Globes v. Oscars: The (fashion) politics of the two-party system ...

Tonight's 67th-annual Golden Globes ceremony offers the potential for more surprises than the March 7th Oscars - at least in a sartorial sense. Oh, sure, the reasons all those A-Listers will gather around Moet-laden tables at the Beverly Hilton are all but assured: funny-yet-heartfelt speeches from Streep, Cameron and Scorsese (I'm still on the fence about Bridges v. Clooney, as much as the Hollywood Foreign Press seems to adore the latter). But from a fashion point of view, the Globes offer a terrific opportunity to think outside the box in both label and style.


Let's face it, the Academy Awards are the senior prom, where everyone turns it out in "important" gowns and jewelry. But the Globes? This is the pre-party at the cool kid's house, where the gang has fun getting a little tipsy before heading off to the Big Event. Shouldn't the clothes match this attitude?


I'm sure we'll see all the requisite players tonight: Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa, Versace, Reem Acra; Marion Cotillard most assuredly will wear Dior, while Vera Farmiga has been showing up on red carpets in Dolce & Gabbana. Might someone change it up a bit? I love the casual elegance of the Lanvin above, but with no Hilary Swank in sight, will Alber Elbaz be shown any love this evening? Will Naeem Khan's highly publicized gown for Michelle Obama translate to some Hollywood adoration? Stylists and celeb reps alike enthusiastically phoned Khan in the days after that State Dinner, but that moment occurred waaaay back in November, and the West Coast has a famously short attention span in such matters.

Indeed, make no mistake: Red-carpet looks are highly debated in the weeks, days and moments before the actress steps into the limo, with who she's wearing as much an issue as what she's wearing. Is Alexander Wang enough of a name outside fashion circles to warrant his dress as a choice? I love pretty much everything Giambattista Valli sends down a runway - including this Globe-friendly look from Spring - but he's not on the mainstream radar as much as a Chanel or Herrera. The politics of fashion are difficult to define - they evolve as rapidly as trends, tastes and a designer's hip quotient change - and yet they undeniably exist. A few actresses can be counted on to think outside the box: Chloe Sevigny at September's Emmys, wearing polka-dotted Isaac Mizrahi, springs to mind; but as big as Big Love may be, her fashion sense always will be tied to her indie cred, and I for one am glad about this.


I'm hoping tonight offers a few surprises, especially as it's roundly agreed that award-show red carpets have grown far too safe in recent years. Designers likewise will be surprised, as it's a now-notorious fact that they cannot count on a choice as confirmed until they see it on TV with their own eyes like everyone else. Too many anecdotes have been shared in recent years about a designer being told, "Yes, she's wearing your dress," only to watch that starlet hit the red carpet wearing someone else. And so designers are gun-shy about offering exclusives and instead have spent the past few weeks blanketing Southern California with their Resort, Spring and Pre-Fall collections. One designer's rep told me Friday that four actresses had their gowns out for "final consideration," with the rep hoping two make the cut: "Two's the perfect number - one on a very big name, and then another on a younger, up-and-coming starlet."


All of which is to say, the politics of the red carpet are very much a two-party system, and a two-way street.