The Golden Globes. It’s the official kick-off of red carpet fashion season, and the 83rd Globes gave…somber. While award-season darling One Battle After Another dominated the night with four wins, including a surprise Best Supporting Actress victory for first-time nominee Teyana Taylor, and Sinners took home Drama Motion Picture and Box Office Achievement, the evening’s fashion told a quieter story.
For many—and it’s completely insane that Wicked (both installments) left empty-handed, the night was a moment of justified rewards. But when it came to fashion, it seemed many celebrities opted for restraint rather than risk. With black emerging as the color of the night, the Golden Globes felt like a moment of protest, grieving, self-minimization, and perhaps protection. The color choice read as a collective decision—shared between celebrities, stylists, and fashion houses—as a means of caution.
Priyanka Chopra. In black. Ayo Edebiri. In black. Teyana Taylor. In black. Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Jenna Ortega, Julia Roberts, and a slew of uninspired tuxedos—all in black.
Why?
Historically, the Golden Globes have been a moment for laurels and scruples, old Hollywood glamour or demure elegance offered up by designers and stylists alike. This year, however, that sensibility felt amplified to excess. Puff skirts, off-the-shoulder silhouettes, and voluminous trains evoked yesteryear in form, but not in feeling. Traditional floor-length cuts and dramatic fur numbers added to the delirium. The result was grandeur without urgency. It begged the question: was this a collective move to assimilate into the norm, leaving behind the barely-there naked dresses (although Taylor did have a chic party in the back, silver crystallized bow on her gown) that dominated just a few years ago?
In today’s contentious global political climate, fashion can feel like a distraction, something frivolous to relegate to the back burner. Yet it has always been a language of expression, and some celebrities used it as such. Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, and Ariana Grande wore pins protesting ICE while walking the red carpet, gestures that quickly drew side-eyes across social media. Art and politics have never been separate. We cannot ask our most visible creatives to pour themselves into their work and expect their voices not to extend into moments of unrest and division. In a sea of visual silence, these small acts of protest became louder.
Acting, at its core, demands emotional fluency. In that sense, black may have functioned as a form of mourning—of both the present and the future. With diversity and inclusion initiatives losing institutional support and representation debates resurfacing, the dominance of black raises a question: was this a signal to Hollywood itself? Industry speculation continues to swirl around a shifting power center, shaped by DEI rollbacks, the aftershocks of the writers’ strike, and broader structural recalibrations.
To avoid sounding skeptical, blending in—opting for a stylist’s coat of arms—can also be a form of self-preservation. Whether shielding against intrusive body commentary and size guesstimates, ensuring elegance without spectacle, or quietly reclaiming space, the look can speak volumes. Styling has the power to make or break an awards moment, and while black may be safe, it is also timeless and regal.
Black is versatile. Comforting. Symbolic. And it always means something.
Of course, black does not always signal fear; it can also command a room. Moreover, after months of labor on a film that justify your presence in these very rooms, wearing black can be domineering—strong, deliberate, powerful. From sharply tailored business suits to the robes of religious authority, the color has long announced existence and demanded respect. The red carpet is no exception.
So the question remains: are celebrities dressing for the public, the industry, or for self-preservation?
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