Golden Globes 2013: Taylor Swift And More Best Dressed!

On Sunday night (January 13), our favorite stars of television and movies came together for one of the biggest celebrations of the year, the Golden Globes. It's also one of the biggest nights in fashion, with all our favorite leading ladies and gentlemen breaking out some surprising, challenging, and, of course, glamorous looks and setting the bar for the awards shows to follow in the coming months.

Well, set the bar they did, with some surprises, some risks and some dresses that everyone will be talking about, and trying to top, all awards season long.

One of the most popular silhouettes of the evening was the mermaid cut, with Best Original Song nominee Taylor Swift breaking from any of her usual colors (red, white, gold) and cuts in a deep-plum Donna Karan Atelier gown with a high neckline, curve-accentuating fit and unexpected and gorgeous peekaboo sheer panel up one side. Complemented by a sleek bun, minimal makeup and cascading drop earrings, Swift looked modern in a way that was totally unexpected. Swift wasn't the only one to wear that unusual plum, either: Lena Dunham's voluminous Zac Posen gown was a nearly identical hue.

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Also conjuring the sirens in a mermaid shape was Kelly Osbourne who, like Dunham, wore Zac Posen. Her ivory gown seemed to defy physics, with a structured bodice and a hem that, frankly, is difficult to find the words to describe. It looked like a cross between a flower and an alien spacecraft, giving the impression that Osbourne could at any point actually start to levitate and eventually shoot into the cosmos. Also in! a mermaid shape were Hayden Panettiere, in an exquisitely beaded white Roberto Cavalli with a sweetheart neckline, and Amy Adams, in a cotton-candy-pink Marchesa gown that looked almost edible.

Mermaid gowns, of course, were not the only popular silhouette on the red carpet, with the always timeless A-line having its moment in the sun in the form of Jennifer Lawrence's coral, strapless Dior Haute Couture gown. From the legendary design house's fall/winter 2012 collection, the dress had a structured bustline and nipped-in waist, accentuated with a metallic belt. The silhouette was 100 percent old Hollywood, but the detailing and fit of the dress were totally contemporary and incredibly interesting.

Speaking of details, the devil, as they say, was absolutely in them on the Globes red carpet, with gorgeous flourishes and intricate touches elevating dresses from beautiful to, well, extra right and left. The aforementioned beading on Panettiere's dress, Amanda Seyfried's custom white lace Givency, and, last but not least, Emily Blunt's unbelievable yellow studded, I repeat, studded Michael Kors all demonstrated how there's no stitch too small, no bead too minuscule when it comes to dressing for the red carpet. Part lace tapestry, part punk rock, Blunt's gown in particular had us swooning. The body-skimming gown had cutouts at the waist and a super-sleek high neckline, creating a silhouette that was both risky and risqu, a truly winning combination.

Also taking our breath away was Jennifer Lopez in a Zuhair Murad gown that made her look positively frosted, the white detailing blending into her skin seamlessly, transforming her into a resplendent snow queen.

With high necklines, mermaid silhouettes and rich detailing dominating the carpet, choosing my favorite looks wasn't easy. There were so many beautiful, unexpected, challenging looks, and my top pick was certainly both, although it was also a classic shape and a motif straight out of the most genteel setting. I'm ! talking, ! of course, about the dress that had Twitter practically screaming in 140 characters: Lucy Liu's Carolina Herrera pre-fall 2013 gown. A classic, strapless A-line ball gown, the powder-blue dress printed with an English-rose pattern transformed Liu into a princess of the most un-Disney variety graceful, delicate and not at all cartoonish. Being able to pull off a printed gown is no small achievement, and Liu deserves to be congratulated.

Golden Globes 2013: My Picks for Best Dressed
Lucy Liu: An absolute vision in fresh-off-the-runway Carolina Herrera with a pink and yellow English-rose print, this look knocked it out of the park for me. And it wasn't just the dress her beauty look was perfect. Such a structured dress could look costume-y if paired with a piled-high, traditional updo, but Liu's long braid lends it a distinctly 2013 feeling. This is how it's done, ladies; take notes.

Jennifer Lawrence: A winner both at the ceremony, where she won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and on the carpet, Jennifer Lawrence was stunning in her Dior Haute Couture gown. While a dress this structured could really swallow up a lesser beauty, Lawrence is both gorgeous and strong enough to really wear such a striking dress. This makes me so unbelievably excited to see what the "Silver Linings Playbook" star will wear to the Oscars, I can hardly contain myself.

Taylor Swift: This dress was a huge surprise to me, although it probably shouldn't have been. Swift has been taking more risks with color and fit as of late, but I still never thought I would be seeing her in a rich plum and with a high neckline anytime soon. Her Donna Karan Atelier mermaid gown elicited a literal gasp from our newsroom when she appeared on the ! carpet, a! nd the sense of pleasant surprise only built from there. The cut, the color, and most of all, that unexpected sheer panel were all fantastic.

Emily Blunt: I never expected to see studs on the red carpet, let me just say. Blunt's yellow Michael Kors gown appealed to the punk magpie in me, drawing me directly to those gold spikes glinting in the midst of all that richly textured lace. The neckline is almost sporty, and her pink and red jewelry is risky and utterly fabulous.

From the red carpet to backstage to the afterparties, stick with MTV for complete Golden Globe coverage. We've got you covered with Golden Globes red-carpet photos, the complete Golden Globes winners list, wall-to-wall fashion coverage, highlight clips from the show, celebrity interviews and much more.