From the elegant young Obamas to the jazzy Mary Berry – and some dazzling trendsetters in between. The G2 fashion team present their style winners of the year
Ben Whishaw as Q
It was a total stroke of genius casting Ben Whishaw as Q in Skyfall, and thus bringing a modern spin to the tech-geek role. The specs, cord jacket and anorak worn by Whishaw in a scene with Daniel Craig's Bond, shot at the National Gallery in London, were the perfect mix of east-London-cool-meets-Burberry. Meanwhile, for scenes where Whishaw is manning various hi-tech devices, he sports a brilliant piece of knitwear: a camel-fronted zip cardigan with contrast burgundy and navy trim. At first, said cardigan was thought to be of Marni or Balenciaga origin but is, in fact, the always marvellous Dries van Noten. And his hair? Monumental. SC
Malia and Sasha Obama
If Michelle Obama's style was the fashion story of Obama's first term, the evolving fashion sense of their daughters looks set to be the style story that defines his second. "The Obama girls might be the fashion news tonight – full skirts, bright colour, cute" tweeted Cathy Horyn, fashion editor of the New York Times, as they family took to the stage in Chicago in November. What makes 14-year-old Malia and 11-year-old Sasha compelling is the narrative arc we get to watch as they begin to express themselves in clothes. There is a simple all-American elegance that is recognisably their mothers' influence, but Malia favours electric blue (especially on the campaign trail – smart girl) while Sasha loves an abstract pattern. JCM
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jonathan Franzen recently wrote in the New Yorker that Edith Wharton persuades us to invest in what happens to her female characters not by making them likable or deserving, but by convincing us of the strength of their desire. We are won over more by desire than moral goodness. This is how Paltrow has risen from anodyne actor to pop cultural Marmite. She fascinates not by being lovable but because we can see how badly she wants success and how hard she works for it: the Tracy Anderson workouts, the backstage Instagrams, the fiercely minimalist wardrobe. What thematic link unites the white Tom Ford Oscar cape, the sculptural Stella Grammys gown, and the silver Prada Met Ball dress? Ambition. JCM
K Stew and R Patz
Forget Stewart's relationship infidelity, here are a pair of New Generation A-listers who, whether seen together or apart, bring a bit of modern bite to the Hollywood fashion conveyor belt. She's unpredictable, veering from tricky short dresses to long cocktail frocks and biker jackets (plus snarl), while he's all non-boring suits or artfully scruffed up, perhaps with a dash of Kenzo. One of their joint triumphs this year, though, was a Twilight promo gig with K Stew flashing knickerline, and vamping it up with lace peepholes in a beigey strapless Zuhair Murad gown, while R Patz had slipped himself into a emerald green Gucci two-button suit. Utterly scorching. SC
Marc Jacobs
Not content with being one of fashion's most influential designers, Jacobs is also a dresser with proper snap. One of the most analysed looks of the year is surely his Met Ball party piece. Having established that the skirt or polo shirt dress is becoming to Jacobs what high-collared shirts are to Karl Lagerfeld, the designer chose a see-through lace polo-shirt-dress by Comme des Garçons to make his red-carpet statement. Showing off white boxers and sculpted pecs, Marc further threw out the rule book by accessorising with a clutch and sparkly panto shoes. In short, it's Jacobs having a Cher moment, which is amazing, obviously. SC
Azealia Banks
Banks stormed on to the music scene at the end of 2011, with her hit 212, and went on in 2012 to hone her fashion look. She did it by doing exactly what she wanted. Banks is a style natural – sometimes elegant in a LBD at the Met Ball, or in a pair of jelly shoes and scalloped sequin dress at the Serpentine garden party. While she performed in the hipster uniform of high-waisted shorts and flatforms– in fact, she had a big part to play in this becoming a hipster look – her dalliance with mermaid style is the runaway highlight. Hosting a party in London in October – attended by BFF Cara Delevingne – Banks wore a conch-shell top and fishtail skirt. The message: why the hell not? LC
Jessica Ennis
If 2011 was the year of Pippa's bottom, then 2012 was the year of Jess's abs. Last year, we had a collective perv over a backside honed in the pilates classes of Chelsea, whose moment of glory came walking very slowly and occasionally bending over to carry someone else's dress. This year, we were transfixed by a magnificent musculature that represents talent, years of dedicated hard work and nerves of steel. This is progress, people! And if you doubt for a moment that those Stella McCartney-designed knickers have influenced fashion at all in 2012, then you clearly haven't been in Topshop lately, where the Olympic legacy is apparent in an array of podium-worthy hotpants. JCM
Mary Berry
In a year where older models most definitely had a moment, Mary Berry – the 77-year-old anti-soggy bottom judge on The Great British Bake Off – became an unlikely style icon. Always the cheeriest of judges – she does love a bright blazer – Berry's fashion stock rose, like a style soufflé, in September when she appeared in a jazzy bomber jacket printed with hothouse flowers. Originally from Zara, it fed into the bomber-jacket trend and would have looked at home on a teenager in Dalston. As such, it only confirmed what we already knew – oldies really were the goodies in 2012. LC
Cara Delevingne
When Grazia calls a model cooler than Kate Moss , you know they have made an impact. Such is the case with Cara Delevingne – named model of the year at the British fashion awards in November – that the 20-year-old has become the face of 2012. With catwalk moments from Burberry to Victoria's Secret (both officially Big Deals), it's her off-runway antics that have scored her a spot on this list. Although her style is pretty typical model on a day off – Converse and beanie, say – she has become known for her love of onesies on Twitter, while her shimmering minidress and bedhead hair at the British fashion awards felt fresh. Plus, those eyebrows deserve an entry all on their own. She might not be cooler than Kate yet, but she's on the way. LC
Claire Danes
Carrie Mathison's sartorial disposition is perhaps the last thing on anyone's mind during a tense episode of Homeland. And yet Claire Danes brings to the screen the kind of hair that not only acts as a barometer of how fraught the current situation is but also, despite myriad stressed hands-run-through-it moments, always looks artfully sublime. Carrie also digs a trouser suit with a boot-cut finish. You may scoff but this is looking increasingly fashion forward. See the Resort 2013 collections of power trendsetters: Céline, Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs. And what other TV heroine has managed to blur the lines between hipster and CIA agent via the medium of a black beanie hat? Pretty much no one. Ever. SC