"I think at one point, actors may have thought it (a bold choice) was too much pageantry, but this year was definitely about making a statement," fashion designer and red carpet expert Nick Verreos said.
He singled out "Glee" star Lea Michele's Oscar de la Renta gown that looked like it was "built into her body" and movie actress Olivia Wilde's Marchesa ball gown as examples of stars saying, "I'm not going to blend in!"
For her part, Wilde said her sequined gown was "dramatic and elegant ... I liked that it was on chocolate brown and I knew it would reflect the sun."
Melissa Leo, best supporting actress nominee for "The Fighter," also went with sequins, choosing a black Mark Bouwer dress that had a train.
"It had a weight to it and I like that in a dress," Leo said. "And if you have enough room, and people aren't trotting on it, wearing a train is one of the most delightful things a girl can wear.
The Golden Globes annually are one of Hollywood's most-watched awards shows and come only weeks ahead of the Oscars. As a result, many A-list stars show up for the program, and fashion designers around the world seek to have the actresses where their gowns on the red carpet.
Style expert and TV personality Sam Saboura called the Golden Globes: "the night of the black swans and the swan queens" alluding to best drama movie nominee "Black Swan" and the number of polar opposite colors on the red carpet.
There were many black gowns -- Halle Berry, Piper Perabo, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Stiles and Eva Longoria -- and plenty light creams, taupes, peaches and pinks as seen on Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Scarlet Johanssen, Megan Fox, Emma Stone and the pregnant Natalie Portman.
"It was one of the only ones I tried on," said Portman of her light Viktor and Rolf gown that had a red flower emblazoned on it. "It was so beautiful, we realized nothing else would compare."
Many stars didn't shy away from color. There were vibrant reds, vivid pinks, and one color that is sure to be a spring trend -- green.
"There were more emerald green and forest greens than ever before," said David Gomez Pearlberg, fashion executive for Junko Yoshioka New York, citing Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mila Kunis.
Regardless of style or color, "it was sparkle and shine done in a new way, with plenty of three-dimensional embellishment," Saboura said.
The bold statements made by the actresses were a stark contrast to last year's subdued red carpet that came on the heels of a devastating earthquake in Haiti.
"It was a more elegant Hollywood than we've ever seen before. There were so many more hits than misses," Pearlberg said.
