By Ava C. Green, Editor-in-Chief
On the first Sunday of the new year, the Golden Globe Awards marked the beginning of Hollywood’s awards season. Unfortunately, the evening left us with a list of lackluster looks, with the most memorable outfits standing out for all of the wrong reasons. All-in-all, the red carpet was a bit of a snooze fest, but one that I’m sure you’ve been anxiously waiting for The Griffin’s resident Fashion Icon [Editor’s note: title is self-proclaimed] to give her highly renowned [this is too] opinion on.
The Golden Globes is an event that is much more formal and much less appropriate than the VMAs, for example, to wear something too out there to – I get that. But if we’re all going to be wearing the same exact cut, could it at least be one that doesn’t make our favorite actresses look like they’re stuck in a tube? Mickey Madison and Mindy Kaling wore the same dress in different fonts, and I mean hardly different fonts. Column dresses were all the rage for this red carpet, and these two column dresses having the same neckline and same golden effect was where my patience started to run thin. I then saw an article that called Anna Sawai’s plain, white, peplum-waisted column dress a “fashion risk” and my patience was a thing of the past.
Seriously, look up photos of this red carpet – you’ll see some variation of this vintage, straight-legged silhouette so often you’ll start to think they’re ads. Elle Fanning went the opposite route in a Balmain gown with a huge hoop skirt swathed in tan satin that was unfortunately attached to the dress’s sparkly cheetah print bodice – so close, Elle. Everyone else was pretty much just wearing exactly what you think they would, though – Tilda Swinton looked absolutely insane, as per usual; Anya Taylor-Joy wore a slip dress, as per usual; and Matty Matheson was one of the best dressed there in a bolo tie, as per usual.
These types of dresses became the female equivalent of what a plain black tuxedo is to men on the red carpet, and you better believe that there were black tuxes a-plenty to stay true to the snooze fest theme. The men somehow found a way to spice their boring suits up in the most boring possible way – making them monochromatic. I refuse to be silent until we no longer have to act awestruck and call stylists visionaries for sending a color swatch to a tailor. Morris Chestnut and Andrew Scott chose the chintziest possible shade of red and teal, respectively; and don't even get me started on Jeremy Strong who – in an even worse shade of teal – had the nerve to wear a matching bucket hat and aviators with his monochrome ensemble.
I think all suits on the red carpet should follow in Coleman Domingo’s ribboned footsteps. His outfit was a simple grayscale, but had bows on the shoes and one in place of a necktie, all with interesting patterns and subtle accessories. It was one of the best looks of the night, not including Kathy Bates wearing slip-on sneaker heels.
And so, as the curtain falls on this year’s Golden Globes red carpet, we’re left not with a dazzling array of fashion inspiration, but rather a sea of sameness, punctuated only by a few misguided attempts at creativity. Where are the risks? Where is the flair? Awards season is meant to celebrate boldness, both on-screen and on the red carpet, yet this year’s Globes seemed content to play things painfully safe. Here’s to hoping the upcoming ceremonies break free from this predictable monotony; may we see more daring ensembles, more thought-out risks and maybe – just maybe – a red carpet that gives us something to actually talk about.