This Week's Wow: Wishful Thinking for This Year's Golden Globes Red Carpet

In this weekly feature, InStyle’s Fashion News Director Eric Wilson shares his favorite fashion moment of the week, and explains how it could shape styles to come. Look for it on What’s Right Now every Friday.

The Moment: Sunday night, I’ll be watching the Golden Globes from the InStyle viewing party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and like many of you at home, I’m expecting some fireworks on the red carpet. As we all know, the event has taken on increasing prominence from a fashion perspective in recent years—some would argue the gowns are beginning to rival even those of the Oscars—so let’s take a break from our regular format this week and instead talk about what we’re hoping to see.

PHOTOS: Golden Globes 2015 Best Lead and Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominees

Big, big stars in big, big dresses: The roundup of nominees is hardly lacking A-list star power this year, sine the best actress in a movie category alone consists of Jennifer Aniston, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore, Rosamund Pike, and Reese Witherspoon, all of whom have been offering some seriously feisty and fabulous looks on the red carpet during the pre-season buildup. Moore, specifically, has championed young and inventive designers like Alexander Wang for Balenciaga and Delpozo’s Josep Font, so I’m particularly eager to see her choice. (She's pictured below, from L-R, in Alexander McQueen, Delpozo, and Givenchy.) Jones and Pike, too, have been on the wish lists of every major design house this year, so this is their moment to really crystalize a clear style identity. No pressure, but who’s going to be this year’s Lupita Nyong’o?

But wait, there’s more: Is it just me and my wishful thinking, or is this going to be an exceptional year for the red carpet, given the range of electric-to-eclectic stars on the docket: From television’s power players like Claire Danes, Viola Davis, Julianna Margulies, Ruth Wilson and Robin Wright, to more movie nominees, including Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren… and at the risk of hyperventilation, I haven’t even mentioned presenters Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, and Lupita herself!

Designers galore: Without revealing too much, little birdies have told me to be on the lookout for some knockouts from Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, and Valentino. Who’d have guessed?

Potential trends: Shoulder cutouts, graphic black-and-white combos, and new metallic treatments on cloqué, lace, or jacquard, at this point, have short odds. It’s even money on exquisitely toned arms.

Colors to consider: After all that “color of the year” business, marsala might be a risky choice, for fear of being too trendy. But I would wager, given their prominence in the Spring 2015 collections, other spice tones will rule the night, along with a few muted pastels and whispers of pink.

PHOTOS: Celebrities in Marsala: Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year