For those of you who know me, you know that awards shows are kinda 'my thing'. The Oscars are my Super Bowl, but I actually find the Golden Globes have more daring things to offer in the way of fashion. So as far as red carpets go, the Globes are my favorite. I adore ripping apart the dresses, suits, and random styling choices of actors that are trying to 'break away' from a well-known television part or an underappreciated movie role. Some make fantastic decisions. Some, as in the case of most of the cast of Mad Men, will NEVER look as good as they do in their show. Alas and alack.
The show itself was a good one. Ricky Gervais was a biting, witty, and delightfully casual host-sipping on a pint every time the camera cut his way. And speaking of cameras, there were tons of camera flubs this year, which provided a whole other level of entertainment in itself. There were shots of empty seats, cuts to the wrong nominees, cuts to no nominee at all, shaky camerawork, out of focus shots, and all around crazy angles throughout the program. Also, for some reason EVERYONE had difficulty getting to the stage...did they purposely set the tables up like a maze just to trip up the innebriated winners? The best acceptance speech of the night went to Robert Downey Jr for not officially 'thanking' anyone and still appearing absolutely charming. Surprising win of the night was 'The Hangover', which beat out the over the top musical, 'Nine', and the critic's comedy darling, 'Julie & Julie' for best picture in the 'musical or comedy' category. My personal favorite moment was Jeff Bridges' win for 'Crazy Heart', since I'm a big fan of 'The Dude' and I thought he looked HOT. Plus, he mentioned his wife in such a lovely way.
And now for the real 'meat' of any awards show: The Fashion. Being a vintage enthusiast/lover of 'classic glamour', I naturally gravitate towards the ladies and gents that I feel most encapsulate that quality. I personally think that true glamour is something that appears timeless and not overtly sexy or outlandish-though I do enjoy looking at a train wreck as much as the next gal.
My personal picks for 'best dressed' are as follows:
Lauren Graham-Life for Lauren, post 'Gilmore Girls', is looking up. Not only does she have a well-received new show coming out (Parenthood, but I felt she looked prettier last night than I've ever seen her. While many people sported a sloppy side-sweep for the show, Lauren seemed to be one of the only ones who got it right. The hair was chic and well-executed. The color looked wonderful on her as well.
Sofia Vergara. I don't even know who she is, I'll be the first to say it. But the dress,gorgeously draped in muted purple tones, was phenomenal. It paired against her caramel complexion perfectly. I also loved the soft upsweep of her hair, with its subtle caramel highlights, and of course the classic smokey eye.
Christina Hendricks-I usually think the cast of Mad Men pales into insignificance when I see them in 'real life' since their styling on the show is so 'fetching'. But this champagne colored gown and its exaggerated side bow, on her bodacious body, would have made Mae West proud. I thought it suited her beautifully. I do wish the hair was a little more coiffed, but the skin color and the fit of the dress had me at 'Hello, big boy'.
Another gorgeous lady of last night's show, and of every awards show I've seen in recent years, was Helen Mirren. I couldnt find a photo online yet, but if you saw her, you know how elegant she was. I've included her on my 'best dressed' list at every major awards ceremony of the last three years
My Best Dressed Male was the sexy Jeff Bridges who seems to just look better with age. I liked the black on black suit, the long wavy hair, the cleaned cut beard..the squint. I liked it all. William Hurt was also sporting some impressive facial hair last night; John Hamm looked as if his was of the 'stick on' variety. John does not carry off 'modern style' very well. I also enjoyed looking at Gerard Butler but he was kind of ordinary when compared w/ some of the vets.
Other Honorable Mentions go to Penelope Cruz's lovely Veronica Lake inspired hairstyle, Marion Cotillard's eye makeup, and half of Christina Aguilara's dress. I hated the 'breastplate'.
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Okay maybe they weren't the 'worst dressed', technically, but I was disappointed in these guys:
Chloe Sevigny-I really hated this dress. It was an ugly color and the ruffles were very disturbing. All I could think about when she walked to the stage, blowing in the breeze, was how much lipstick must have been on that top ruffle. It kept hitting her in the mouth.
Juliana Margulies-The dress itself was pretty bad. I'm not a fan of cut-outs and asymetrical necklines, combined. But the color and glitter of the gown, especially when paired w/ her 'I'm for Haiti' ribbon, brings to mind classic Star Trek, does it not? The hair is nice, though.
Drew Barrymore-She didnt look all that bad, but the dress looked as if it had a shower loofa coming out of the hip and the shoulder. A coral reef was slowly insinuating itself into her anatomy. However, again, the hair and makeup are nice.
My least favorite male attire was worn by Tracy Morgan who evidently was attempting to look like a Maitre 'd. Or one of the Four Tops.
Dishonorable Mentions include January Jones and her decidely unelegant headband, Mickey Rourke's snakeskin (?) trimmed suit, Mariah Carey's breastesses, and James Cameron. Just James Cameron. I can't stand the man.