The 2023 Golden Globes Was the Year’s First Menswear Vibe Check

As an institution, the Golden Globes is many things, but as the first major awards show of the calendar year, it is a valuable, multi-purpose litmus test: Hollywood industry watchdogs use it to predict how the rest of awards season may go, and other industry watchdogs (like yours truly) see it as a useful barometer to gauge what the big formalwear trends of the year may be—which, in turn, may inform what we non-celebrities might end up wearing in the coming months.

Delightfully, menswear was one of the highlights of the night—and if 2022 marked a record run for new formalwear (suits got slouchy, no shirt became the new shirt, and everyone just generally threw out the rulebook), then now, eleven days into the new year, it seems we’ve hit the ground running. There was even one notable capital-F Fashion during the telecast when host Jerrod Carmichael, in one of his mid-show outfit changes, slipped into a beaded vest by Bode, with designer Emily Bode’s surname conspicuously visible on the hem.

So, we kicked the tires on the 2023 Golden Globes vibe check, and picked out five trends to look for this season:

Since the new rule is no rules, we saw tons of exciting shapes on the carpet last night, which leaves lots of room for fun storytelling. House of Dragons actor Emma D’Arcy, who paired a hulking tuxedo jacket with a slim column skirt worn over pants, even came prepared with a narrative: “The vibe is like a child piano prodigy and maybe the recital’s not gone well,” they told E!, adding, “Nothing says nonbinary like wearing both a skirt and trousers.” 

Donald Glover did stepping-out-for-a-cigarette-at-the-after-party luxury in a silky YSL pajama set with an oversized tux jacket, while Abbott Elementary’s Best Supporting Actor winner Tyler James Williams went for streetwear matador in a trippy, cropped Amiri look.

A ribbon or scarf tie is a chic trick to switch up your collar-accoutrement rotation, and they also seem relatively very easy to tie. Some call this a “win-win.” Just look at these fellas!

If you have “find more opportunities for romance” on your list of new year’s resolutions, why not start with flowers? Make like Eddie Redmayne or Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti and pin a big silky rosette to your lapel, or go the Diego Calva route and find a chiffon blossom.

If all that flower talk has you thinking of boutonnières, there was also a notable retro-pastel-prom vibe going on last night. Seth Rogen opted for a salmon pink Dior tux, while Gabriel LaBelle (who channeled a young Steven Spielberg in The Fabelmans) chose baby blue. Host Jerrod Carmichael went a little more conceptual, with a pair of dusty rose pegged trousers and little matching loafers.

It’s 2023 and the Knives are still Out. It was a big night for big ol’ peaked lapels, which can be applied in many different suiting scenarios: Elvis himself, aka Austin Butler, wore a classic Gucci suit with a kick from the peaks and his droopy bow tie; The Inspection’s Jeremy Pope went all out in sharp black leather; and Barry Keoghan from The Banshees of Inisherin hit nearly all of last night’s trends in a light blue, cropped, peak-lapel suit with a fun twisty bow tie. Congrats to him!