Golden Globes gowns include lots of black, a hint of glitz

The stars who strolled down the red carpet at the 59th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 20 seemed happy to be there, and most of them dressed up for the big evening.

But now that we’ve had a chance to see various photos and video clips of the evening, it’s safe to say that some spent time, effort and money on their appearance – and some didn’t.

Seems the women chose subtle makeup but took a heavy hand when applying gunk to their hair.

Hal Rubenstein of InStyle magazine said he thought Sissy Spacek was the best dressed in her man’s Armani suit and white shirt.

I disagree with Hal, mainly because she had her hair pulled back in a loosey-goosey ponytail with strands hanging down on the sides. Her hair did look incredibly clean, however.

As usual, there was a sea of black, but even sans color, some of those dresses were gorgeous.

Angelina Jolie looked great whenever she could refrain from kissing her husband, Billy Bob Thornton, long enough to show off her elegant strapless gown. She accessorized with pearls the size of pop-it beads.

Kate Hudson had on one of those dresses that makes everyone hold their breath, including her. Think double sticky tape here. The long shimmering dress would have been beautiful – worn backwards.

Jennifer Connelly (remember, she played opposite Russell Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind”) was a dazzler. Her dress was simple, long-sleeve, black with a glamorous train. Her skin was luminous, her hair sleek. She wore a white gardenia on the plunging neckline. Killer.

No wonder she won for best supporting actress in a dramatic film.

Sela Ward, of “Once and Again,” wore a bright red dress by Valentino. The midriff was bare and the skirt was voluminous. The jury is still out on that one. Sela, wear it once, but not again.

A short dress was worn by Heather Locklear. She’s apparently into turquoise these days. The sparkling dress was attached to a turquoise and crystal necklace. Her shoes also had turquoise stones on them.

Two fashionistas, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker, both chose black. Nicole’s dress was black heavy lace with a very serious slit up the front.

We didn’t get a good look at Sarah Jessica Parker’s black ball gown by Chanel that had her fighting a sea of fabric all evening. The strapless gown with empire waist was open in the front and worn over black sequin leggings. A high fashion look, but a bit too much for such a little person.

Her new short haircut was a shock after seeing the tiny woman under a mop of curly locks for such a long time.

In the aftershock of the terrorist attacks, some feel too much glitz is not tasteful.

For that reason and others, some were dressed down but still looked elegant.

Annette Bening wore a white pantsuit, and many men wore a white or silver regular tie instead of a black bow tie with their tuxedos.

Judy Davis, who took home the award for best actress in a miniseries or television movie for her portrayal of Judy Garland, decided to keep it simple and ended up plain. Her sleeveless, scoop-neck dress was hemmed just below her knees, and she wore a string of pearls.

Cameron Diaz, the pretty blonde with a smile that would launch a ship, went for color: turquoise and red stripes to be exact.

The dress was an interesting choice for a formal occasion, especially when she topped it with a tuxedo jacket with tails.

It was Debra Messing, of “Will & Grace,” who decided, by golly, it was time to dress up.

She wore a midnight blue chiffon dress with ruching skirt that ended in a long train. She told reporters she didn’t get to wear the Oscar de la Renta creation to the Emmys, so she was glad she could wear it to the Golden Globes.

No doubt that train got stepped on at the parties after the awards ceremony.

At least there weren’t a lot of costumes such as the bird dress Bjork wore at the Academy Awards. One red suit trimmed in black worn by John Cameron Mitchell could qualify as “over the top,” especially considering his shoes looked like they were from Bowl-A-Rama.

My personal favorite was Halle Berry, who would look wonderful in most anything she would put on. She did Valentino proud in a brown-beaded chiffon gown.