Something to keep in mind, should you ever attend the Golden Globes: wear whatever you like, but make sure that you do not pick a gown with a long train.
“The carpet isn’t as massive as you might think,” stylist Jason Bolden told The Daily Beast. “It’s one of those carpets where everyone steps on your train.”
Bolden learned this vital nugget of wisdom after styling Taraji P. Henson for the 2016 Golden Globes. That evening, the Empire actress wore custom Stella McCartney and took home the award for Best Actress in a Drama TV Series.
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“She literally came back to me and said, ‘Never again on a Golden Globe carpet will I wear a train!’” Bolden said.
This year, the stylist will dress Henson (presumably in a more fitted silhouette) and Janet Mock, who produces and writes Pose. Bolden calls the Globes the “toughest” award show, as the 76-year-old tradition is held just days into thee new year.
“It’s all a bunch of weird timing,” Bolden said over the phone, while simultaneously directing an Uber driver to his L.A. studio, where he had a day full of fittings. “Everyone is still on holiday when you get back, and you’re trying to collect dresses and suiting while people are out of the office.”
To further complicate things, stylists are often left pulling pieces from designers’ spring collections, which are shown in the fall, months before award season. Come January, “We’ve seen so much of those collections already,” Bolden said. “A lot of things have already been worn [at other events].”
One solution to that very celebrity-specific problem is to wear a custom-made design—but again, the tight timeframe of the Globes often impedes bespoke tailoring. Nominees are announced in mid-December, right as many offices start to close for the holidays.
Cat Pope, a stylist who works with Tony Shalhoub for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel-related events, said that she had about three weeks to prep her client. “You tend to not have the luxury of that much time, even though you’d love it for an event of this scale,” Pope said.
Still, the five hour-long award show must go on, and stylists predict over-the-top gowns (and the requisite few jumpsuits) this season.
“You have a lot of celebrities who are known for their fashion profiles who are going to be around this year,” Bolden said. “There will be people who want to prove a point this go around. Color, texture, feathers, a lot of things like that.”
Pope agreed that more actresses could wear tactile, touchable fashion. “I think people will go for collections that have tons of volume,” she said. “Think of a flouncy, exaggerated shape. Perhaps a lot of tulle gowns, too.”
Call it the Gaga effect: nominees have to keep up with the Star Is Born frontrunner, whose penchant for tradition-defying gowns is well documented.
If the much-lauded pink Valentino feather duster/hoop frock Gaga wore to the film’s premiere is any indication, the former Stefani Germanotta will not prioritize simplicity this award season.
During last year's Golden Globes, female guests opted to wear black in support of Time's Up. It could be surmised that this year's more-is-more, put-some-glitter-on-it mentality is a reaction to 2018's staid styles, but Bolden does not see it that way.
“I don't think you will see the all black again,” Bolden said. “The movement is still happening, but I don't think it's going to impact the looks as much.”
Marchesa, which was once a red carpet staple, has been slowly showing up at lower-profile events. Rita Ora wore Georgina Chapman's clothing line to the Australian ARIA Awards in December. The same month, Priyanka Chopra wore a strapless feather number to her bridal shower.
In June, a report from The Daily Beast revealed that Chapman's estranged husband, disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, may still be profiting off of the company. Perhaps because of the news, the fashion line has been noticeably absent from any major award shows.
In August, Marcy Medina of WWD surmised that last year's Emmy Award's could be Marchesa's comeback; no celebrity wore the label.
“Honestly, I don't think about it,” Bolden said of the possibility of a Marchesa return at the Golden Globes. “There was a point when it was such a big conversation in the industry, and there are still little conversations about it here and there. The lucky thing about it is that you're not stuck with anything, and you don't feel like you have to do something.”
Even as celebrities gravitate towards attention-grabbing couture this year, stylists are quick to point out the difference between standing out and stealing the scene.
Both Bolden and Pope agreed that they tone down looks when working with clients who are attending a celebration as a guest or a presenter rather than a nominee.
“You're still going to work really hard to make them look wonderful, but you want to pick something that won't steal someone else's limelight,” Pope explained.
“I don't think that it's interesting to be the girl who is always 'Miss Thing' on the red carpet,” Bolden said. “You want to show range. If you started out in this massive, interesting Globes gown, then you build up to something that's super subtle at the Oscars.”
And unlike the cramped Globes, the Oscars are held at the Dolby Theater, which boasts a 500-foot red carpet. Something to keep in mind, should you ever attend the Oscars: this is when you bust out your fabulous, Taraji-esque white gown with train.
