Popular skirt trend on the Golden Globes red carpet: the mermaid. A beautiful skirt and the shape most associated with the “bombshell” image. So who did it well and who did it better?

Elle Macpherson, Zac Posen

Elle hasn’t aged a day in twenty years. She certainly won the gene lottery. Sadly, her taste in fashion has not improved in said twenty years.  Win some, lose some. And this is definitely losing. Did she make a bet with Heidi Klume and the loser had to wear a dress from the toilet paper episode of Project Runway? Or maybe she’s been crowned Queen Charmen in an endorsement deal gone bad. Regardless, should anyone on the red carpet get a runny nose, she can hook them up.

Reese Witherspoon, Zac Posen

I like seeing starlets do something other than their usual red carpet formulas. The style of this Zac Posen gown is beautiful on Reese and the sweetheart bustline is lovely with her heart shaped face. Pity it doesn’t fit. I could look past the fact that it’s a bit too tight through the thigh but that crumpled heap of fabric at her feet is a disaster. There’s 3 extra inches there. If you have to kick your hem out in front of you when you walk, IT’S TOO LONG. Ladies, your gown should fit so that you have no need to fuss with it. Ever.

Paula Patton, Monique Lhuillier

The color of this gown perfectly suited her sunny personality. She clearly felt beautiful in it and she indeed looked it. I smiled just watching her walk the red carpet. I’d love to see some diamond bangles on her wrists but that’s a minor critique. That dark nail polish, however, needs to go. Keep it neutral and understated. Let the dress do all the talking.

Sofia Vergara, Vera Wang

I really tire of Sofia’s mermaid dress formula that she consistently wears on the red carpet but, you have to admit, no woman can do for this silhouette what she can. The peacock blue color is a welcome change and those tiny folds and tucks in the skirt are divine. I would have liked to see her wear a loose up-do for once just to shake it up a bit. Otherwise she looks amazing as always.

Image credit: Getty