Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, Olivia Wilde: 2009’s Golden Globes Best Dressed

Sure, the People’s Choice and Critic’s Awards were held earlier this month-just last week in fact.  But awards season in Tinseltown doesn’t officially start until the red carpet unfurls for the Golden Globes.  From the limo drop to the glam cam, Hollywood’s A-listers were carb-free, botoxed and Spanxed for the big party.

Last year, instead of critiquing some seriously expensive couture and extravagant bling, we all had to suffer through a somber press conference that was more boring than Henry Paulson talking about economic stimulus.  But now the Globes are back to rescue us from the doldrums of the holidays and too much fruitcake to bring a nation together in collective “oohs” and “ahhs” and the inevitable “WTF are they wearing?”  Oh yeah, and hand out some awards.

Thanks to E!’s Glamastrator and Stiletto Cam, the fashion scoop was up-close-and-personal like never before.  Or rather, they would have if Jay Emanuel and his bizarro paisley jacket were on fashion duty asking the all-important “Who are you wearing?” question instead of Ryan Seacrest who quickly abandoned this line from his script in fear that being at all interested in fashion is somehow a threat to his masculinity instead of part of his job.   Ryan, no one thinks you’re the model on manliness anyway.

As predicted by WWD and ShoeMinx’s own Nadine Bells, the night was “a bit more low key than usual,” which translated to a lot of boring black dresses and similarly downgraded makeup and hair (think loose waves, simple chignons and twists.)  But apparently Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, Eva Mendes, Cameron Diaz, Beyonce and of course Jennifer Lopez didn’t get the memo, turning out in some other hued gowns to break the style monotony. One thing that wasn’t understated though: the ridiculous amount of va-va-voom cleavage on parade.  Cleavage is the new accessory for 2009. Or décolletage if you want to be classy about it.  We agree with Meghan Fox, we want Salma Hayek’s boobs, too.

Some of our style picks and pans:

The biggest news:  Angelina Jolie did NOT wear black as expected!  Her shimmery silver spaghetti-strap (try saying that three times fast) Atelier Versace dress wasn’t the most fashion-forward but it was nice to see her embracing something non-black for a change.  Her dress was paired with Jimmy Choos. She wore a similar neutral-hued gown to the VH1 Critic’s Awards just a few nights ago so this might be the start of a brand new style rut. Yay, progress?

House’s Olivia Wilde can always be counted on to turn up the Hollywood glam power.  One of the early arrivals, she owned the red carpet in a gorg lavender Monique Lhuillier gown and Choos.

Double winner for Revolutionary Road and The Reader, Kate Winslet was among the women in black crowd, but her scarlet lip and delicate touches of jewelry, including a bit of sparkle at the waist, hit all the right Old Hollywood glamour notes.  And having Leonardo DiCaprio as arm candy is a bit of alright, too!

After gaining weight for her character’s soccer mom storyline and battling baby bump rumors, Desperate Housewives’ star Eva Longoria-Parker was back in full-on diva mode.  The petite star was poured into a fire-engine red Reem Acra fishtail dress. Flawless.  Definitely no baby on-board here.

Holy Disney!  Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus narrowly avoided a red carpet run-in with the Jonas Bros and her ex Nick.  The studious lack of eye contact or acknowledgement as they swapped places to chat with Ryan S. was awkward.  Also, pretty great. Live TV rules!  Miley for once gets her look 100% perfect in a flow-y Grecian-inspired Marchesa gown: totally age-appropriate and not matronly or a la Lohan (i.e. slutty).

We don’t know what Demi Moore is doing but she needs to bottle it and sell it.  She’s like Benjamin Button, she just looks better and better as she gets older. Demi was simply divine in a blush pink Dior halter gown, serious jewels and bedazzled clutch.

Our biggest complaint of the night was not the lack of color or a truly gasp-worthy gown.  No, it was the long dresses that prevented peeking at the shoes underneath and no designer shout-outs.  What gives?  Stuart Weitzman received a few honorable mentions from TV C-listers but no love was shown for red carpet staples.  Maybe stars actually had to pay for their footwear instead of getting them from richly appointed gift lounges this year.

From the flashes we saw as dresses were hiked up to avoid trampling, nude and metallic heels were favored options.  And Jimmy Choo was the designer of choice, gracing the pedicured feet of Angelina, America Ferrera, Olivia Wilde, Christina Applegate, Penelope Cruz and Kyra Sedgwick.  Salma Hayeck opted for Bottega Venetta and Maggie Gyllenhaal picked Lanvin.

Nudes or metallics, designer or discount, put your fashion foot forward in thousands of styles for any occasion at ShoeCompare.com.

By ShoeMinx Red Carpet Diva Paige Muller

People Magazine’s Haute List:

“10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008″

As the saying goes, fame is measured in column inches. People magazine’s coveted list of “10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008″ applauds celebrity fashion from hippie chic to hip-hop couture.  But what about the shoes?  The glorious, glorious shoes!  ShoeMinx singles out the stars’ best shoe moments of the year for applause (and envy).

Michelle Obama

Wife of presidential candidate Barack Obama

Mrs. O dresses her classic Talbots look with pearls and coordinated heels or flats that bring to mind another famous first lady. But we suspect that there’s an inner stiletto girl yearning to burst free.  Dancing at the inaugural ball with her newly elected presidential hubby would be the perfect occasion to step into a killer pair of heels and her new role as fashionable first lady.  And in the race to the White House, the democratic first-lady-in-waiting leads in fashion polls, topping Cindy McCain two to zero in best dressed wins.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Actress, Sex and the City; Bitten clothing designer

We love it when life imitates art. Just like her wildly popular Sex and the City character, Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker has a serious addiction to shoes. When asked about Carrie in a recent interview, SJP says, “She could probably count on a Manolo more than a man. So is it better than sex? Yes!” Hmm, what does that imply about hubby Matthew Broderick? And also says she has no problem walking in towering stilettos, “I could run a marathon in heels, wake up the next day and run another one.”

Charlize Theron

Oscar-winning actress, Monster

“If they ever do my life story, whoever plays me needs lots of hair color and high heels.”

Rihanna

“Good Girl Gone Bad” singer

After a style “SOS,” the Barbadian beauty transformed from a generic PG cutie to a funky R&B princess with an enviable look from the top of her punky hairdo to the bottoms of her architectural shoes. From DSquared tricked out booties to Balenciaga gladiators with shin-guards, one thing you won’t find in her ever-rotating shoe wardrobe: boring black heels.

Anne Hathaway

Actress, The Devil Wears Prada

“Shoes are it for me . . . A designer can have 12 completely different pairs of shoes within a season so you really just need to go by the individual shoe, but I do love Marc Jacobs for shoes a lot.”

Eva Mendes

Actress, The Women

When asked if she were to sell her soul, and what would it be for, the sultry actress quipped, “A billion dollars and I would buy lots of shoes!”  ShoeMinx is pretty sure Giuseppe Zanotti and Salvatore Ferragamo would give them to her gratis.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Oscar-winning actress, Shakespeare in Love

After Madonna’s gal pal traipsed red carpets across the globe for “Iron Man” press junkets in a selection of vertiginous skyscrapers from Alexander McQueen and Giuseppe Zanotti, she can officially be nicknamed: Queen of the Sky-high Stilettos.  The “Gwyneth effect” caused a huge surge in the sale of the fetish style shoes, especially the pair she wore to the London premiere. Super-high heels by the likes of Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent also got the Gwyneth bounce in sales.

People’s fashion favorites also include My Best Friend’s Girl star Kate Hudson, “Project Runway’s” Heidi Klum, and “Dutchess” singer Fergie.

No best dressed look is complete without Christian Louboutin’s signature red sole. Shop for covet-worthy Loubs to go with your LBD here.