We are at the beginning of a new year, which means that we are now in the thick of awards season. The best in movies and television are being celebrated at this time of year and there is excitement all around. While a lot of that excitement is for the media being awarded, that is not the only part of the season that is exciting. There is also the fashion. At every award show, you can see the biggest celebrities decked out in their best outfits. These celebrities will usually wear something stylish yet attention-grabbing, as they know that all eyes will be on them. In addition, with celebrities getting nominated at multiple award shows, they usually have to get several outfits that all have to look amazing. No one wants to have a fashion faux-pas. At this point, we have plenty of award shows to go, particularly the Oscars. However, we have already had some notable televised award shows in the month of January. These included the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the Emmys (which were delayed from their standard time in September due to the writers strike), which were on January 7, 14 and 15 respectively. At these awards shows, we have already seen some great outfits that were certainly captivating. Many of them deserve to be highlighted, as they were just that good. There have also been some patterns in terms of how people are dressing, and some observations to be made about the choices made. Here is everything you should know about the fashion at awards shows of 2024.

The Golden Globes bring together the stars from the film world and from the television world. That combination means there are many different celebrities with many different looks. The Golden Globes even got the Barbie treatment. Margot Robbie was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy for “Barbie.” For most of her press tour for the film she has been wearing many Barbie-inspired outfits. That pattern continued with her Golden Globes dress by Giorgio Armani Privé. The dress was a bright bubblegum pink with sparkles and was floor length with a halter v-neck. It also came with a mesh boa, which added some more star magic. Robbie looked just like a movie star Barbie and this outfit screams fun. The Barbie style lives on. Another style icon that was on the Golden Globes red carpet was Natalie Portman, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical for “May/December.” I have always been a fan of Portman’s style and she did not disappoint here. Her sleeveless Dior dress is a simple white but the skirt is covered in multicolored sparkles. It shows classic elegance and bright colors coming together for a wonderful look. The dress would look nice without the sparkles but they take it to a new level that help Portman have one of the best dresses of the night. Another great look at the Golden Globes was worn by Brie Larson, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for “Lessons in Chemistry.” Larson was wearing a sleeveless lavender dress by Prada that had a sweetheart neckline and a wide skirt that went to her ankles. The silhouette of the dress was very old Hollywood, which demonstrates that some looks never go out of style. The lavender was a great color for this dress, as a soft color was right for this soft look. There are many more stars that shined at the Golden Globes but these were the looks that wowed me the most.

As the name indicates, The Critics Choice Awards are when the entertainment critics award the shows and movies they liked the best. After watching this award show, the fashion critics take their turn and show appreciation for the looks of the night. Luckily there was a lot to appreciate. One of the best looks of the night was worn by Lily Gladstone, who was nominated for Best Actress for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone was wearing an off the shoulder gown by Christian Siriano that was in a beautiful royal blue. The gown’s skirt went behind her and was able to gather in a way so that it came back around to the front. Gladstone is new to the mainstream Hollywood circuit so we are seeing some of her first award show appearances and she is not disappointing. Gladstone looked absolutely stunning in this dress, as it was just the right level of dramatic. Anyone could control the room in this dress. Royal blue is also one of my favorite colors and it worked well with this dress. Also, just like the color, the whole look was royal. Another stunning dress on the red carpet was worn by Emily Blunt, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Oppenheimer.” Blunt’s floor-length gown, by Giorgio Armani Privé, was in sparkly bright red. It was also one shoulder, with what looked like a rose made out of fabric at the shoulder. That part of the shoulder is the perfect touch of flair that was able to elevate this dress. There is nothing that complicated about this dress but sometimes simple designs can stand out with small hints of style. The dresses do not always have to go overboard. Plus, the red sparkles would be enough for any dress to have extra style, so it worked well to combine that with a simple look. Overall, Blunt looked fantastic in this alluring dress. Someone else with style at the Critics Choice Awards was Ali Wong, who won Best Actress in a Television Movie/Miniseries for “Beef.” She wore a floor length Givenchy dress in a kelly green. It was off the shoulder and with straps, and the style points really come in with a big white and pink flower pattern on the top with faded blue flowers on the skirt. Most people wear solid dresses to award shows so it is nice to see a pattern pop up. It was also interesting how the pattern was mixed up a little on the dress, as if she was pattern mixing with one item of clothing. The kelly green goes perfectly with these flowers as it makes the dress look like a little garden. This dress was out of the box in a fabulous way, and it was clearly the dress of a winner.

While the Emmys were later than normal this year, that does not mean that it was treated as less important. The Emmys are still one of the highest achievements in acting, and people’s outfits treated the awards as such. One of the best outfits of the ceremony was worn by Sarah Snook, who won Best Actress in a Television Drama for “Succession.” Her dress, by Vivienne Westwood, was an off-the-shoulder, low-neckline gown that was in a bold shade of red. The gown’s big skirt made her look elegant while the bright red and neckline gave a contemporary touch. She had been a favorite to win the Emmy for a while, so it was clear that she came dressed to win. You can never go wrong with Vivienne Westwood. Another standout of the night was Rachel Brosnahan, who was nominated for Best Actress in Comedy Series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. Her dress was pretty different from Snook’s but still very striking. She wore a strappy floor length dress by Versace that was in a deep burgundy. What made the dress visually interesting was the top, which was in a corset style that looked like it was closed in the middle by pins, with pins also lined on the side. Combining that with the fun slit that was in the long skirt of the dress, there was a lot of youthful energy in this dress that helped Brosnahan dazzle the cameras. Speaking of dazzle, Hannah Waddingham was able to do that with her dress, and she did not hold back. Waddingham was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “Ted Lasso.” Designed by Marchesa, Waddingham’s dress was a pastel green with an icy crystal pattern and a halter neck. The tulle skirt of the dress cascaded behind her, which meant she was noticeable everywhere she walked. There was a princess-like quality to her dress and she was literally sparkling. I am not usually a pastel fan, but it worked for Waddingham, as her dress was undeniably fabulous. While a lot of the Emmys’ dresses I have mentioned stand out in part due to their vivid colors, a statement can also be made through subtlety. That was the case for Ayo Edebri, who won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Bear.” Edebri’s Louis Vuitton dress was black leather which gave a bit of an edge. It was also strapless and had a balloon skirt that went just above her ankles. Even with a neutral color and a lack of purposefully notable touches Edebri had one of the most stylish looks of the night. The dress was sleek, but also had a bit of sass with the leather. That balance created a fun dress that I wish I could wear myself. The Emmys are always a fun occasion, and that was fully demonstrated with these looks.

So far, I have only talked about what the women have been wearing on the red carpet. Why is that? That is because there are not enough men taking risks in what they wear. Their outfits usually consist of a black suit with a black tie. Groundbreaking. There should be more risks and fun energy in what men wear. That being said, there have been some men that have crossed that barrier. At the Golden Globes, one of the standouts in fashion was Timothée Chalamet who was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy for “Wonka.” Chalamet not wearing the typical male suit is a common situation at awards shows, as he is usually someone who wears showstopping suits that are full of whimsy. This award show was no exception. At the Golden Globes, Chalamet wore an all black Heidi Slimane suit including the shirt, with a jacket that was really sparkly and had big polka dots as the pattern. While the women on the red carpets often have some sparkle, it is not seen as often with the men. Chalamet still stuck to the black suit pattern but he was able to take that pattern to new heights with the snazzy jacket. It is a suit that would look great on most men and more men should try it. At the Critics Choice Awards, Matt Bomer showed up in a suit that was out of the ordinary. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Television Movie/Miniseries for “Fellow Travelers.” Bomer was wearing an all-blue suit by Berluni that was cut in a modern way with an unbuttoned jacket and a halfway buttoned shirt. The suit was not completely adventurous as it was still the silhouette of a suit. However the bright color was able to take it up a notch as he was able to stand out amongst all of the other suits. Also, the fact that it was buttoned differently showed that Bomer was putting his own style in the look, and that is what makes it exceptional. At the Emmys, Tyler James Williams also took part in wearing an unconventional suit. Williams was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for “Abbott Elementary.” His Dolce & Gabbana suit was double-breasted and was in a shimmery bronze. The cut of the suit was already unconventional as most men stick to the typical buttons on the bottom. The double breasted look demonstrated already that Williams wanted to be a little unique. Then there was the bronze color, which was able to sparkle while still being a little subtle. He was not stealing too much attention but that does not mean people wanted to look away. It was definitely a delightful suit. More men should be breaking the status quo when it comes to awards show fashion. I want to see some bold colors, some cool fabrics, some new cuts and more. Men should be able to have fun with what they wear.

At the end of the day, fashion is subjective. The outfits that I might love could have been hated by someone else, and vice versa. That is the beauty of fashion. It would be boring if everyone showed up to an awards show wearing the exact same outfit. We should appreciate all of the risks that these people take because those risks are what make red carpets and awards shows even more fun to watch. Also, the perks of being a celebrity is that a lot of these outfits are custom made for them. That makes a lot of these outfits special. We never know what we are going to see up there. There are celebrities that have been to countless awards shows and yet they still are able to show up in something totally new and wild. Of course, awards season is not over yet. There is still the Oscars which is one of the most popular awards shows out there. That means that some of the best outfits will be showcased at this ceremony. Millions of eyes will be on these celebrities, so they should make their moments count. There have been some terrific fashion moments so far in 2024, and there will certainly be even more soon.