Golden Globes 2014: Red Carpet Review

Golden Globes 2014: Red Carpet Review

I always enjoy the fashion element of the award shows.  Of course, I appreciate the REAL celebratory part of the evening, awarding these actors and actresses for their amazing performances in both TV and film.  I am a huge fan of many of the hit shows and movies featured in the 2014 Golden Globes including Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Modern Family, Parenthood, etc. But, it is always fun to analyze the creative works of art by all of the talented fashion designers....

Of course, when it comes to fashion, I am always a believer in "to each his/her own", and I appreciate that everyone has their own unique sense of style.  BUT, from a design/aesthetic perspective, it is fun to critique nevertheless...So here goes my take on the evening...

Favorite 3 dresses of the evening:

(1) Cate Blanchet looked stunning in this elegant Armani gown...love the unique, feminine detail around the shoulder and neckline.  Just wish she would have done a softer hair style.  A bit too stark/formal hair for this dress...perhaps a softer updo instead?

(2) Margot Robbie looked AMAZING in this off-white Gucci gown with beaded trim/detail.  Very modern, flattering to her figure and beautiful.  Her hair looked great with it too.

(3) Lupita Nyong'o in Ralph Lauren was a standout in this simple, clean-lined gown with floor-length cape.  So elegant and sophisticated and the color looked SO beautiful on her.

Other Favorites...REDS:

Tina Fey looked better than ever in her presenter gown....absolutely loved the cabernet/burgundy colored gown with beaded v-neck detail.  Also, LOVED the back...(cannot find the designer of this gown?)

Loved the silhouette of Julie Bowen's Carolina Herrera gown and the unexpected red and plum colorblock.  Very romantic and feminine.

Although I am not typically a fan of the severe low-cut neckline, I thought this Valentino worked well on Amy Adams, particularly as a nod to her character in American Hustle.  LOVED the color block combo of the two tones of red.  Style worked well on her.

AND, the cutest couple award goes to....Aaron Paul & Lauren Parsekian!!  How adorable are these newlyweds?  Love the silhouette of her stunning red gown and the flirty ruffles at the bottom...very figure flattering.

Love the orangey-coral color and elegant lace detail on Louise Roe's Monique Lhuillier gown

Other Favorites...BOLD Colors:

Beautiful bold (fuchia?) color on Maria Menounos and love the interesting geometric lines strategically placed on this Max Azria Atelier gown...very flattering color and style on her.

Loved the simple design and clean lines of Reese Witherspoon's Calvin Klein teal gown....very flattering on her.  Back is simple yet striking.

Taylor Schilling looked beautiful in this kelly green Thakoon gown, love the pop of color!

Helen Mirren always seems to hit it out of the fashion ball park...as usual, she looks stunning in this spring-inspired green Jenny Packham gown....Love the gather at the waist, 3/4 length sleeves, asymmetical neckline and all-over beaded detail.  Her hair and earrings look beautiful on her as well. She manages to look age appropriate, yet fresh and hip all at the same time!

Olivia Wilde looked smashing in this gorgeous form fitting emerald Gucci gown....The Mom-to-be was literally glowing!

Nancy O'Dell looked beautiful in this cobalt blue Marchesa gown...loved the neckline detail and simple cap sleeves.  Both color and style were very flattering on her!

Other Favorite BLACKS:

Perhaps I am biased since we LOVE her show, Parenthood, but Monica Potter looked gorgeous in this Romona Keveza gown.  The gold top perfectly complimented her hair and the full skirt was very ball-gown-esque...so fun and festive!

Absolutely LOVED Julianna Margulies in this Andrew Gn gown (overall)...It would have been in my top 3 if it weren't for the matchy-matchy gold coral motif repeated along the bottom of skirt....thought the gold coral is unique and sophisticated up top along the sleeves, but too cheap-curtains-esque once repeated below...BUT, the fabric and cut of the gown looked amazing on her.  Also, loved her hair style and jewelry (esp her earrings)...see below.

Leslie Mann looked adorable in this black lace, peplum Dolce & Gabbana column gown.  In my opinion, peplum can be hard to pull off without looking a bit too-trendy and cheap, but the subtle effect in black lace was beautiful.  Also loved the scalloped edge along top of gown.

Emma Roberts looked striking in this black Lanvin gown.  What an elegant silhouette on her! Also loved the fun, turquoise statement earrings...

It is impossible for Sofia Vergara to look anything shy of amazing and once again, she looks beautiful in this Zac Posen full-skirt gown.  The pairing of black strapless with the bold turquoise necklace made it fresh and gave it a step toward spring...

I loved Amy Poehler's Stella McCartney's asymmetrical black gown for its unique design on top, sporty vibe....whereas, I was NOT such a fan of Tina Fey's Carolina Herrera's gown.  I love 99.9% of this designer's work, but this one missed the mark for me...too 1980's curtain.  BUT, I absolutely LOVED Tina's presenter, deep red/burgundy beaded gown.

Other Favorite Metallic/Neutrals:

This photo does not do this gown justice...Naomi Watts looked amazing in a silver/gold metallic Tom Ford gown.  I was not too fond of the chain (as in hardware) neckline, but the overall fit and color was so flattering on her.

Mila Kunis was stunning in this silver/pewter Gucci gown.  So fresh and modern with just enough glamour and sparkle to make it interesting and unique.

Anna Gunn looked beautiful in this (silk?) Donna Karen Atelier gold/champagne colored gown with a beautiful gathering of fabric into a large bow/knot at the train. ...The pictures do not do it justice, but it was really pretty on screen.  Although, it seems she often picks a neutral hue, wish she would mix it up and pick a color once in a while!

Sarah Paulson looked radiant in this Marchesa frilly number...it was ethereal, whimsical, and fun....And, the ankle length is a refreshing change from the dreaded assymetrical hemline...

How adorable is Miss Golden Globe, Sosie Bacon (daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick)  in this form fitting Rhea Costa gown?  I loved the detail along the torso and the pretty neckline on her.

Laura Dern looked stunning along side her father, nominee Bruce Dern, in a grey/taupe Roberto Cavalli beaded v-neck gown....The color and style were gorgeous on her.  Her hair looked beautiful as well!

Would HAVE liked this look BUT...

I LOVE Michelle Dockery in her hit performance on Downton Abbey, but this look fell flat for me...She looked pretty in this simple Oscar de la Renta gown, BUT the color washed her out and it had the dreaded assymetrical hemline is a tragedy in my opinion!

Taylor Swift looked very pretty in this Carolina Herrera cherry red gown, BUT I wished the entire gown was this color OR the division of black v red had hit AT the waistline (I think this option would have been stunning on her)...the cut across the bust line just did not work well on her petite frame.  

At first glance, I LOVED the look of this Prabal Gurung gown on Sandra Bullock UNTIL I saw the full length of the dress.  Had the skirt been all black and floor length, I would have loved this on her!  The hot pink upper portion is very modern, fun, and flattering on her.  BUT, this is the statement part of the dress! The blue was too over-the-top and don't even get me started on the dreaded asymmetrical hem at bottom...urgh!

Emma Thompson looked very pretty in terms of the long sleeved, gold top and black bottom, BUT I wish the gown had a normal strait-across waistline and floor length...both the upside down v waistline and ankle length were unexpected 'twists' and I found them distracting, particularly when combined together.

At first glance, I LOVED Emma Watson's tomato-red Dior gown, BUT when I discovered it was half gown, half pants...it was like spotting a Centaur (half man, half horse)... Just very wrong and very uncomfortable for the audience!  

Elisabeth Moss could have looked very pretty in this J Mendel beaded Deco gown, BUT I was not a fan of the asymmetrical hemline (surprise, surprise) NOR the jet black hair...otherwise this gown had much potential!

Allison Williams always looks adorable, BUT I was not such a fan of this Alexander McQueen gown...there was too much confusion on top between the tank style and the horizontal strip across her shoulders...I found this too distracting!

Laura Carmichael looked beautiful in terms of hair, make-up, etc...she was glowing!  BUT, this strange Viktor & Rolf gown with a choppy, out of place black streak is a mystery to me!

Kate Mara was pretty in this silver J Mendel gown, BUT the sleeves were a bit too Jetson's for me...

This gunmetal color was beautiful on Kate Beckinsdale....BUT the style and cut of this Zuhair Murad gown did not work on her petite frame, in my opinion...better suited for a Sofia Vergara figure...

Least FAVS...

Adorable Jennifer Lawrence has achieved smashing success career-wise with her recent award-winning performances in American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook, etc., but she has not made equally wise choices in her fashion pics (in my humble opinion)...This was NOT flattering at all, and it seems the seamstress forgot to remove her measuring tape around her waist and hip during a fitting...

Although Zooey Deschanel looks very old-Hollywood and charming in this Oscar de la Renta ensemble, I did not think it was very flattering on her...

Drew Barrymore always wears something quirky and fun, but I did not think this Monique Lhuillier gown was flattering on her...Another example where I usually like 99.9% of this designer's work, but this was an exception...

Paula Patton definitely took a risk with this Stephane Rolland frilly gown, (which I admire!) but the over-the-top amount of fabric did not seem to work well...either the long sleeves or extreme ruffle, not both...

It seems Julia Roberts has done this masculine-look before, no?  It just seems too non-commital...either do the full on man look (i.e. Diane Keaton) or go for the black strapless gown....I am not convinced these two looks were ever made to merge...

Hayden Panettiere is so adorable, fiesty, and fun in her hit show, Nashville, but I was disappointed by her entire ensemble, from her Tom Ford gown to her slicked back hair...there are really no words to describe how bad this was on her...

Too curtain-esque in this Carolina Herrera gown (with all due respect to this amazing designer!)

This gown looked as though it had flown out the window of her car on the way, got run over by a few trucks and then retrieved just in time for the evening...

This black-on-white (or vice versa) floral look keeps making a repeat performance on the red carpet...not sure why, but i have yet to see one that I have liked.  But, I do appreciate that Zosia Mamet has her own unique fashion style and is not afraid to take risks!

What were YOUR favorites and least favorites from the Golden Globes?