Award season kicked off last night, not with a bang nor exactly a whimper– it was more of a cringe as Ricky Gervais reprised his hosting duties at the 73rd Annual Golden Globes. Unlike last year’s hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who are actually funny, a tie less but beerful Gervais made watching this show about as much fun as doing your taxes. Fortunately the fashion helped make the medicine go down yet there were no real heart-stopping moments to come close to compensating for the heartburn inducing ones. The evening included much drinking and censoring–the seven second delay was a true necessity for this telecast.
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| Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Dormer, Zendaya Coleman & Olivia Wilde Click image for full size view |
An early harbinger on the red carpet was the dark russet red trend. Seen on Olivia Wilde, Zendaya Coleman, Natalie Dormer and Felicity Huffman, the deeper richer Burmese ruby tones were a refreshing, slightly unexpected take on the truer reds which tend to be more commonplace (seen on Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams.) Olivia Wilde’s Michael Kors sequin dress was my favorite, sleek, sophisticated and worn with a very low loose ponytail and matching Aldo platform shoes. I also liked Zendaya’s look but felt like I’d seen it before and it was a little too mature for her.
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| Alicia Vikander, Jane Fonda, Judith Light, Lilly James, Saoirse Roman, & Taraji P. Henson Click image for full size view |
The white goddess gown was another important look, favored by everyone from Taraji P. Henson in Stella McCartney (who gave out cookies in honor of her character’s name in Empire when she won), to Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton, Lily James in Marchesa and Saoirse Ronan in Yves Saint Laurent Couture. The two more mature actresses opted for the more structured silhouette:Jane Fonda wore a YSL Couture fitted sheath with a huge ruffled “snowflake” collar while Judith Light rocked a white and ivory tuxedo.
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| Taylor Schilling in Thakoon suit; Monique Pean jewels Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka in Harry Winston Jewels and Kristen Dunst in Valentino Click image for full size view |
Naturally there were plenty of dark horses as black is a reliable red carpet staple for any age. Three of my favorites were Taylor Schilling in a Thakoon suit, Kirsten Dunst in Valentino and Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka and Harry Winston necklace (you can never go wrong in diamonds)! One of my favorite black dresses, designer unknown, was worn by Mark Ruffalo’s wife Sunrise Coigney. Lady Gaga showed off her tiny waist as she claimed her award for “American Horror Story: Hotel” saying that she had always wanted to be an actress but that the music had “worked out for me first.”
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| Maggie Gyllenhaal in Marc Jacobs |
A few geometric prints stood out including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gold and black brocade Marc Jacobs gown; so bad it was good, as well as Jaimie Alexander’s emerald green and black plunging neckline Genny gown which she paired with matching emerald green earrings and a stunning updo.
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| Katy Perry in Prada and Leslie Mann in Monique Lhuillier |
Worst of the night, at least for me, were the 2016 Pantone colors worn in various baby blue and pink iterations. I was surprised to see Katy Perry channeling Priscilla Presley in a hair bump-it and ubiquitous Prada pink gown which was ill-fitting to boot. Also, unexplained was Leslie Mann’s choice of a matronly and unflattering mauve-y pink Monique Lhuillier confection/concoction. Cate Blanchett also disappointed in a hot mess of fringed doilies.
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| Rooney Mara |
I generally am a fan of color on the red carpet (don’t even get me started on Rooney Mara’s blush-hued McQueen gown which washed her out) but somehow J.Lo’s mustard caped, covered up/ “Jolie legged” gown, although a welcome departure from her usual cut-to-the-navel-sparkly fare, still missed the mark for me. Again, loved the diamond necklace though!
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| Julianne Moore and Kate Winslet |
Vivid and sparkly sequined blues were worn by Julianne Moore who brought presenter Tom Ford, the gown’s designer and Hollywood as her date. Kate Winslet, a shocked “Best Supporting Actress” winner, looked sensational in cobalt blue as she rocked her tried and true (yes, predictable but it works for her) Old Hollywood glamour silhouette. Newcomer and Best Actress winner for “Room” Brie Larson went for the gold in a Calvin Klein ?dress of armor”. For me, it was a “I Dream of Jeannie” moment that she pulls off due to her youth and beauty.
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| Sunrise Coigney and Mark Ruffalo |
As the evening came to a close (thankfully) I mourned the absence of some real fashion girls like Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington and Lupita Nyong’o who can always bring a real red carpet moment to an otherwise “blue” (in both language and tone) event.
– Laurel Marcus
Photo credits: Just Jared & Getty Images
