What looks will shine on season’s red carpet
The holidays may be over, but for lovers of pop culture, style and all things celebrity, the marathon of awards shows this time of year is its own kind of Christmas.
Tonight’s 74th Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles marks the official start of awards season and the road to the Academy Awards. For those who plan to play fashion critic from home, here are some predictions, trends and people to look for this evening and through February.
For the ladies: With a nominee list filled with fashion favorites (Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Ruth Negga, Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Viola Davis and Lily Collins, to name a few) the Golden Globes are sure to give us plenty of trends to talk about. If last month’s Critics’ Choice Awards offered any clues, expect to see sexy peek-a-boo cutouts, sleek neutrals, metallic accents and a few sleeved styles with plunging necklines. Plus, don’t be surprised if some stars play with voluminous proportions, particularly when it comes to bold shoulders. Balenciaga, Jacquemus, Rodarte and Saint Laurent are some of the brands whose recent collections have included frocks, trenches and blouses with puffed, strong shoulders plucked from decades past.
For the guys: Hollywood’s leading men know how to flex their fashion muscles, too. Look for double-breasted jackets, check and ’70s-inspired suiting or something monochromatic in a rich color. For those who prefer to keep it classic, ditching a tie is one way celebs are freshening up the traditional black tux and dress shirt. Natural beauty with a dash of glitz: If celebs take a cue from the runway, fresh faces and un-fussy hair will likely top heavy makeup
and extravagant updos this awards season. At the latest New York Fashion Week, eye shadow, liners and dark lips were kept to a minimum in favor of a dewy, neutral look. Meanwhile, glitter and holographic lip colors (also dubbed unicorn lipstick) are having a moment. Could be fun to see some risk takers do a shimmering lip with a clean face and a simple hairstyle!
Not all stylists are stylists anymore: Getting red carpet ready is a team effort, largely spearheaded by a stylist. Through their work with some of the industry’s top stars, some have been elevated to star status themselves. This has prompted many to keep their professional options open and adopt new titles, including fashion activist, style artist and brand consultant. For instance, Law Roach (a judge on the revamped “America’s Next Top Model”) switched his title from stylist to “image architect” after working with actress and singer Zendaya because “I created the blueprint for her fashion career,” he recently told Billboard. So if you hear any celebrities credit a wardrobe wizard, sartorial specialist or some other kind of consultant for their award ceremony looks, they’ll likely be talking about their stylists. Give them something to talk about: In recent years, the #AskHerMore campaign has helped to add more substance to the stepand-repeat scene that unfolds along the red carpet. Championed by the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes and Gloria Steinem, the initiative urges journalists to ask women questions about their accomplishments and not just their outfits for the occasion. As a result, the infamous “who are you wearing?” inquiry has become secondary in redcarpet interviews in recent years and likely will continue to take a backseat to more thoughtful conversations about female stars’ careers and nominations. But let’s not forget: The gowns and accessories they’ll be wearing are the product of someone else’s talents, and the chance for them to be seen on the red carpet can catapult a designer’s career. Most correspondents need to better master how to ask questions that give celebrities and the designers who outfitted them a more balanced chance to shine in these short interviews. Hopefully this will be the year!