The 2014 Golden Globes: Who Wowed The Crowd

I have a shameful confession to make---I’m addicted to red carpets.  Before the major awards shows, I enjoy watching the stars arrive and critiquing what they are wearing.  Ridiculous, I know---but is it any more absurd for me to indulge my love of couture which I will never wear than it is for some couch potato to be a Monday morning quarterback when he’s never tossed the pigskin in his life? And since I was required to watch the 49ers v. Panthers playoff game on Sunday for a certain gentleman who’s gone to Africa, I owed myself a little style splurge that night.

So here is my rather prejudiced take on who ‘won’ the red carpet stroll of the Golden Globes.

In the WOW category:

Cate Blanchett in Armani Prive.  There’s a reason why she’s a queen of everything (Middle Earth, England, and the red carpet).  The dress was so interesting and, when she turned around, absolutely jaw dropping in its daring plunge down her perfectly pale back.  Her hair was old school Hollywood glamour that didn’t get in the way of the dress.  She always looks so comfortable that I wonder if she wears these outfits around the house.

Sofia Vergara in Zac Posen.  I think her rule must be ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it.’  This is how one does knockout curves in knockout style.  The bottom of this dress was so beautifully made, and the statement necklace finished it perfectly.  Black was just the right choice of color; anything else would have made it gaudy.

Kerry Washington in Balenciaga.  Quite a number of the Golden Globe ladies are on the path to motherhood!  Of them all, Kerry Washington takes the prize in a wonderfully constructed outfit that celebrates her new role in life without making her look like she simply donned something with extra stretch in the stomach. Just a class act all the way around. 

Margot Robbie in Gucci.  She won high marks from my mom for the fit of her dress, and how it was quite revealing without looking one breath away from being a wardrobe malfunction.  I loved the details and the simple hair.  It also made her look much taller than she is in real life; perhaps we non-movie-stars could tale a lesson from those lines.

Kate Beckinsale in Zuhair Murad.  At first glance, I wrote her frock off as just another mermaid gown.  I didn’t really see how stunning her dress was until she was onstage as a presenter. Then I couldn’t take my eyes off of this outfit, which caught the lights and sparkled like a million stars.  It’s the perfect incarnation of glamour.

Zooey Deschanel in Oscar De La Renta.  I have a suspicion I’ll be in the minority in liking her outfit, but I felt like she was one of the few women who wore this shade of cream and got away with it.  And the shoes---the shoes!!!  I want them so badly!  Normally I loathe dresses with high fronts and low backs, but to draw attention to such wonderful footwear this style is totally justified.

Lupita Nyong’o in Ralph Lauren.  This is my favorite dress of the evening---a beautiful color, a perfect fit, drama yet simplicity.  (And it doesn’t hurt that she’s wearing my favorite designer) Yes, there are more statuesque women in the lineup, and more famous, but they could all take notes from her.  She will be the one that everyone remembers, because looked like what she aims to become---a movie star.