“White Hot” style heats up a chilly night at the Golden Globes

The proliferation of white dresses at this year’s 64th annual Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood might make you wonder if the color was suggested as proper attire on the invitation.  How else can you explain more than twenty “visions in white” on one red carpet?

“Wearing white projects an image of purity and cleanliness,” quips Kate Smith, editor of Sensational Color.  Perhaps after a tumultuous year of bad taste and bad press for many young stars, you might think stylists were jumping on the white dress trend, hoping to portray their clients as pure, blissful, and angelic.

Or maybe it was just the unusual cold temperature and ice storms of Southern California over the weekend that inspired a sea of ice princesses.

Some stars chose to go with simple pure all white, letting the drape of the dress make the statement, standouts included Salma Hayak in a Greek Goddess number, Kate Winslet and Drew Barrymore (whose pink was so pale it might as well have been white) channeling old Hollywood glamour in strapless gowns and The Office’s Melora Hardin wearing a modern, dressed-up version of the simple wrap dress.

Others let a little metallic detail or a small addition of black help to distinguish their white gowns from their neighbors. Sienna Miller stole the show in her platinum and white gown by U.K. label Marchesa, while Cameron Diaz seemed to float in a Valentino sea of white frills with an ebony ribbon bow at the waist.

Ellen Pompeo’s had a slight detail of silver on her dress and in her jewelry adding glitz to her look, while the jeweled metallic sash of Hayden Panettiere’s strapless white dress was the only look of the ‘white night” to even suggest color with it’s intermixed jewel-toned beads.

A few stars sparkled in muted metallic tones ranging from Vanessa William’s warm copper brown all the way to Angelina Jolie’s somewhat somber pewter gray.

At the other end of the color spectrum, the “traditional black dress” was still de rigueur for some of the stars.  Tight fitting, all black gowns were sleek on Hillary Swank, Penelope Cruz and Sharon Stone.

“Classic black is sophisticated, elegant, and safe,” adds Smith.  For some stars the all black look turned from "show stopper" to “award show camouflage” as they blended into the sea of black and white.

Most of the "men in black" looked quite classic in their tuxedos, with Clint Eastwood doing his own spin on the evening’s most popular trend by donning a white bow tie, while Jack Nicholson’s trademark dark sunglasses and grin were the best accessories of the evening.

Of the men, only Prince, who arrived late and actually missed his moment on stage to accept his award, dared to wear color.  When he was asked to stand up and take a bow, his electric yellow two-piece “suit” was a welcome breeze of personal style amongst a crowd definitely following the proper rules of black tie ensembles.

With the evening almost devoid of color, Reese Witherspoon’s yellow (a color seen all over the spring 2007 runway), Rachel Weisz’s scarlet strapless gown, and America Ferrera’s deep purple dress gave us a glimpse of pure, rich hues and offered a small bit of relief to those of us craving a little color excitement on our screens.

Of the other stars who chose to step out in color, it seemed that the majority gravitated toward hues in the blue-green family.  “The nature inspired blue and green hues were especially refreshing against all of the black and white,” said Smith.

Helen Mirren looked absolutely regal in peacock blue, Naomi Watts, Toni Colette and Edie Falco dazzled in bright blues, while Renee Zellweger, Felicity Huffman, and Becki Newton all were beautiful in emerald green.  Eva Longoria (who may have been the muse behind the white dress look, as she won accolades and stole the red carpet spotlight in her all white dress at the Emmys this past September) this time looked spectacular in navy.

Another interesting trend of the evening was that most ensembles were monochromatic.  No one seemed to dare mix colors, playing it safe and not daring to stray too far away from the color of their gown.  There were a few brave souls who did; Reese Witherspoon stepping out in red shoes and Naomi Watts donning coral drop earrings.

“The best use of color last night may have been seen during the commercial breaks,” noted Leatrice Eiseman, internationally recognized color expert and author of More Alive With Color and creator of the Colortime System.

“Target brilliantly showcased their signature color red and the hues L’Oreal used were wonderful."

Photo sources: Pictures from EOnline.  See more Golden Globe Fashions at EOnline

Born with a natural sense of style, Julie Hoylen is a fashion stylist and consultant working in the New York City area. Julie's professional experience in both the fashion and music industries has allowed her to develop a unique perspective on personal style that keeps her clients turning to her whenever they need help defining their look personally or professionally.

Julie is Sensational Color's Lifestyle Editor and Chief Style Maven.  You can see the latest from Julie on Live In Full Color.