This year we’ve seen trends old and new from eighties shoulder pads and nineties biker jackets to wearing underwear as outerwear and squeezing into figure hugging bodycon.

There’s been an array of films that have not only portrayed the fashion industry but helped influence it, with the return of the Breton trend thanks to Coco Chanel and the power suit as worn by Vogue editor Anna Wintour in the September issue. But as always some trends have made more of an impact than others, earning themselves a place in fashion industry. As we draw closer to the new year it’s time to look back on the trends that we all spent out hard earned cash on.

1. Harem trousers- In the summer we ditched flimsy skirts and shorts for something a bit more comfy which suited both Brit girls and our miserable weather. Plain or patterned harem trousers were seen on the likes of Cheryl Cole in her video Fight for this Love and Diane Kruger who rocked hers with a pair of Givency heels.

 2. Crop tops- A favourite in the eighties and nineties, crop tops make a comeback in 2009 becoming a staple item for every girl’s wardrobe whether in the summer, autumn or winter, there was a style to suit everyone from cropped vests, t-shirts or long sleeves.  Despite the crop top coming under harsh criticism for favouring skinny girls, most shunned this suggestion and wore a vest underneath.  

3. Heeled gladiators- We wore our flat gladiators to death in 2008 and then came the heeled gladiator, a shoe that was comfortable, like its flat counterpart, and that could take you from office to bar. Hot off the catwalk, the IT shoe of 2009 came in an array of muted colours and metallics and was worn by style guru’s Kate Moss and Ashley Olsen.

4. Bows- from Lady Gaga’s hair bow to tops adorned with over-sized bows and hairbands that would make even Minnie Mouse jealous, this girlie trend was the epitome of cool. Jumping on the bandwagon was Louis Vuitton, whose Autumn/Winter 2009/10 collection included an emerald bow ruffled blazer and a huge black bow worn as a headband.

5. Jumpsuits/playsuits- made it a lot easier to pick an outfit but in a toilet emergency were not so practical. First came the boiler jumpsuit with peg leg or harem trouser bottoms followed by the trendier summer playsuit adorned with flowers or similiar feminine prints. The jumpsuit/playsuit combined all looks, from Goodess to sporty and was seen on the likes of Kate Bosworth and Katie Holmes .

6. Fringing and feathers- adorned bags, shoes, boots, skirts and dresses. Whereas fringing was suited more for daytime, with the popular fringed leather handbag, feathered skirts and accessories were a little classier as demonstrated by Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively.

 7. Textures- 2009 was the year for lace and velvet. There was Prada’s black  lace jacket, a nod to the gothic trend and more angelic pieces with sheer white lace tops and beautiful pastel lace dresses. The likes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga even wore lace masks to A- list events. Velvet was combined with body con for the ultimate in figure hugging dresses as well as introducing the velvet playsuit and mini.

8. Embellishment- zips and studs were used on clothing and accessories, turning a plain top into something a bit more edgy. Michael Kors introduced the exposed zip, adorning dresses, skirts and tops, while Alexa Chung supported the trend, donning a studded collar shirt to the Cinema Society and Hugo Boss screening of Inglorious Basterds in NYC.

9. Combo’s- there was the jegging, the jeans and leggings combo and then came the coatigan, coat+cardigan. Both designed for comfort and ease, the jegging took off in a big way, unlike the coatigan which failed to make such an impression. 

 10. Sequins- not just for Christmas but for life! Sequins were a massive trend for 2009 thanks to top designers Issaz Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs and Phillip Lim who bedazzled dresses, bags, tops and shoes. Most notably the trend started with the sought after sequinned blazer as ladies were encouraged to dress down the sparkly stuff, mixing and matching sequinned tops or jackets with skinny jeans and boots.

11. Shoulders-sharp or padded shoulders were the focus for autumn/winter as introduced by Balmain, with the Parisian designer’s pyramid shoulder military drummer boy jacket and the silver shoulder dress made famous by Ms Moss. This trend certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted as we re-lived the eighties and re-introdued worn out shoulder pads back to our wardrobes.

I wonder what trends 2010 has in store for us?