2012 Golden Globes: Which dresses will rock the red carpet?

It occurred to me the other day that red carpet watchers during awards season are kind of like spectators at a ski jump competition. They are looking for hits just as much as the misses and on the eve of the 2012 Golden Globes, one can expect a fair share of both. This year’s field of Golden Globe female contenders includes a number of up and coming stars which always makes things interesting. Although veteran actresses like Glenn Close and Meryl Streep are likely to turn up in reasonably conservative dresses (both have tended toward dark toned, blacks/greys and blue serious looks on the red carpet over the past 12 months), the likes of Rooney Mara, Sofia Vergara, and Kristen Wiig are the ones to watch – and not always for the right reasons. Let’s face it watching these ladies taking risks on the red carpet is a spectator sport. While there are no doubt some clear red carpet trends, a word of warning, you may not necessarily want to emulate some of these looks.

Rooney Mara, is no doubt the “IT” girl for the moment, nominated for Best Performance By and Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayl of Lisbeth Sander in Girl with Dragon Tattoo. Stepping onto the red carpet in this white Givenchy Couture dress at the World Premiere of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 2011) - she is one of a very few women capable of carrying off these shoulder and waist cut outs – where are clearly emerging as a red carpet trend. Rooney’svelte figure, blunt fringe and popping eyes makes this dress. She was just as hot the Praba Guring Little back dress (Spring 2010) she wore to the GWDT Premiere in NY. That dress had similar elements to the Givenchy one – with shoulder, hip and thigh cut-outs that were covered by a sheer black voile. My tip is all eyes will be on Rooney Mara at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars and that she will hit a home run.

On the other end of the Spectrum is Kristen Wiig, the Golden Globe nominee for Best Actress in a Comedy for her portrayl of the awkward, accident prone, down-and-out maid of honour, Annie, in the comedy hit Bridesmaids. Unfortunately in Wiig’s case her fashion sense in the film is only eclipsed by red carpet reality. Id’ be closing my eyes too if I knew how bad I looked in the Zac Posen copper/brown dress which she wore on 2011 Emmys red carpet (below). This is actually the best look I could find of the comedienne who wore a hideous polka dot dress the prior year. I wouldn’t be looking to Wiig as a trend-setter, let’s hope she decides to invest in a good stylist – she’ll need it.

You know you don’t have to dress funny to be funny. I am personally a big fan of Colombian beauty Sofia Vergara – who plays Gloria on the hit comedy Modern Family. Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Vergara has shown she’s not only got great style, she knows how to show off her assets. Clearly a fan of Vera Wang the curvaceous Vergara was red carpet ready in a honeysuckled Vera Wong dress at last year’s Golden Globes, and then another of Vera’s creations – a red one shouldered gown at the 2011 Emmys (image below). The one shoulder look is a trend that doesn’t seem to quit on the red carpet. Vergara also looked stunning in a royal blue Roberto Cavalli at the SAG awards last year and I’m tipping she will also be a head turner this year.

Shailene Woodley is another wild card. Nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Supporting Actress) for her role in the Descendents, Shailene has had her share of hits and misses. At the Film Critic Awards, the Christopher Kane (Spring 2012) multi-colour floral print mini dress was completely wrong. Much better however, was this little black dress by Moschino Cheap and Chic which she wore to the Hollywood Film Gala Awards. The scollopped neckline, particularly in little black dresses was also a hit for Charlize Theron (see below). Another great look for her was the Christian Dior pale Pink dress she wore to the BFI London Film Festival, or even better, the Prabel Guring textured black and white frock she turned up in at the Hollywood Reporter’s Power 100 Women event.

Conservative Kate Winslet, is nominated for two Golden Globes this year and is a big fan of one shouldered trend and designer Yves St Laurent. At the 2010 Golden Globes she wore this cobault YSL one shoulder dress which looked stunning on her. At both the 2010 and 2009 Oscars she looked fabulous in YSL (2010 was an off the shoulder silver gown, 2009 another one shouldered multi-textured number). While she’s no risk taker, Winslet has rocked the carpet with simple elegant dresses that are timeless.

I had to save the best for last, and Charlize Theron deserves the auspicious position. Nominated for her role in Young Adults, I struggled to find one bad image of Charlize on the red carpet. At this year’s Critic’s Choice Awards, she was a hit in an Azzedine Alia tiered knit black cocktail dress with simple scalloping around the shoulders and neckline. This image from the Venice Film Festival (2008) is a good example of Charlize’s high fashion IQ. A bit of a risk taker, at the 2000 Oscars Charlize wore a skimpy Vera Wang tangerine “slip” dress. At the 2004 Oscars she sparkled in a Gucci white gown. I have to admit I am most looking forward to seeing what she’ll wear to this year’s Golden Globes – I have no doubt she’ll be taking home the red carpet gold.