The Golden Globes – The Best Looks.

Last night saw the REAL start of the Awards season, with the Golden Globe Awards. This saw a fabulous array of red carpet dresses from a host of designers and in a sea of colours. Here are my favourite looks from the night.

There were examples of Old School Hollywood glamour on the red carpet. Angelina Jolie channelled a Marilyn Monroe style in Atelier Versace, a nude dress with red accents that just draped every curve. I loved how she kept her hair simple, letting the dress speak for itself. Sofia Vergara showed why she is a modern-day Sophia Loren in a form-fitting Vera Wang fishtail style dress. Some said this was more of the same for Sofia, but she really doesn’t need to change her style when it looks this good. I love that Sofia said that she goes to Vera Wang because she makes dresses that ‘zip and close.’

Another star with a touch of old Hollywood was Julie Bowen, who just looked sensational. Her nude dress by Reem Acra was a touch Princessy, but when the Princess you’re emulating is Grace Kelly, this really isn’t a problem. Reese Witherspoon was Jessica Rabbit made real in a stunning red Zac Posen dress, her hair was Pamela Anderson style and made her look like a Californian goddess. And then there was Zooey Deschenel. Her dress was a Prada one-off, an unusual black and green 1960s/1970s gown that wouldn’t have looked out-of-place in the ballroom of the Poseidon. Her hair and make-up also went down a ‘dollybird’ route, but if I’m being honest, this wasn’t one of my favourite looks of the night.

But not all the style was about looking back. There were some ultra-modern looks on display, Viola Davis from ‘The Help’ was one of the best dressed on the night in a Grecian style dress from Pucci that was the colour of a fine wine. This was quite a sexy look with a thigh skimming split. Rooney Mara, as you could probably have guessed, wore black. She wore a very chic, understated dress from Nina Ricci that reminded me of a dress once worn by Kate Moss with slatted sides. She kept the look minimal, with a simple ponytail and no jewels.

Emma Stone continued her run of interesting looks in a purple/plum Grecian draped gown by Lanvin. This dress made her look like one of the Vestal Virgins, and the bird belt added an extra touch. She gets top marks from me again.

There were some dresses that defied categorising, but really caught the eye. Jessica Alba was just so pretty in mauve Gucci which her daughter had said reminded her of a mermaid. Salma Hayek was an Art Deco goddess Gucci’s dress of the season, a black and gold strapless dress that was heavily beaded, particularly on the skirt. Michelle Williams went for a devore style Jason Wu dress in a purple/blue shade. This was such an elegant look and I loved that she teamed this with a Fred Leighton headband that gave this a 1960s Kennedy era feel. Claire Danes won the battle of the monochrome dresses against Kate Winslet. Claire’s gown was by J Mendal, and was all about the back with the open detail. Kate wore Jenny Packham, but it looked slightly matronly on the bustline.

Some ladies surprised with their choices. Nicole Richie chose a dress far removed from her boho style. This was a gorgeous silver chain mail style dress from Julian MacDonald that she wore with a retro ponytail for a Barbarella on the red carpet look. Madonna wore a silver shimmering dress from Reem Acra that was surprising in that it avoided the body skimming styles she usually opts for. Less surprising was the ‘glove’ and the now ever-present English accent.

But of course, there were some looks that just didn’t make the grade. Charlize Theron was so near perfect in Dior Couture, but I really hated the fussy bow on this dress, in the same way the huge shoulder bow spoiled her Oscar gown a few years ago. Elle MacPherson looked like she’d jumped off a wedding cake in Zac Posen, whilst Sarah Michelle Geller should not let her two-year old pick her dress, kids always opt for something that looks paint splattered. I hated Jessica Chastain’s Nancy Reagan look. The Givenchy dress was really aging with that polo neckline, whilst her hair was a fright. Nicole Kidman was a fail in a dress that was more contraption than design, it looked like some 19th century invention to fix a bad back, whilst Natalie Portman was the victim of Lanvin’s too big dress this year, previous winner was Julianne Moore.