Mermaid hems, fitted bodices and cleavage galore ruled the 69th Annual Golden Globes red carpet last night as Hollywood’s royalty came out to shine and be noticed. While pale pink and nude gowns were certainly a trend, saturated hues of blue, purple and red stood out as well. Shoulders and the aforementioned cleavage took center stage in strapless gowns and it appears that the one-shoulder trend that hung on for too many seasons and was spotted here and there, is finally making its exit.
Silhouettes were, for the most part, form-fitting and flattered Hollywood’s elite figures with the notable exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s blue and white, strapless and full-skirted Monique Lhullier, Piper Perabo’s semi-sheer gown with a fitted bodice and cupcake skirt from Theyskens Theory and Freida Pinto, whose belted blue Prada reminded me of something handmade, but not in a good way. Juliana Margulies, who has ruled the runway in awards shows past, missed the mark in a long sleeved, purple Naeem Khan gown and Zooey Deschanel, in a custom Prada with a beaded collar and bodice scored low marks from most, although I, frankly, cannot get past her amazingly animated and beautiful face to pay much attention to what she’s wearing. Elle Macpherson worked an ivory, tiered and strapless Zac Posen gown and when she strutted onstage to present one of the evening’s awards, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She showed off that dress as if she was walking a runway. Sofia Vergara’s navy blue Vera Wang with its knife-pleated bodice and mermaid hem, showcased two emerging trends: blue hues and the hourglass silhouette.
Angelina Jolie, impossibly chic in a white Atelier Versace satin gown with a red foldover collar, thigh-high slit and light draping at the hip, showed us that matchy-matchy is in again with her perfectly complimentary red lips and bag. Nicole Kidman also opted for white in an oyster colored gown with golden studded detail by Versace. Kate Beckinsale continued the trend in a white strapless Roberto Cavalli gown, embellished with sequins and chiffon pleat detail around the skirt. Claire Danes, who’s become a fashion darling, gets high marks for her elegant black and white J. Mendel columnar gown which sported a flattering open back. She’s one of my best dressed picks of the night.
Michele Williams in midnight blue burnout velvet from Jason Wu, her bff Busy Phillips in a 20s-inspired fringed gown from Temperley London and Charlize Theron in a dusty rose confection slit to there from Dior Couture (of course) rocked headbands which were one of the runway’s newest hair trends. Ponytails were another hair trend as spotted on Nicole Richie who had the best hair of the evening and, in a glittery silver Julien MacDonald gown and her own House of Harlow handbag, is a contender for my best dressed list.
All in all, it was a beautiful red carpet. I didn’t spot any major misses, although some of the dresses were a bit high school prom-y and few fashion statements were made with the notable exception of Tilda Swinton who, in a pale blue jacketed evening suit with mermaid train by Haider Ackermann, pushed the fashion envelope and looked fierce doing it.
As for the men – George Clooney never disappoints. But, this year, so many of Hollywood’s handsomest sported deep and seriously unflattering spray tans, they gave new meaning to the term Golden Globes. Kissed by the sun? Definitely not. I have to call out Rob Lowe who looked like he’d gone 15 rounds with the sun and lost in a TKO. And he wasn’t the only one. Johnny Depp, Ewan MacGregor and Leonardo DiCaprio (who, in photos at least, seems to have forgotten to have his hands spray tanned to match his face) all looked beaten up by the sun. At one point during the show, I got up to adjust the color on my TV. But it wasn’t my TV that got it wrong.
So there you have it, the trends from the Golden Globes 2012: body-hugging silhouettes, mermaid trains, pale hues, the color blue and, for the men, unnatural spray tans. The awards season has just begun and if Golden Globes 2012 fashion is any indication of what’s to come on future red carpets, it promises to be a pretty one. And tan, very, very tan.
To see photos, click here for the Hollywood Reporter’s coverage of Golden Globe 2012 red carpet arrivals.
I’ve been watching and reading Golden Globes fashion coverage all morning — and I have to say that yours is the best. Concise, spot on, and soooooo interesting and well written! LOVE your opinions and personal approach. Great job!! BTW, thanks. As a longtime fan, you’ve proven once again, that same old just won’t cut it.
I agree. Absolutely great coverage, with your unique personal style that makes your writing so enjoyable and engaging.