Happy New Year to everyone! I hope everyone has a great time tonight and a fantastic 2010, personally I'm happy to see the back of 2009, it was a crazy mix of highs and lows..

Fashion wise 2009 was hugely inspirational from the Alexander McQueen's fantastical catwalk show at London Fashion week to the range of designer/high street collections such as Christopher Kane for Topshop and Jimmy Choo for H & M..We saw Danni Minogue come to the forefront of fashion, week after week on X Factor with her classy hair styles and unique outfits. Her razor-sharp sleek bob caused a surge of women reaching for the scissors and she blew Cheryl Cole out of the water every time with her combination of sexy but stylish dresses that embodied her grown up sophistication and confidence.. 2009 did see Cheryl's own star continue to rise and it must be noted that her style of teeny weeny dresses and bouncy hair has inspired many..

Vintage became widely accessible to many and was not just reserved for stylish students, the recession spawned a huge interest in charity shops and swap shops, while high street chain Penneys reached cult status in Ireland. In response to the recession women started searching for value as well as style, and realised that mixing high street, vintage and designer was the best way forward..

Women such as Lady GaGa and Michelle Obama made their fashion mark, GaGa daring to outdo herself every time with her outrageous and provocative costumes, while Michelle Obama proved that a woman can be interested in both fashion and politics..

Kate Moss continued to hold her own despite facing criticism for sporting wrinkles in her mid 30s!..Other ladies sparkled under the sartorial spotlight for their quirky looks, most notably Alexa Chung and my personal favourite Olivia Palermo..

The skinny versus curvy debate raged on as celebrity magazines continued to lambast any star who had so much as gained or lost a few pounds..not unrelated to this was the death of actress Brittany Murphy, who's skeletal frame and apparent addiction to plastic surgery highlighted the pressures women everywhere face, from the media, their peers and themselves. We also lost Michael Jackson, a king of iconic costume looks - his death was also linked to a dependency on pain killers and his life long poor body image.

We saw a return to the 80s with strong silhouttes and big shoulders came back with a bang, while platform shoes, leggings and leather dominated the high street..Statement jewellery, Blazers and men's brogues were my own favourite pieces, while I gave jumpsuits and body con a miss - beautiful but dangerously unflattering for me!

Ladies like Beyonce and more so Holly Willoughby inspired me with their ability to keep it real, dressing for their shape and flaunting their curves in flattering and beautiful outfits, not afraid to reveal legs and boobs with the greatest of confidence in their shape.

Overall it was an amazing year for fashion, a year that my interest and knowledge peaked as I spent the best part of 2009 sitting on my couch reading fashion blogs! ..Big up to my favourite ladies Blanaid and Whisty for transforming the Irish fashion blogging scene, while across the water fashiontoast.com, karlascloset.com and cupcakesandcashmere.com provided me with endless enjoyment and inspiration.

Hope everyone has a happy and stylish New Year and the best 2010 ! xx