See the 23 Most Jaw-Dropping Red Carpet Looks in Golden Globes History
- - See the 23 Most Jaw-Dropping Red Carpet Looks in Golden Globes History
Colleen Kratofil, Emily KrauserJanuary 11, 2026 at 6:30 AM
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Jason Merritt/Getty; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Jennifer Lopez arrives at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2009; Nicole Kidman attends the Golden Globes on Jan. 5, 2025; Lady Gaga attends the 76th annual Golden Globes on Jan. 6, 2019
There's no shortage of jaw-dropping looks at the Golden Globe Awards.
The annual awards show has brought together TV icons, movie stars and noteworthy musicians since 1944, resulting in decades worth of shocking red carpet moments. Whether it's Lupita Nyong'o's effortlessly chic caped dress in 2014 or Lady Gaga's billowing pastel confection in 2019, Hollywood's A-listers know how to make a stylish entrance.
The carpet isn't without its unconventional ensembles, though, including the shredded frock Courtney Love rocked in 2000 from Christian Dior's "Homeless" collection.
From cascading trains to daring décolletage and backless drama (looking at you, Nicole Kidman!), here are some of the most memorable fashion looks in Golden Globes history.
01 of 23
Jennifer Lopez
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Jennifer Lopez attends the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2009.
Just call Jennifer Lopez the doyenne of double-sided tape! After making headlines in a skin-baring Versace gown at the 2000 Grammy Awards, the Kiss of the Spider Woman star and producer opted for another plunging neckline in 2009, donning a goddess-worthy golden Marchesa stunner.
Lopez also wore a Marchesa look to the 2007 Golden Globes.
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Nicole Kidman
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Nicole Kidman attends the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 5, 2025.
All eyes were on the Babygirl star in 2025. That year, Kidman walked the red carpet in a sparkling backless, one-shoulder custom Balenciaga dress, complete with a gorgeous train made of rhinestone-embroidered mesh.
She accessorized with the house's 110mm pump and Boucheron jewels.
03 of 23
Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande attends the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 5, 2025.
For the 2025 awards show, Ariana Grande went back in time, opting for a pale yellow empire waist column gown from the Haute Couture S/S 1966 collection by Hubert de Givenchy. Purchased from the Rita Watnick-owned LILY et Cie, Grande told Variety during the pre-show that her stylist Mimi Cuttrell "found it, and we were all so excited."
The look — which included white opera gloves, pale yellow pointed-toe pumps, a sparkling Swarovski Una Angelic choker and matching rings and earrings — was inspired by Grande's Wicked character, Glinda.
"It’s yellow because 'Follow the yellow brick road,' " Grande said. "And it’s one of Glinda's favorite colors."
04 of 23
Olivia Wilde
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Olivia Wilde attends the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2014.
Olivia Wilde's 2014 second-skin, emerald-green Gucci gown was her all-time favorite Golden Globes look.
Expecting her first child at the time, the Don't Worry Darling actress-director collaborated with her longtime stylist Karla Welch to achieve a look that she said "showed that pregnant women can still be sexy, and there's no need to disguise yourself in lots of layers."
05 of 23
Anne Hathaway
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Anne Hathaway arrives at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2011.
In 2011, the Devil Wears Prada star sparkled in an Armani Privé gown embroidered with Swarovski crystals, but the jaw-dropping moment was its daringly low-cut back.
A few months after the awards show, Hathaway told Interview Magazine in August of that year that the dress was one of her favorite recent looks.
"It had those fabulous, big, like, almost Dynasty shoulder pads and was covered in paillettes," the actress, who at the time named Kate Middleton as a style icon, said to her interviewer, Chelsea Handler. "My hair kept getting caught in them, but it was so fun to wear it. I find fashion so fun. It's a fun way to make a mistake, too."
06 of 23
Drew Barrymore
Jason Merritt/Getty Drew Barrymore attends the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2009.
Move over, Cinderella! Drew Barrymore went for full-on retro vibes in 2009, rocking Texas-high hair and a baby-blue tulle, off-the-shoulder John Galliano for Dior Haute Couture gown.
She paired the delicate pastel dress, which featured a fitted bodice and floaty skirt, with Lorraine Schwartz jewels and a bold red Roger Vivier clutch.
07 of 23
Jennifer Aniston
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Jennifer Aniston at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on Jan. 17, 2010.
Jennifer Aniston is known for her love of LBDs, and one of her sexiest ever was this 2010 high-slit Valentino gown.
In 2023, Valentino creative director Perpaolo Piccioli recreated the look for Aniston's The Morning Show character, Alex Levy, for a season 3 episode of the Apple TV series.
"Jennifer thought about the dress [Pierpaolo] had designed for her in 2010, and she loved that dress so much. She thought, 'Why not just recreate that silhouette?' " Kristin Hahn, The Morning Show's executive producer, told Vogue in October 2023.
08 of 23
Emma Watson
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Emma Watson poses on the red carpet at the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2014.
Emma Watson wore a delightfully surprising combo in 2014: an open-back Dior Haute Couture dress atop black cigarette pants. The layered look came courtesy of Watson's stylist Sarah Slutsky, whom the actress began working with in 2012.
"With Emma and me, it's really a collaboration," Slutsky told Teen Vogue in September 2014. "We are constantly looking at images; we try to have fun with it."
This was far from the Harry Potter alum's first red-carpet trousers look. She went fairycore way back at the 2001 premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in New York City and paired a black minidress with matching skinny pants to a London screening of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012.
09 of 23
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts opted for unconventional in 1990, wearing an off-the-rack Giorgio Armani gray suit. The risk paid off and is still beloved by many today.
"I loved the shape of it," she told InStyle, per E! News. "For me, this was the epitome of being dressed up."
In September 2025, Roberts shared during an Extra interview that her son Henry, who turned 18 that June, "had it on the other day."
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Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga arrives at the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 6, 2019.
In 2019, Gaga matched from head-to-toe — literally.
The A Star Is Born actress dyed her platinum blonde hair to match her lavender Valentino Couture gown, then accessorized with sky-high Giuseppe Zanotti platform heels and Tiffany & Co. diamonds.
"The look is Gaga all the way with regalia vibes," her hairstylist Frederic Aspiras told PEOPLE in January of that year. "When her gown came in for the fitting, we were all blown away with the color. This awards season, we wanted to really bring Gaga to Hollywood by showing it through her cerulean blue hair."
11 of 23
Keira Knightley
There's no better way to toast your first Golden Globe nod than to wow the crowd. That's just what Keira Knightley did in 2006, stepping out in a strapless white Valentino column gown tied with a glittery bow.
The empire-waist silhouette was not only pretty but also Elizabeth Bennet-coded — fitting, as she was nominated for her portrayal of the Jane Austen character in 2005's Pride and Prejudice.
12 of 23
Cameron Diaz
Talk about putting the "little" in LBD! Cameron Diaz's 2003 mini might be one of the shortest dresses to ever grace a Golden Globes carpet.
She gave the black turtleneck Chanel Haute Couture lace number some edge with a spiked cuff.
13 of 23
Courtney Love
In 2000, the Hole musician turned up in a polarizing, grunge-glam number from Dior's collection "'inspired' by homelessness."
"The dress arrived, and it was ridiculous. It was straight up and down and had twine on it," she told The Guardian in April 2019. "I remember thinking: 'Okay, it's crazy-looking, but I'll make it work.' "
Love made alterations that "really changed the dress" and wore turquoise acrylic nails that had been painted to match the Versace gown she originally intended to wear. The "Malibu" singer still considers it "a miracle" that her boobs didn't fall out of her dress, noting it "was important that they didn't."
"A lot went into this look, and it was controversial when I wore it," she said.
14 of 23
Lupita Nyong'o
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Lupita Nyong'o attends the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2014.
Nyong'o was the style star of 2014, thanks to her breakthrough role in 12 Years a Slave. The actress kicked off awards season, wearing this unforgettable red Ralph Lauren Collection off-the-shoulder silk gown with an attached cape.
"It was the first dress I tried on for the Golden Globes, and I loved it. It was just so bold with the cape, you know, kind of superhero-ish," the Black Panther star told Vogue in November 2022.
She added, "I ended up trying on all sorts of other gowns, but I kept coming back to this, and in the end, it won. I am so glad I got to wear it."
15 of 23
Reese Witherspoon
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Reese Witherspoon arrives at the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2007.
At the 2007 awards ceremony, Reese Witherspoon made her red carpet return a memorable one, stepping out post-divorce from ex-husband Ryan Phillippe in a bold, strapless yellow cocktail dress by Nina Ricci.
The Morning Show actress paid homage to that sunny hue a decade later by donning a strapless yellow Versace gown with a thigh-high slit for the 2017 Golden Globe Awards.
16 of 23
Fran Drescher
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Fran Drescher attends the 53rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 21, 1996.
Just like her character on The Nanny, Fran Drescher's style is whimsical, wild and, most importantly, never boring. Case in point? For the 1996 Golden Globes, she topped an elegant white gown with a headpiece of fresh flowers.
The statement headwear was created by Enzo Angiler and took over an hour and a half to complete.
"It's a wonderful time for me, and I'm all in bloom," Drescher said at the time, per E!. "God is smiling down on me, because he's watering my head as we speak. I was so afraid that it was going to be hot and sunny, and I was going to wilt, but in fact, I'm fresh as a daisy."
17 of 23
Emma Stone
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Emma Stone arrives at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2017.
In 2017, Emma Stone chose a celestial pink gown by Valentino that featured a plunging neckline and a cascade of silver stars.
As Stone's makeup artist Rachel Goodwin told The Hollywood Reporter in January of that year, the pastel frock paired well with the "feeling of La La Land."
The garment may have also been good luck, as the actress won her first Golden Globe for her portrayal of Mia Dolan in the 2016 film.
"It has whimsy, it has drama, it has this Old Hollywood yet somehow modern feel," Goodwin said of the dress. "It has all the elements that were represented in the movie."
18 of 23
Angelina Jolie
In 2011, Angelina Jolie broke her all-black style streak with a sparkly emerald-green long-sleeve Atelier Versace gown that cinched at the waist — and captured everyone's attention.
19 of 23
Lara Flynn Boyle
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Lara Flynn Boyle poses on the red carpet at the 60th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2003.
One of the most notorious Golden Globe outfits of all time was worn by Lara Flynn Boyle in 2003.
The Practice actress slipped into a very literal David Cardona pink ballerina ensemble, complete with a tutu and lace-up pumps.
"When I wore a tutu, I was like," Boyle recalled to PEOPLE in July 2024, pausing to hold up both of her middle fingers. "Whatever!"
20 of 23
Jane Fonda
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Jane Fonda attends the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2015.
In 2015, Jane Fonda stunned in a scarlet Versace gown with sexy side cutouts and a gilded mesh sleeve. She completed the look with Bulgari earrings and a Rauwolf purse.
The Grace and Frankie star's stylist, Tanya Gill, began working with the actress in 2010 and cited the red column dress when speaking to Yahoo! Style at the time on how to look sophisticated regardless of age. Gill explained that it "shows how to play with sheer cutouts that still cover."
"Remember, age is just a number, and women of any age should be confident in their fashion choices," Gill told the outlet.
21 of 23
Eva Mendes
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Eva Mendes arrives at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2009.
Eva Mendes' turquoise Van Cleef & Arpels necklace made a major statement at the 2009 Golden Globes, beautifully complementing her white Dior gown.
Also memorable? The lengths it took stylist Rachel Zoe and her team to pull the look together on a now-iconic season 2 episode of The Rachel Zoe Project.
22 of 23
Scarlett Johansson
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Scarlett Johansson attends the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2006.
Scarlett Johansson's curve-hugging tomato red Valentino dress remains as striking now as it was in 2006. The showstopping — yet timeless — gown featured a deep scoop neckline and statement ruffles along the side slit and straps.
23 of 23
Kate Hudson
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Kate Hudson attends the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 10, 2016.
Kate Hudson sported a pale pink midriff-baring Michael Kors ensemble at the 2016 Golden Globes.
"Kate is such a California girl — super-glam but laid-back at the same time," Kors told Vogue in January 2016 via email. "I wanted the gown to be streamlined yet extravagant and demure in color but provocative in cut. It shows off Kate's sexy athletic figure at its best."
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