The Women Who Influenced Our Style in 2010

A look back at how these fashion forces shaped our wardrobes this year

Jessica Simpson

Who knew that the girl who didn't even know Chicken of the Sea was, in fact, tuna would one day be on the road to a $1 billion fashion empire. WWD reports Jessica Simpson's shoes, accessories, denim, swimwear, watches and fragrances made up to $750 million in 2010. We're not surprised. The blonde bombshell gave us the gift of high heels that are actually comfortable. We're obsessed with them!
In 2011, the 30-year-old star is set to launch a contemporary sportswear line that will combine comfort, femininity and flirty. We can't wait!

Michelle Obama

From the moment Barack Obama took office, all eyes were on the first lady -- and rightfully so. Her impeccable taste continues to impress partisans and non-partisans alike.

From Michael Kors and Derek Lam to Target and J.Crew, Michelle Obama hits all price points and high fashion marks. Because of Mrs. O, this year, we embraced brooches, pearls and the color orange.

Blake Lively

This Gossip Girl made countless best-dressed lists this year. From the red Versace plunging neckline at the Emmys to the blue Marchesa mini at the MET Gala, we couldn't agree with them more. The girl knows how to pull together a look. And we're not the only ones who've noticed -- E! News reports that Karl Lagerfeld hand-picked the actress to become the newest face of Chanel.
It's no wonder that Vogue magazine put Blake Lively on the cover of their 2010 Best Dressed issue.

Khloe, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian

Voluptuous women rejoice! The Kardashian sisters made curves trendy in 2010 with numerous magazine photo shoots, including Kourtney Kardashian's OK! and Life and Style covers post baby. We especially love how the oldest Dash doll admits to having been (badly) photoshopped on OK! mag. Embrace your curves, we realized.

The sassy sisters also took Miami and New York by storm this year by opening Dash boutiques. Stay tuned for a new reality spin-off on E! called Kim and Kourtney Take New York. We just can't get enough of 'em to feed our fashion fix!

Alexa Chung

girl of 2010. Her Madewell collection -- which includes tees with drawings Alexa Chung did herself, skinny pants cuffed at the hem to reveal polka-dot trim, loose blouses and boyfriend blazers -- was a huge success. In fact, parent company, J.Crew, banned employees from buying anything from the hip line, in anticipation of customers, and pieces sold out quickly online.
So what's next for the hip chick? Although MTV canceled It's On With Alexa Chung, we'll be able to see the style maven on a new PBS show teaching Americans how to shop at thrift stores (like she does) in 2011.

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb

From doing countless segments on style to dazzling us with their own cute outfits, we woke up to Today's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb every morning inspired. Here's a special shout-out to the lovely twosome, who even braved going makeup free this year.

Emily Schuman

Some of us have had a girl crush on Cupcakes and Cashmere blogger Emily Schuman from the moment she started posting. And this year -- with features on sites like StyleCaster and a collaboration with Forever 21 as a "Style Icon" -- the fashionista's digital repertoire has landed her even more fans and followers.

We've fallen in love with her magnificent taste in jewelry, her French pastries and -- well -- her.

Rachel Zoe

We want to credit the resurgence of faux fur back to the star stylist turned reality TV star of Bravo's The Rachel Zoe Project, but really she just made the flashback trend more affordable. In 2010, we bought Rachel Zoe's faux fur vests and jackets at QVC and tuned into her show while she freaked over red carpets and Fashion Week.

Not to mention, by dressing style mavens like Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, we couldn't help but let her expert advice to the stars seep into our own shopping habits.

The Ladies of 'Sex and the City'

The second coming of the Sex and the City franchise on the big screen didn't disappoint us one bit, and neither did the fabulous style of the fierce foursome. From turbans and caftans to bold hues and sparkle, we watched SATC 2 with our fashion-obsessed mouths wide open.

Lauren Luke

We're still watching her makeup how-tos, which have helped us perfect everything from smoky eyes to foundation application! And now, we can buy her makeup, By Lauren Luke, at Sephora.

Because of her helpful advice Allure named Lauren Luke "The Makeup Mentor" in their 2010 influencers issue, and we, at iVillage, nabbed her as our resident beauty expert.

Kate Middleton

As the newly announced fiance of Prince William, Kate Middleton has already started to inspire our style. (We especially love her outerwear!)
Within days -- maybe hours -- after the engagement news, ring replicas surfaced. The world continues to buzz about the stylish bride-to-be as we gear up for 2011's biggest event, which now begs the question: Who's going to design her wedding gown?

Olivia Palermo

We hated her work ethic yet loved her impeccable taste in clothes while watching MTV's The City this year. Reality TV star Olivia Palermo might not have proven herself to be the best accessories editor with constant rifts with colleagues depicted on the show, but her bib necklaces, statement rings and tousled hairstyle were emulated by many.
In 2010, she also graced both Mango and Matches campaigns, and was named "Girl of the Year" by UK's Tatler. So what's' next for the New York socialite? She's supposedly working on a new TV venture of her own. Fingers crossed that it involves seeing more of her refined style.

Ke$ha

Have some fun, says the singing sensation, who has made wearing garbage kind of cool. Okay, so many of us passed on going "trashbag chic" this year, but what we learned from Ke$ha -- garbage attire aside -- was more important: "I think people can stand to take themselves just a little less seriously. I'm fighting the war against pretension," she told Billboard. Right on, girl. Right on!

Lauren Conrad

This year, Lauren Conrad showed us that glamour can be totally affordable, with her LC by Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl's and by endorsing mark., an inexpensive line created by Avon for young women.
We've missed seeing her fabulous fashions on TV since she quit The Hills, but the style maven recently announced that she'll be starring in an upcoming MTV reality series that has yet to be titled. All we know is the show will focus on her fashion career -- not personal life. Yay!

Snooki

We don't want to admit it, but this pint-sized spectacle's poofs, spray tans and animal-print minis have affected our style decisions this year... in that, we know what not to wear (unless it's Halloween, that is). But make no mistake, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is still a force to be reckoned with in fashion. In fact, her Us Weekly make-under stunned us all, as did her charm school photo shoot with Harper's Bazaar.

Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr

This year, we used Who What Wear to inspire us how to dress every morning, so it's only fitting to include Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr, the fashion-editorial masterminds behind the scroll- and click-worthy blog, on our list. Because of them, we know where Sienna got those peach trousers, Olivia scored that lightweight jacket and where Emmy found that darling dress.

Whitney Port

We watched the reality-TV darling launch her line on MTV's The City this year, and were all at the edge of our seats. (Yes, we thought she might fail.) To our glee -- because she's such a sweetie -- Whitney Port succeeded and made it in the Big Apple. We've even seen and bought some of the LA girl's Whitney Eve runway creations at big retailers like Piperlime and Bluefly.
Our fingers are crossed that her show isn't really canceled as it has been rumored. Fashion girls can dream, can't we?