supreme

Trooping the Colour, June

The Princess of Wales’s public appearances have been limited, but the outfit she wore for Trooping the Colour – her first official outing after her cancer diagnosis – went straight into our top 20 best Kate looks of all time, maybe even top ten. 

It was a My Fair Lady meets Princess Diana moment – a black and white Jenny Packham dress, recycled with the addition of a bow, a belt and a saucer hat by Philip Treacy.

Zendaya aces tennis glam

The Challengers premiere, London, April 

The tennis-inspired looks worn by the actress, 28, were a highlight. 

There were stiletto heels spiked through tennis balls, a beaded tennis dress and a Thom Browne number she wore for the London premiere: long, white and cool, with a collar, racket appliques, a high-leg split and beaded athletic stripes on the hem. Sporty, Gatsby-esque and fun. 

Anya nails airport chic  

Nice Airport, May

It wasn't until Anya Taylor-Joy, 28, was spotted arriving in France for the Cannes Film Festival that we realised how much we missed old glamour. 

She channelled Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe in a Jacquemus hat, cat-eye sunglasses and a one-shoulder Atlein Paris dress.

 It was pure screen goddess.

Nicole gets the (two) tone right

Venice, August

It's been a busy year for Nicole Kidman, 57, which meant a lot of red carpets. 

The one that stands out from the rest is the Schiaparelli couture dress she wore for the Venice Film Festival. 

It was two tone with a ribbed corset top in sheer beige scattered with black sequins and a slim black velvet column skirt. 

Never has a corset looked so light and delicate, like the sugar-spun cage on a Michelin-starred dessert… This was a dazzler.