Rihana's sexy dress and transformations

Fashion moments come and go, but the past decade offered some game-changing breakthroughs.

Instagram shattered industry norms. Streetwear proved it could hold court with couture, while celebrities peacocked on the red carpet in over-the-top threads destined to go viral online. Sneakers replaced stilettos as the footwear of choice, and hipsters started wearing dad jeans.

Royal weddings brought us “princess fashion” in a way we haven’t seen since Princess Diana’s reign. We said goodbye to legends Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander McQueen, while embracing a new era of trailblazers in the way of Virgil Abloh and Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss.

If it’s even possible to distill a sole takeaway from the last 10 years, it’s that fashion’s status quo has been shaken to its core, paving the way for what looks to be an exciting, statement-making future.

Here, a look at some of the trends that defined the 2010s.

Naked dressing

Flaunting your skin was never more in. Rihanna jumpstarted the trend in 2014, when she walked the Council of Fashion Designers of America red carpet to accept her Fashion Icon Award in a completely see-through Adam Selman gown covered in Swarovski crystals. Soon, sheer-and-sparkly fabrics became the norm for hot-bodied stars, especially at the Met Gala: In 2015, Beyoncé glittered on the museum’s stairs in a golden Givenchy Haute Couture gown, and in 2019, Kim Kardashian stole the show in a skin-colored trompe l’oeil dress.