Golden Globes 2011: Belle's Best Dressed

Now that we’ve dispensed with the untidy business of the Worst Dressed List, it’s time to revel in the beautiful gowns that make you wish that you were famous enough, talented enough or wealthy enough to be able to attend the Golden Globes.  These are the gowns that you pretend to be wearing while you make your fake acceptance speech into the bathroom mirror.  (Don’t pretend that I’m the only one who does that.)

I usually don’t gravitate to the black gowns, but Eva Longoria looks stunning in this Zac Posen gown.  With its dramatic collar, generous train and backless styling, this dress is sultry and stylish.  Perhaps Eva should give ScarJo a lesson or two on how looking good is the best revenge.

Over the years, I have seen a lot of your teenage starlets walk down the red carpet in gowns that were either too mature or too juvenile, but 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld looks positively perfect in her textured Prabal Gurung frock. Completing her ensemble with a cheery turquoise clutch and a fun ponytail, the young starlet hits all the right notes.

Anne Hathaway shines in Armani Prive both literally and figuratively.  The copper-colored pailettes are gorgeous and the combination of a puffed-sleeve with a backless silhouette is modern and unexpected.  And I just love the way the dress complements her skin tone and hair color.  Just phenomenal. 

Emma Stone really blew me away with her snarky, heartfelt performance in Easy A.  While I miss her deep auburn locks, I really adore this backless, crewneck, peachy gown by Calvin Klein.  Her simple jewelry and upswept hairdo gave her the air of Hitchcock screen siren. (Kim Novak, anyone?)  

Plus, her svelte figure has me rethinking my hatred of the gym.  Perhaps I’ll start working out again.  No, nevermind, I take that back.

While there were lots of gorgeous green gowns on the carpet last night, Mila Kunis’ one shoulder Vera Wang gown.  The deep emerald color, the backless styling (again) and the delicate, geometric pleating is just divine.  If her co-star Natalie Portman hit a foul ball, Mila knocked out a grand slam.  And as a jewelry minimalist, I really appreciate that she chose to wear a small amount of sparkle.

Glee’s Diana Agron decided to have a bit of a Veronica Lake-moment in this gorgeous but simple J. Mendel gown.  And while this dress may not be as grand as some of the other gowns we saw last night, the entire look is impeccably styled and compliments her natural beauty perfectly.

And while all these gowns are beautiful and breathtaking, my personal favorite was, surprisingly…

While a lot of actresses wore Pantone’s signature color of the year (honeysuckle) last night, Claire Danes is the only one who wore this bright shade of pink without looking contrived.  Her pristinely tailored Calvin Klein gown hit all the right notes.  This gown epitomizes the architectural simplicity that Klein is famous for and allows the actress to be a beautiful woman in a lovely dress instead of a lovely woman in a beautiful dress.  

I also love her structured metal cuff and simple earrings.  They compliment the gown without competing with it.  Proving that you don’t need yards of tulle, piles of ruffles, barrels of bling or a wheelbarrow full of sequins to turn heads on the red carpet.  Bravo.