What happens in the course of 12 months in fashion is enough to fill two or three years in most other industries. This year was full of high points — and while fashion can seem to move in multiple, disparate directions, those high points add up to an aesthetic that defines our time. In 2006, fashion — in the broadest understanding of the industry, images, and related arts — had a whimsical, vibrant spirit. And by all evidence, 2007 will be just as much of a party.

DANCE AND FASHION

Dance and fashion crossed over in visually exciting ways this year. In Michael Kors’s spring 2007 collection, the designer looked to dancers and their body-conscious garb for inspiration. The result was a study in glamorous simplicity. Black, pink, and gold fabrics were used in shapes that balanced tight and loose perfectly: Scoop-neck tops that recalled leotards played against flowing skirts. A few asymmetrical pieces that recalled the glories of “Flashdance” made this September show a hit.

For added emphasis, the music at the Kors show included a snippet from the original Broadway recording of “A Chorus Line.” That musical launched a successful revival on Broadway in October, and Women’s Wear Daily used several of the dancers to model clothes in a fashion spread. To the credit of wardrobe designer Theoni V. Aldredge, the costumes in “A Chorus Line” stayed true to the 1970s — some sexy, some practical.

Madonna, too, found inspiration from the 1970s for some of the looks in her Confessions Tour, which came to Madison Square Garden in June. Jean Paul Gaultier designed a series of costumes that showed off her sculpted body with disco-era sass. The Material Girl rocked in a hot-pink leotard and capri-length fishnets — not to mention a full-on white three-piece suit that paid homage to one of the greatest dance movies of all time, “Saturday Night Fever.”

TRENDS

Skinny jeans continue to plague those of us who lack the rail-thin shape necessarily for jeans the width of stove pipes. There are encouraging signs that wide-legged pants are emerging as an antidote to this unfortunate denim situation. But in the meantime, this is truly a time when women have to look themselves in the mirror and be honest about what is and is not flattering. Boot cut still works.

Along with skinny jeans came the counter-balancing trend toward voluminous shirts and baby doll dresses. The loose, flowing shapes were a major factor in 2006 and will continue into 2007. “It’s carried over big time,” the owner of the boutique Bio, An Vu, said. “I tried to avoid it. So many women would try on these voluminous tops and they’d say, ‘It makes me look pregnant!’ It takes a little bit of time to get used to.”

The key to volume, however, is in proportion. When a pouf in a sleeve or an extra flare of a skirt is balanced with proportion, the look is just right.

Ms. Vu is selling tops by New York designer Christopher Dean, as well as high-waist belts to cinch in shapes in as needed. At Intermix, buyers are relying on designers like Lacy Parker and Alice Ritter for pieces that keep the volume trend up without going too far.

In jewelry, gold ruled in 2006 and — if the Chanel spring collection was any indication — it will continue boldly into 2007. The high stacks of gold bangle bracelets and heavy piles of gold necklaces on the Chanel models had the air of happy excess: Too much is never enough.

COLLABORATIONS

This year, H&M invited some of the top names in fashion — Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and Victor & Rolf — to give the fast fashion brand high-end style. The lines around the block suggest that the strategy is working. Furthermore, the Japanese brand Uniqlo, which opened a flagship in SoHo in November, is also planning to release limited collections designed by names like Philip Lim and Alice Roi.

At the upper end of the spectrum, the luxury houses are continuing to reach out to the art world to reinforce their brands. In one of the most visible partnerships, Louis Vuitton commissioned the artist Olafur Eliasson to design sculptures for its stores around the world. The giant lamps give the Manhattan store windows a haunting minimalism — and lend the brand art-world credibility.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be such a rare and wonderful thing to see a pop star in a suit. But in a time when menswear is defined by T-shirts, jeans, and facial hair, Mr. Timberlake’s choice of a killer Dior Homme suit for the cover of his album was a step forward for elegance. Here’s hoping that trend catches on in 2007.