Modest proposals
Who doesn’t long for the good old days when awards shows were full of “what was she thinking” fashion moments? Alas, there were very few at the Golden Globes, where, amazingly, good taste and restraint were the rules of the red carpet game. “Ladylike” has been a buzzword on 7th Avenue for the last few seasons, and it seemed finally to have arrived on the flesh-loving coast Sunday, where modesty and basic black and white made more than a passing appearance.
Emmy Rossum was the picture of girlish femininity in a strapless Ralph Lauren gown covered in delicate cream tulle. Virginia Madsen showed off just the right amount of decolletage in a smoky gray Calvin Klein gown with a flattering sweetheart neckline. And Joely Richardson looked like a goddess in a pearl gray Grecian gown with Fortuny-like pleating, a dress that she asked British designer Catherine Walker to copy from an earlier style Walker made for Princess Diana.
Julianna Margulies can always be counted on to be well dressed, this time in an Isaac Mizrahi couture confection -- a white wrap front shirt with a sweetheart neckline over a beaded black column skirt. Jennifer Garner glowed in one of Valentino’s famous red dresses with a ruffle cascading down the front and a bustle in back.
She may not have been nominated, but “Desperate Housewife” Eva Longoria’s classic short black Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress with a poufy taffeta skirt was a winner, while Laura Linney’s black, scoop-neck Prada sheath with a rosette on the strap was pretty and simple. Renee Zellweger passed on color too, opting for a strapless Carolina Herrera gown to match her new brunet coif.
On the other hand, Teri Hatcher took her small-screen siren role a little too seriously in an overdone silver Donna Karan dress knotted at the neck, with hand cut embroidery on the skirt and braided detail in back. And Cate Blanchett’s periwinkle one-shoulder Jean Paul Gaultier creation was dizzying, with frayed flower accents and a train that looped around her finger.
A few celebs made fashion news. Over the years, Nicole Kidman has often appeared in creations by Tom Ford, who left his design post at Gucci last year. On Sunday, she showed her faith in the house’s new designer, Alessandra Facchinetti, by choosing her teal stretch satin dress with embroidered seaming and feather detail. Glenn Close paid homage to Geoffrey Beene, who died late last year; she wore one of his gowns from her own wardrobe (can you imagine?) with black lace sleeves, bodice and scalloped neckline.
It was a good night for West Coast fashion talent too. Marcia Cross opted for a basic black beaded column gown by Richard Tyler. Madsen chose shoulder-skimming earrings by her friend jeweler Loree Rodkin. And “ER’s” Mekhi Phifer wore a black tuxedo with wide satin lapels and a lavender striped shirt by L.A. menswear designer Waraire Boswell.
The men were infinitely more interesting to watch because they were all over the map. Ewan McGregor embraced the hot 1980s rocker look in a black tux by Hedi Slimane for Dior with skinny lapels and an even skinnier tie. Kevin Kline chose the tuxedo with grosgrain lapels that Giorgio Armani made for him to wear in the film “De-Lovely.” Johnny Depp also wore Armani, but a simple tux is never his style. Instead, he sported an offbeat blue double-breasted suit and strange, Colonel Sanders-like facial hair. From now on, perhaps the real red carpet highlights will be the “What was he thinking” fashion moments.
