Lady Gaga in Atelier Versace, Rosie Huntington Whiteley in Atelier Versace, Amber Heard in Gucci

The Golden Globes delivered a succession of great dresses with few howlers and plenty of inspiration for evening and bridalwear in 2016 and beyond. So what were the key trends?

Hollywood goddesses

Amber Heard in Gucci, Lola Kirke in Monique Lhuillier, Lily James in Marchesa, Selena Gomez in J Mendel, Saoirse Ronan in Yves Saint Laurent Couture

Grecian cuts and soft draping gave us some timeless classics and showed us just how seriously some big labels take the red carpet with Alessandro Michele taking time out of an unbelievably busy schedule to create Amber Hear’s  custom gown. That, and Lily James in Marchesa, were my favourite looks on the night.

Black & White

Lade Gaga in Atelier Versace, Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton, Kirsten Dunst in Valentino, Melissa Benoist in Monique Lhuillier, Helen Mirren, Laverne Cox in Elizabeth Kennedy

You can’t deny the dramatic impact of black or white, whether it’s in a sexed-up how-do-I-breathe-in-this gown like Lady Gaga’s or something softer and sprinkled with light florals like Melissa Benoist.

Sparkle

Kate Bosworth in Dolce & Gabbana, Jenna Dewan Tatum in Zuhair Murad Couture, Brie Larson in Calvin Klein Collection, Olivia Wilde in Michael Kors Collection

Sequins and beading have been a key trend for several season from red carpet gowns to less formal partywear. And they don’t look like fading any time soon. But designers are no longer only relying on the sequins to make an impact and are focusing on a powerful silhouette or key details like contrast embellishment, deep V necklines or cutouts.

Technicolor dream dresses

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy, Jada Pinkett Smith in Atelier Versace, Jennifer Lopez in Giambattista Valli Couture, Zendaya in Marchesa, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior,

Choosing  a power colour is a key way to make a dramatic red carpet entrance but these stars aren’t only relying on the colour to make an impact and are choosing powerful silhouettes and details like cutouts, tiers, thigh slashes and draping. My favourite is Cate Blanchett in Givenchy. Check out the label’s Instagram page to see a video showing just how amazing the dress really is.

Nude

Rosie Huntington Whiteley in Atelier Versace, Eva Green in Elie Saab, Sarah Hay in Marchesa, Rooney Mara in Alexander McQueen, Zoe Kazan in Miu Miu

Nude tones – which run from blush pink through to the softest greys – were a popular Golden Globes choice. A hint of transparency along with scattered sequins or frothy tiers dressed up some essentially simple silhouettes and made what could have been too low-key for the red carpet into a high impact trend.

NB: I don’t have a budget to buy-in celebrity pics. All of these images were painstakingly screen grabbed from the Instagram feeds of the designers or stars featured in them.