Normally, when one examines the past year through different prisms – politics, entertainment, sport, and so on – they come up with vastly different lists. But no year in recent history has provided as much overlap between the political, the social, the artistic and the fashionable as 2017.
Starting in January, when the day after the Presidential inauguration, which in itself gave us Hillary Clinton in "unity" and "Suffragette" white, thousands of women in cities across the United States donned handmade pink "pussy hats", as a symbol of solidarity and protest against the Trump administration, and the policies and views about women of the man himself.
In the days that followed, Italian fashion house Missoni dressed its models in the symbol, which would set a rhetoric of "fashion as armour" as the world, sartorially speaking, dressed itself for these dark, uncertain times.
The signs were everywhere – the resurgence of military, 1980s shoulder pads and the Danish-led hygge (pronounced "hue-guh") boom, which saw us trade our 2016 party frocks (Hillary for President!) for a cosy jumper dress and a mug of almond chai.
All white ... Hillary Clinton made an early fashion-as-politics statement at Donald Trump's Presidential inauguration. Photo: AP
This year, "fashion as politics" was also a recurring thread, whether it was mastheads boycotting photographers, including Terry Richardson and Bruce Weber, accused of sexual assault, to the manifestation of Melania Trump as First Lady.
The year began with a flurry of designers saying they would/would not dress Mrs Trump, with Dolce & Gabbana one of the most outspoken labels in the "for" camp (the biggest names in the "against" camp being Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs). But the relationship between the brash Italians and the White House hit a bump when Mrs Trump attended an economic forum in Italy in May wearing a $US51,000 ($65,000) Dolce & Gabbana jacket. Not exactly the best look for someone expected, at least outwardly, to show an interest in collective belt-tightening.
Misreading the mood ... Melania Trump, in a $65,000 Dolce & Gabbana jacket, attending an economic summit in Italy. Photo: Domenico Stinellis
And the fashion faux pas from Washington didn't end there. In late August, Mrs Trump was lambasted for jetting off to visit areas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey in ... stilettos.
In other ways, fashion read the temperature of the times to positive effect. We saw greater diversity than ever on the runway, including in Australia, where the Melbourne Fashion Festival and David Jones both sent 60-year-old women down the catwalk to whooping and whistling – of the right kind.
And again ... Melania Trump on her way to surveying Hurricane Harvey damage in footwear many commentators said was ill-advised and inappropriate. Photo: AP
Fashion also pinned its colours to mast on same-sex marriage, with designer Lisa Gorman creating more than 10,000 free "Love is love" T-shirts.
But not every Australian label was feeling the love, with several collapsing or going into administration, including Topshop Australia, Marcs and David Lawrence, Oroton and Lover, which has emerged with a new owner and plan for the future.
Oroton was one of several Australian brands to hit trouble in 2017.
The year also saw older women emerge as style icons, including, most unexpectedly, Celine Dion, who stole the limelight at Paris fashion week in a series of devil-may-care outfits not seen since the diva wore a backwards tuxedo to the 1999 Oscars.
Though the biggest "young at heart" moment – and arguably the fashion coup of the year – went to Donatella Versace, who convinced not one but five of the original "supers" to close her September show to commemorate 20 years since the murder of her brother, Gianni.
Super moment ... (from left) Claudia Shiffer, Donatella Versace, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen. Photo: AP
And in a true passing of the baton, one of them, Cindy Crawford, also saw her daughter, Kaia Gerber, lead the next generation of models into fashion's future of greater androgyny, "see now, buy now", and a growing focus on sustainability (several brands announced in 2017 they were banning fur from future collections).
Still, for every step forward, there were some hiccups. In November, Victoria's Secret was shunned for not featuring any curvy women in its annual spectacular, something Melbourne Fashion Week had already addressed by having a size 12 model as one of its ambassadors.
Model Adriana Lima at the Victoria's Secret show, which was criticised for not featuring a single curvy model. Lima later posted on social media that she would no longer take off her clothes for "empty causes". Photo: Andy Wong
Meanwhile, the sexual harassment and abuse stories tumbling out of the entertainment industry cast a pall over the fashion world as well. Hemlines started getting lower and whereas the year began with fashion as a cloak against the harsh winds of political change, it ended 2017 as a statement against the patriarchy.
And then, in the dying days of 2017, a newfound optimism. Glitter and sequins, as well as the Pantone colour of the year, Ultra Violet, are all pointing to a brighter, shinier 2018. And then there's the royal wedding. Not since Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 has the world gorged on a fairytale love story as much as the union of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Already, Markle's style, not least of which was her choice of a Ralph & Russo gown for the couple's official engagement portrait, is setting new standards for royal fashions.
The world is in love with Meghan Markle's style as much as she is in love with Prince Harry. Photo: Alexi Lubomirski
So what will 2018 bring? We won't need to wait long to find out. The second Monday in January, Australian time, brings the Golden Globes, which promises to be controversial, after several actresses declared they would wear black to protest against sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.