A new award season has just begun! 

A new award season has just begun and I couldn’t be more excited! As usual, the first important event is the ceremony of the Golden Globe Awards, whose 71st edition took place yesterday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. I didn’t have high expectations for the red carpet, but I was quite surprised to find lots of interesting looks. I can tell you my favourite outfit right away – Zoe Saldana’s – but let’s go through the post to see my best-dressed picks.

Ladies in Black

Zoe Saldana, one of the presenters of the event, looked flawless in a gorgeous bustier dress by Prabal Gurung (from the spring/summer 2014 collection). It’s a quirky outfit because the dress is intricately decorated – beaded appliqués on the satin bodice, beaded and lace inserts on the skirt – but the actress totally pulled it off. I love the “peaked” upper part of the bustier, very elegant.

Zoe’s accessories were perfect: she wore Christian Louboutin point-toe satin pumps, a Bottega Veneta Knot Intrecciato Pointillisme pink clutch and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, among which a beautiful diamond hair ornament.

Emma Roberts is currenly among the protagonists of American Horror Story: Coven: it seems like she took her inner Madison Montgomery and bathed her in Old Hollywood glamour. She wore a gorgeous Lanvin custom-made dress with mermaid line and wavy neckline, which she wore with grace. Her simple updo and sultry make-up enhanced her natural beauty and emphasized the graphic elegance of the dress.

The accessories included a Kotur black satin clutch, Charlotte Olympia shoes, a Chopard diamond ring, Neil Lane diamond and turquoise chandelier earrings, which gave the whole look a magic touch.

Cate Blanchett rarely fails to impress when she attends a red carpet event and her appearance last night made no exception. The actress, who won an award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture/Drama for her performance in Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen, wore a lace number by Armani Privé (from the Nude fall 2013 collection). The tulle and lace dress had a dramatic opening on the back, such a glamourous detail.

Cate accessorized the dress with a faux bob hairstyle, Jimmy Choo Esam pumps and an exquisite selection of Chopard diamond jewellery.

I wasn’t sure to include Elisabeth Moss in my best-dressed list but I finally did it because she looked amazing. I was so happy to learn she won the award as Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for the role of Robin Griffin in Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake, one of my favourite mini-series of last season. She walked the red carpet wearing a black and burgundy beaded sheer dress by J. Mendel (from the pre-fall 2014 collection), paired to Stuart Weitzman strappy sandals, diamond triple drop triangle earrings by Jennifer Meyer, a thin cuff bracelet and a ring.

Ladies in Bright Colours

The it girl of the evening was Lupita Nyong’o, who was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen. Unfortunately she didn’t win (the award inexplicably went to Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle), but I’m sure we’ll hear more about her in the future. She wowed the crown wearing a beautiful red silk cady cape dress by Ralph Lauren (from the spring/summer 2014 collection), paired to Paul Andrew shoes and Fred Leighton diamond jewellery. Just out of curiosity: her nails were painted by Deborah Lippmann, who used the shade Diamonds and Pearls.

As usual, Lena Dunham was harshly criticised for her outfit, but her choice to wear such a bright shade of yellow was unusual and much-welcomed. She wore a custom-made mermaid dress by Zac Posen featuring a strapless bodice with sweetheart neckline and floor-lenght skirt. She completed the outfit with Jimmy Choo shoes, red nails, wavy hair and a diamond necklace by Harry Winston. Yesterday it was a special day for Lena: she was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actress/Musical or Comedy for the second season of Girls, whose third season premiered on the same night.

Sandra Bullock has never been among my favourites on the red carpet, but this time I had to choose it because she looked fantastic. The actress, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture/Drama for the role of Ryan Stone in Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón, wore a lovely colour-block sleeveless dress by Prabal Gurung (from the pre-fall 2014 collection). The black, pink and blue satin dress had an asymmetrical skirt and plunging neckline; it was paired to Jimmy Choo ankle-strap sandals and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery (stud earrings and a cocktail ring). She styled her hair in a soft ponytail and wore minimal make-up. She didn’t win but the movie she starred in did: Gravity won for Best Director/Motion Picture.

Caitlin Fitzgerald is one of the contemporary actresses who exhude an old-school glamour. Her icy blonde beauty and her talent don’t go unnoticed, as her performance as Libby Masters in HBO’s Masters of Sex has proven. She walked the red carpet wearing a powder blue dress by Emilia Wickstead (from the spring/summer 2014 collection), featuring short sleeves and an asymmetrical skirt.

She accessorized it with diamond earrings and bracelet, a peach and dark grey Duke clutch by Anya Hindmarch and Emilia Wickstead peach and blue ankle-strap pumps. I wish her hair was styled in softer waves, but she looked so beautiful nonetheless.

The Lady in Silver

Last but not least, the lady in silver, Mila Kunis, who attended the ceremony as presenter. She wore a breath-taking Gucci Prèmiere sleeveless and backless dress, completely decorated with gunmetal sequins and silver crystals. The skirt was made of dove grey silk chiffon, beautifully contrasting with the intricate beading of the bodice.

Mila is an incredibly beautiful woman but there’s something mysterious about her which makes her even more fascinating. As usual, the accessories she chose to complete such an important dress were perfect – a pair of emerald earrings by Gemfields, plus a ring and an Atri Noir emerald and baguette-cut diamond bangle by Marina B. Her hair was styled in a chic chignon, the best finishing touch for this outfit.

I usually don’t write about the celebrities who let me down, but this time I have to mention two actresses who really surprised me negatively – Lily Rabe and Sarah Paulson. Lily wore a Georges Hobeika Signature dress (from the spring/summer 2014 collection) with Jerome C. Rousseau shoes, a Lily Alexandra clutch and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery. The crystal-embellished black dress was just ok, but lacked the drama I expected from Lily.

Probably the major letdown came from Sarah Paulson, who wore a tiered dress by Marchesa (from the spring/summer 2014 collection), paired to a Marchesa crystal-clasp clutch and Christian Louboutin shoes. The shade of the dress (which was beautifully romantic, in true Marchesa style) totally washed her out. Both of them lacked the wow factor they had at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013.

As I’ve already explained, my favourite was Zoe Saldana, followed by Lupita Nyong’o and Emma Roberts. What about yours? Share your best-dressed picks in the comments ♥